MAY 3, 2018
KING'S SET TO HOST MAC FREEDOM SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT FRIDAY-SATURDAY
WILKES-BARRE -- King's College will once again serve as the host school when the 2018 MAC Freedom Conference Softball Championships are held Friday and Saturday in the Betzler Athletic Complex. Manhattanville College, DeSales, University, Misericordia University, and the host Monarchs will be competing for the league title and the NCAA Division III National Tournament berth to goes with it. This will mark the ninth time King's has served as host of the conference championship tournament.
Per-day ticket prices have been set at $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students, while children under age-six shall be admitted free.
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A bevy of tournament information, including links to LiveStats and Live Video, directions, hotel/restaurant information, and King's "Pet Policy" for the Betzler Complex, and more, is available at the following Tournament Web Page:
http://kingscollegeathletics.com/sports/2018/5/1/2018_Freedom_Softball_Championships.aspx
King's, which is making a record 19th consecutive appearance in the MAC/Freedom Conference Tournament, enters the event as the fourth seed. King's, which finished the year at 20-18 overall and 8-6 in conference play, will face two-time defending champion Manhattanville College, which stands as the top-seeded squad. The Valiants own a 21-13 overall record and were 10-4 in league competition.
In the other first-round pairing, second seeded DeSales (14-14/9-4) will square off against third-seeded Misericordia (22-16/9-5). The Freedom Conference Tournament is a double elimination event.
Game-three on Friday will feature the two first-round winners at 2:00 PM while the first-round losers will square off at 4:00 PM in an elimination game. Saturday's games are slated for 11:00 AM, and  1:00 PM, with the "if necessary" game slated for 3:00 PM.
Manhattanville College earned the top seed in its eighth Freedom Conference Tournament berth since its first season in the MAC in 2008. The Valiants are also making their third straight Freedom Tournament appearance, last missing the event in 2015. Manhattanville has won three MAC Freedom titles in 2014, 2016, and 2017. Senior Delores Diemicke tops the team offensively with a .411 (44-107) batting average with eight home runs, nine doubles, and 23 RBI while three-time Freedom Conference "Pitcher of the Year" Alycia Feeney is 12-6 with a 2.03 ERA and 75 strikeouts.
Freshman Jordyn Boyd owns a .382 (21-55) batting average with three home runs and 18 RBI while senior Alexis Ventarola stands at .358 (29-81) with five home runs, seven doubles, and 26 RBI. Aarin Hartenstein has a .320 (24-74) average with seven home runs and 15 RBI. Manhattanville hit a tournament high 46 home runs this season. The Valiants had five players named All-Freedom Conference on Tuesday.
DeSales University earned the second seed for the 2018 Freedom Conference Tournament. DeSales is making its 10th appearance in the MAC/Freedom Conference Tournament since joining the Conference in 1997-98. This will mark the Bulldogs first conference tournament berth since the 2015 season. The Bulldogs have won two championships, coming in 2008 and 2013.Â
Freshman Reilly Kerr tops the squad with a .483 (43-89) batting average with nine doubles and 27 RBI while senior Hailey Warner tops the pitching staff with a 9-3 record and a 3.01 ERA with 79 strikeouts. Leanne Panconi has earned a .413 (19-46) average with four home runs and 15 RBI. Carly Benjamin is hitting .365 (27-74) with 22 RBI. DeSales had seven players named to the All-Freedom Conference squad.
Misericordia University has earned its fifth straight berth and its eighth since joining the Freedom Conference in 2008. The Cougars won the 2012 Freedom Conference crown. The Cougars are seeded third in this season's event. Misericordia is headed by seven All-Freedom Conference selections, led by freshman Amanda Butera, the conference "Rookie of the Year" after batting .428 (59-138) with nine home runs, nine doubles, and 29 RBI. Sophomore Brooke Moyle tops the pitching staff with a 9-6 record and a 3.68 ERA with 61 strikeouts.Â
Freshman Kiersten Pflueger hits .405 (49-121) with two home runs, seven RBI, and 23 RBI. Freshman Brianna Holder posts a .395 (30-76) average with four home runs, 10 doubles, and 23 RBI while fellow rookie Maddie Holub stands at .391 (45-115) with two home runs, seven doubles, six triples, and 27 RBI. As a team the Cougars posted a school-record 39 home runs.Â
Host King's College is making a record 19th straight appearance in the MAC/Freedom Conference Tournament. The Monarchs, who placed second last season to Manhattanville, have won 10 conference championships since 2000 but are seeking their first since 2011. King's enters the event as the fourth seed. Junior Lexi Wolk tops King's offensively with a .363 (41-113) batting average. Senior Samantha Bloom tops the pitchers with a 8-7 record with a 3.35 ERA and 36 strikeouts.Â
Senior first-baseman Megan Beaupre is batting .327 (33-98) with four home runs, eight doubles, and 26 RBI. Junior Amber Saylor stands at .336 (38-113) with six doubles, 13 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. Sophomore Mackenzie Yori follows at .326 (29-89) with six doubles and 15 stolen bases while Bloom is hitting .318 (34-107) with seven doubles and 17 RBI.
King's leads the tournament field with 55 stolen bases in 61 attempts. The Monarchs had five players named to the All-Freedom Conference squad.
