Albertus Magnus College
GNAC Softball Tournament Preview
#4 Albertus Magnus (11-5, 11-3 GNAC)
vs.
#5 Rivier University (7-3, 5-3 GNAC)
Tuesday, May 4 • 4 p.m. • Shea Softball Field
LINKS: VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Postseason Begins
The Albertus Magnus College softball team finished the regular season with an 11-5 overall record and earned the No. 4 seed in the upcoming 2021 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament thanks to an 11-3 mark in league play.
The Falcons open post-season play on Tuesday, May 4, with a single-elimination game against fifth-seeded Rivier University at 4:00 PM in New Haven, Conn. The winning team will then play a single-elimination game on Thursday, May 6 against either No. 1 Emmanuel (Mass.) College or No. 8 Anna Marie College.
The two remaining teams going head-to-head on Saturday, May 8 in a best 2-of-3 series to determine the GNAC champion.
Postseason Notes
- Albertus Magnus is making its 16th appearance in the GNAC Tournament.
- The Falcons are 14-21 all-time in the event and are searching for the team's first league title since 1997.
- This is the first time the Falcons and Raiders will meet in the postseason tournament.
2021 Recap
- Albertus opened 2021 with a pair of non-conference losses to Eastern Connecticut State University (Mar. 11) before opening conference play with a twin bill split with the University of Saint Joseph (CT) (Mar. 27).
- Following a conference doubleheader sweep at Dean (Apr. 10), the Falcons then went on to win four out of their next six games, heading into the final week with an overall record of 7-5 and a league mark of 7-3.
- The Falcons closed out the final week with a four-game sweep against Anna Maria College (Apr. 30-May 1).
GNAC Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, May 4
#8 Anna Maria at #1 Emmanuel - 6:30 PM
#5 Rivier at #4 Albertus Magnus - 4:00 PM
#6 Norwich at #3 St. Joseph (CT) - TBA
#7 Lasell at #2 Johnson & Wales - 4:00 PM
Thursday, May 6
4v5 winner vs 1v8 winner
3v6 winner vs. 2v7 winner
Saturday-Sunday, May 8-9*
Best 2-of-3 at highest remaining seed
* - if necessary third game played on Sun 5/9
This Year vs. Rivier
- Due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Falcons and Raiders have not squared off yet this season.
- To date, Albertus leads the all-time series against Rivier, 28-23.
- Tuesday's meeting will mark the 52nd all-time meeting between the two programs.
Scouting Rivier
- Runs Scored: 75 (6th in GNAC)
- Batting Average: .311 (3rd in GNAC)
- On-Base Percentage: .412 (2nd in GNAC)
- ERA: 2.78 (6th in GNAC)
- Strikeouts: 69 (7th in GNAC)
Rivier Player & Team Highlights
- Rivier opened the season with a record of 5-1 behind two doubleheader sweeps against Northern Vermont-Lyndon (Mar. 27) and Anna Maria College (Apr. 10) as well as a doubleheader split at Dean College (Apr. 3).
- The Raiders then went on an extended break that resumed on April 30th.
- Rivier concluded the regular season with a pair of twin bill splits against the University of Saint Joseph (CT) and Lasell University.
- Senior Kasey Smith leads the Raiders attack and ranks fifth in league play with a .429 batting average.
- Sophomore hurler Nicole Verrette is also a threat for the Raiders as she currently ranks third in the conference with a 1.33 ERA.
Scouting Albertus Magnus
- Runs Scored: 73 (7th in GNAC)
- Batting Average: .373 (6th in GNAC)
- On-Base Percentage: .334 (7th in GNAC)
- ERA: 2.88 (8th in GNAC)
- Strikeouts: 75 (6th in GNAC)
Where does Albertus softball rank in the GNAC?
- First - triples (5)
- Second - sacrifice hits (14)
- Third - doubles (25), home runs (8), extra-base hits (38), slugging percentage (.408), shutouts (2), batting average against (.248)
Albertus Player Highlights
- Senior hurler Laura Anderson (East Haven, Conn.) and sophomore Bernadette Kingsbury (Trumbull, Conn.) are two of the Falcons' top-performers in the circle as the duo has a combined overall record of 10-3.
- L. Anderson currently has an ERA of 1.89, tying her for fourth in the GNAC along with Megan Long of Emmanuel (Mass.) College.
- Kingsbury's ERA of 2.33 is a career-best for the Trumbull, Conn. native.
- This season, the Falcons have five players batting over .300, including a team-high batting average of .365 from junior Ivy Geloso (Beacon Falls, Conn.).
- L. Anderson also is a threat at the plate with a .354 batting average behind 17 hits, four doubles, a triple, and a home run.
- Junior Jess Stettinger (East Haven, Conn.) is having another stellar year for the Falcons hitting .340 on the season to go along with 18 hits, two doubles, four home runs, and 11 RBIs.
- Stettinger is currently in a four-way tie for the league lead with four home runs.
