2022 CAA Softball Championship On The Horizon
Hunter Peters
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BRACKET
ELON, N.C. (May 11, 2022) – The 2022 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Softball Championship presented by Primis, begins Thursday morning from Hunt Softball Park in Elon, N.C. on the campus of Elon University. The five-team, double-elimination tournament will take place from May 12 through May 14, with the Championship game slotted for noon on Saturday, May 14.
Fourth-seeded Elon (27-20, 10-8 CAA) will face fifth-seeded Charleston (14-35, 7-10 CAA) at 11 a.m. on Thursday, followed by second-seeded Hofstra (21-25, 13-6 CAA) and third-seeded UNCW (29-13, 11-8 CAA) squaring off at 1:30 p.m. Top-seeded Delaware (28-14, 11-4 CAA) awaits the winner of Elon and Charleston at 4 p.m., with the losers of the first two games meeting in an elimination contest at 6:30 p.m.
Delaware is the top seed in the conference tournament for the first time after winning the program’s first CAA regular season title this spring. Delaware leads the conference, averaging 5.5 runs per game, with an experienced lineup. Hanna Garber (.368, 48 R) ranks fourth in the CAA in batting average and leads the league in runs scored, while Brooke Glanden (.321, 38 RBI) is tied for second in the league in RBIs. Additionally, Brittney Mendoza (.336, 33 RBI, 27 R) is second on the team in batting average, RBIs and runs scored. In the circle, Delaware has a one-two punch with Emily Winburn (12-8, 2.75 ERA 108 K) and Graceyn Frost (13-4, 2.76 ERA, 97 K). As a team, the Blue Hens rank second in the CAA in team ERA (2.86).
Hofstra is a perennial power in CAA softball, owning a league-best 12 CAA Championship titles. The Pride has appeared in 18 of 20 conference tournaments, reaching the championship on 14 occasions. Hofstra is led by first-year coach Adrienne Clark, who won four CAA Championship titles with the Pride as a player from 2002 to 2005. Chelsea Manto (.363) tops the Pride’s lineup and leads the conference with 61 hits. Meghan Giordano (.313) is the team’s leading run producer, recording 31 RBIs and 29 runs scored this spring. Hofstra has four pitchers with 20 or more appearances, led by redshirt freshman Julia Apsel (6-9). Apsel leads the team in innings pitched (95.0) and ERA (2.87) while ranking second in strikeouts (61).
UNCW returns to the tournament field for the first time since 2018, matching its highest seed in program history. The Seahawks have benefited this spring from a pitching staff that leads the CAA with a 1.78 team ERA and 6.88 strikeouts per seven innings. Freshman Emily Winstead (11-8) leads the conference with a 1.72 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 122.1 innings pitched. Her counterpart, Kara Hammock (88.1 IP, 66 K) has an 11-3 record and ranks third in the CAA with a 2.14 ERA. Offensively, Janel Gamache leads the team with a .343 batting average and has team-highs in home runs (7) and RBIs (31). Tayler Vitola (.341) follows closely, leading the team in hits (47), stolen bases (22-26) and runs scored (31).
Elon will be making its third straight appearance in the CAA tournament, with the Phoenix reaching the championship in 2019. Rebecca Murray paces the Elon lineup, hitting .347 on the season. She leads the team in hits (51) and runs scored (28) while ranking first in the conference in stolen bases (23-25). Gabi Schaal leads the team with nine home runs and 38 RBIs, hitting .316 on the season with 27 runs scored. Her RBI total is tied for second in the conference this spring. In the circle, the Phoenix has five pitchers with at least 39.0 innings pitched. Taylor Cherry (6-6) has a team-high 79.1 innings and leads the team with 82 strikeouts, while McKenzie Weber (4-3, 66.0 IP) has a 1.91 ERA that ranks second in the CAA.
Charleston is making its fifth appearance in the CAA tournament over the past six seasons but returns after missing the field last season. The Cougars have won four in a row entering the tournament and five of their last six under first-year head coach Tracey Lynch. Charleston looks to its duo of Carli McCants (6-9) and Peyton Lemire (4-11) in the circle to lead the way. McCants has a team-high 116.1 innings pitched and ranks fourth in the CAA in ERA (2.23) and strikeouts (103), while Lemire ranks sixth in the conference in ERA (2.59). At the plate, Jenna Helberg leads Charleston in hits (38), doubles (11), home runs (5) and RBIs (22). Jenna Carter paces the team with a .318 batting average and has a team-high 25 runs scored.
Tickets can be purchased online at
Elontickets.com or on game day at the ticket office located at the main entrance of Hunt Softball Park beginning one hour prior to the first game each day. All tickets are subject to availability.
Full coverage of the CAA Softball Championship presented by Primis will be streamed on FloSoftball (
flosports.link/CAAonFlo). To stay up to date with what is happening be sure to follow the CAA on Twitter (@CAASports), Instagram (@caasports) and join the conversation using the hashtag #CAAChamps. For live results, recaps, and more, visit
CAASports.com/softball.
2022 CAA Softball Championship presented by Primis
Thursday, May 12
Game 1: #4 Elon vs #5 Charleston – 11:00 a.m.
Game 2: #2 Hofstra vs #3 UNCW – 1 :30 p.m.
Game 3: #1 Delaware vs Winner Game 1 – 4:00 p.m.
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs Loser Game 2 – 6:30 p.m.
Friday, May 13
Game 5: Winner Game 2 vs Winner Game 3 – 12:00 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs Loser Game 3 – 2:30 p.m.
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs Winner Game 6 – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 14
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs Winner Game 7 – 12:00 p.m.
Game 9: Immediately Following Game 8 (IF NECESSARY)
Follow the Colonial Athletic Association on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and learn more about all 10 CAA member institutions and their teams.