2024 Gannon softball team photo

Softball Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Tournament Preview: Golden Knights Head to PSAC Tournament as Number One Seed from the Western Division

1W GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (30-11, 25-6 PSAC West) vs. E4 SHIPPENSBURG RAIDERS (31-17, 18-14 PSAC East) or W5 INDIANA (PA) (29-23, 15-17 PSAC West)
2024 PSAC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
DATE/TIME:  Wednesday, May 1, 2024 I 10:00 a.m.
FACILITY/LOCATION:  Veterans Park I Quakertown, Pa.
PSAC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

TICKET INFORMATION 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

PSAC Softball Championships Hosted at Veterans Field 145 E. Pumping Station Road, Quakertown, PA 18951

Wednesday, May 1 - Saturday, May 4, 2024
Championship Admission Fees (Day Passes Only): Buyer pays ticket fees
Day Pass (Wed/Thurs):$15
Day Pass (Fri/Sat):$10
Children 12 and Under Free
Free admission for students from member institutions with valid I.D
No Complimentary Tickets
PSAC Passes Honored

Tickets can only be purchased via Hudl Tickets. This will be a cashless event. All Sales Final. NO REFUNDS FOR RAINOUTS.


THE 2023 PSAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 1
Game 1 – W4 Slippery Rock (25-25, 18-13) vs. E5 Bloomsburg (31-20, 18-14) – 10:00 a.m.
Game 2 – E4 Shippensburg (31-17, 18-14) vs. W5 Indiana (Pa.) (29-23, 15-17) – 10:00 a.m.
Game 3 – W2 Seton Hill (35-15, 23-9) vs. E3 West Chester (30-20, 18-13)– 12:30 p.m.
Game 4 – E2 Kutztown (31-20, 19-13) vs. W3 California (Pa.) (22-18, 20-12) – 12:30 p.m.
Game 5 – Game 1 winner (29-15, 22-8) vs. E1 East Stroudsburg (41-13, 23-9) – 3:00 p.m.
Game 6 – Game 2 winner vs. W1 GANNON (30-11, 25-6) – 3:00 p.m.
Game 7 -- Game 2 loser vs. Game 5 loser (Loser eliminated) – 5:30 p.m.
Game 8 -- Game 1 loser vs. Game 6 loser (Loser eliminated) – 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 2
Game 9 -- Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner – 10:00 a.m.
Game 10 -- Game 4 winner vs. Game 6 winner – 10:00 a.m.
Game 11 -- Game 3 loser vs. Game 7 winner (Loser eliminated) – 12:30 p.m.
Game 12 -- Game 4 loser vs. Game 8 winner (Loser eliminated) – 12:30 p.m.
Game 13 -- Game 10 loser vs. Game 11 winner (Loser eliminated) – 3:00 p.m.
Game 14 -- Game 9 loser vs. Game 12 winner (Loser eliminated) – 3:00 p.m.
Friday, May 3
Game 15 -- Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner – 10:00 a.m.
Game 16 -- Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner (Loser Eliminated) – 12:30 p.m.
Game 17 -- Game 15 loser vs. Game 16 winner (Loser Eliminated) -- 3:00 p.m.  
Saturday, May 4 – Championship Round
Game 18: Game 15 winner vs. Game 17 winner – 11:00 a.m.
Game 19: Played only if Game 17 winner wins Game 18 – 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 5
If needed due to weather complications
 
GANNON IN THE PSAC SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
After failing to make the PSAC Tournament the first two years as a member of the conference (2009 and 2010), Gannon is now making its 13th straight appearance in the conference championships. The Golden Knights did not win their first two years in the tournament but have enjoyed great success since then. In 2015 Gannon reached the PSAC championship game before dropping a 3-2 decision to Cal. They finally broke through as PSAC champions in 2018, winning all four of their games while outscoring the four opponents 22-11. They reached the championship game again in 2019 but dropped a 6-4 decision to Lock Haven. There was no 2020 PSAC Tournament due to COVID-19, and the following year's tournament featured a different format. Gannon won a best-of-3 quarterfinal series with California (Pa.), two games to none, but would fall to Seton Hill in three games in the semifinals. A year ago Gannon went in as the No. 5 seed out of the Western Division. After a 6-2 loss to E4 seed Shippensburg the Golden Knights upset West Chester, the top seed in the East, 9-7 to remain alive. They were eliminated with a 5-3 loss to W2 Mercyhurst.
 
2011                      
vs. Kutztown -- L, 1-9
vs. Bloomsburg -- L, 0-4         
2012                      
vs. Bloomsburg – L, 1-7 (9 innings)
vs. Mercyhurst -- L, 5-6
2013                      
vs. Bloomsburg -- L, 1-7
vs. Lock Haven -- W, 7-3
vs. Mercyhurst -- W, 14-2 (5 innings)
vs. California (Pa.) -- L, 1-4
2014                      
vs. Bloomsburg -- L, 2-5
vs. Mansfield – W, 3-2 (9 innings)
vs. West Chester -- L, 1-2
2015                      
vs. Bloomsburg -- W, 2-0
vs. California (Pa.) -- W, 5-4
vs. West Chester -- W, 8-4
vs. California (Pa.) -- L, 5-8
vs. California (Pa.) -- L, 2-3 (Championship Game)
2016                      
vs. West Chester -- W, 3-1
vs. Bloomsburg -- L, 0-3
vs. Kutztown -- L, 5-10
2017                      
vs. Shippensburg -- W, 4-2
vs. Bloomsburg -- L, 3-7 (9 innings)
vs. Lock Haven -- L, 4-8         
2018                      
vs. Bloomsburg -- W, 4-3
vs. West Chester -- W, 6-2
vs. Lock Haven -- W, 7-3         
vs. West Chester -- W, 5-3 (PSAC Champion)  
2019                      
vs. Mansfield -- W, 11-1 (5 innings)
vs. Lock Haven -- L, 2-4
vs. Seton Hill -- W, 5-4
vs. West Chester -- W, 8-7
vs. Kutztown -- W, 3-1
vs. Lock Haven -- W, 7-5
vs. Lock Haven -- L, 4-6 (Championship Game)     
2021   
CALIFORNIA (PA) -- W, 2-1 (Quarterfinals, best of three)
CALIFORNIA (PA) – W, 9-4                                   
at Seton Hill -- W, 8-6 (Semifinals, best of three)
at Seton Hill -- L, 1-6
at Seton Hill -- L, 1-4 
2022  
vs. East Stroudsburg – L, 2-4
vs. California (Pa.) – W, 3-2
vs. Shippensburg – L, 5-6 (8 inn.)
2023  
vs. Shippensburg – L, 2-6
vs. West Chester – W, 9-7         
vs. Mercyhurst – L, 3-5
 
ERIE, Pa. – A surging Gannon softball team will make its 13th straight appearance in the PSAC Tournament on Wednesday, May 1. Thanks to an incredible run over the last two weeks while playing 15 doubleheaders in 23 days the Golden Knights emerged on Saturday as the number one seed in the Western Division. Gannon edged out Seton Hill for the top seed.
 
On Sunday the Golden Knights ran their winning streak to 11 straight games with a doubleheader sweep at Pitt-Johnstown by scores of 12-2 and 6-1 to wrap up the regular season. That left the Golden Knights at 30-11 overall and 25-6 in PSAC West action.
 
The PSAC Tournament will once again be held at Veterans Park in Quarkertown, Pa. Play begins on Wednesday and will continue through Saturday, May 3. A total of eight games will be played on two fields on Wednesday, with six more games slated for Thursday on two fields.
 
As the Western Division's number one seed Gannon will play in Wednesday's sixth game. Slated to start at 3:00 p.m. The Golden Knights will face the winner of the earlier game between No. 4E seed Shippensburg (31-17) and No. 5W seed Indiana (Pa.) (29-23).
 
Gannon and IUP met four times this season, with the Golden Knights winning the final three. They swept a doubleheader at IUP by scores of 9-6 and 12-2 on April 22. Gannon and Shippensburg have not met in 2024. However a year ago the two squared off in the first game of the 2023 PSAC Tournament with the Raiders claiming a 6-2 win, rallying for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
Head coach Michelle Wiley has done a remarkable job of blending a group of veterans with an impressive array of freshmen. The end result so far has been a 30-win season for the second time in her six years. Gannon finished at 30-19 in her first season at the helm in 2019. For her efforts on Tuesday Wiley was recognized as the PSAC West Coach of the Year.
 
Gannon won its first divisional title since 2019 when the PSAC was split up into three divisions and Gannon came in first in the regular season in the Western Division.
 
Gannon enters the PSAC Tournament ranked ninth in the Atlantic Region in the most recent NCAA regional rankings, with another set to come out on Wednesday. Seven PSAC teams were among the ten teams in the regional poll so this week's PSAC Tournament will have a great deal of significance in who will represent the conference in the 2024 NCAA Division II Tournament.
 
WILEY NAMED PSAC WEST COACH OF THE YEAR, LENDA PITCHER OF THE YEAR
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its all-conference awards on Tuesday with Gannon well represented. In fact, the Golden Knights captured two of the four major awards with Michelle Wiley selected the PSAC West Coach of the Year for the second time and Maggie Lenda (East Aurora, N.Y./Iroquois) honored as the PSAC West Pitcher of the Year. In her sixth season at the helm, Wiley has guided the Golden Knights to 30-11 record, her second 30-win campaign. In 2019 Gannon finished at 30-19 and she was named the Coach of the Year for the first time. She owns a 134-97 career record. Tom Jakubowski is the only other Gannon coach to win Coach of the Year honors, doing so in 2017 and 2018. Lenda, meanwhile, is Wiley's star pupil in the circle. After a slow start the junior has run off wins in 14 straight decisions. She enters the PSAC Tournament with a 15-2 record and a 2.11 ERA. She has completed 1 of her 17 starts with four shutouts. Lenda has thrown 109.2 innings with a team-high 86 strikeouts. The 15 wins are tied for 13th in a season. This is the fourth time a Gannon player has received Pitcher of the Year honors and Lenda is the third Gannon player. Madi Beining was honored in 2018 and 2109 and Olivia Gumbita in 2017.
 
FIVE GOLDEN KNIGHTS EARN ALL-PSAC WEST HONORS
Gannon had a total of five players named to the All-PSAC West squads, all on the first team. In addition to Maggie Lenda (East Aurora, N.Y./Iroquois) at pitcher, redshirt junior Natalia Mallozzi (Woodbridge, Ontario/Father Bressani Catholic) and senior Jules Ryan (Collegeville, Pa./Spring Ford) were named at first and second base, respectively. Both are now two-time honorees after earning second team recognition a year ago. In addition, freshman Emma Smerick (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) landed one of three outfield spots and Gabi Vasi (Tonawanda, N.Y./Kenmore East), a senior, was the designated hitter.
 
GANNON IN SEARCH OF SECOND PSAC CROWN
Head coach Michelle Wiley is looking to guide the Golden Knights to their second PSAC championship. Gannon came away as the PSAC Champion in 2018 with Wiley serving as an assistant coach for head coach Tom Jakubowski. Gannon has also reached the PSAC championship game in 2015 and 2019.
 
11-GAME WINNING STREAK LONGEST SINCE 2008
Gannon enters the PSAC Tournament riding an 11-game winning streak. That is the longest since the 2008 team also won 11 games in row. The Golden Knights also won 11 straight games in 2002 and 2004. In 1997 Gannon opened the season with 18 straight wins and in 1995 they ran off 12 straight victories.
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS
After starting off with losses in four of the first five games, albeit it against strong competition, Gannon has picked up steam and has now won 11 straight games despite an extremely busy past few weeks.
 
Head coach Michelle Wiley has been able to blend a group of experienced players with an exciting freshman class. As expected the pitching has mirrored the season, getting off to an uneven start but now throwing plenty of quality games.
 
Gannon ranks second in the PSAC with a team batting average of .340. The Golden Knights are fifth in the conference in home runs (39) and also standing fourth in stolen bases with 76. Gannon is fourth in the PSAC in total runs scored with 282, but the teams ahead of the Golden Knights have all played eight or more games than Gannon.
 
As for team ERA Gannon only stands ninth in the PSAC at 3.74 but Gannon has allowed the second-fewest earned runs in the conference at 143.
 
Maggie Lenda (East Aurora, N.Y./Iroquois) has emerged as the team's ace in the circle. The junior was named the PSAC West Pitcher of the Year on Tuesday and comes in having won 14 straight decisions. She owns a 15-2 overall record and 2.11 ERA. While ranking fourth in the PSAC in ERA that figure is lowered to 1.12 against PSAC opponents. That is the second-lowest in the conference. She has completed 15 of her 17 starts with four shutouts. In 109.2 innings Lenda has allowed 95 hits and 45 walks with 86 strikeouts.
 
Several other pitchers have stepped up late in the year. Gabi Vasi (Tonawanda, N.Y./Kenmore East) is an impact player both in the circle and at the plate. The senior is 7-5 with a 4.15 ERA and five complete games. She earned second team All-PSAC West honors at designated hitter, currently second on the team and sixth in the PSAC with a .430 batting average. She is tied for the team with 34 RBIs and has three doubles, two triples and three home runs.
 
Katie Armstrong (Lower Burrell, Pa./Burrell) started off the season as one of the lead hurlers but the freshman missed a considerable amount of time with an injury. She returned recently and has a 5-2 record with a 3.83 ERA. She has struck out 53 in 38.1 innings. Josie Spano (Hudson, Ohio/Western Reserve Academy) (2-1, 5.86 ERA) has been much more effective of late than her numbers suggest.
 
Natalia Mallozzi (Woodbridge, Ontario/Father Bressani Catholic) and Jules Ryan (Collegeville, Pa./Spring Ford) man the right side of the infield and were accorded first team All-PSAC West honors. A year ago they were second team All-PSAC West honorees. Mallozzi, a redshirt junior with a sweet left-handed swing, has raised her average to a team-leading .434 thanks to a torrid second half. She is fourth in the PSAC in batting. She has a team-leading 13 doubles, with a triple and four home runs while driving in 32 runs. Mallozzi has also been walked 23 times and has a. 545 on-base percentage.
 
Ryan comes in at .325, one of eight regulars with a .300 average. The senior second baseman is tied with Vasi for the team lead in RBIs with 34. She has 12 doubles, three triples and three home runs, along with eight stolen bases.
 
Emma Smerick (Ford City, Pa./Armstrong) is a third Golden Knight hitting over .400. The freshman right fielder is hitting .413 with 5 HRs and 27 RBIs. She adds 10 doubles, two triples and leads the team with 20 stolen bases. Smerick is ninth in the PSAC in hitting and earned first team All-PSAC West honors.
 
Had Abbey Girman (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) emerged from a long slump a little earlier she would likely repeated as an All-PSAC West honoree after earning first team accolades last year. But the junior left fielder has awakened in a big way at the right time of the year. Thanks to multiple-hit games in seven of the last ten games she has boosted her season totals to .330 with 5 HRs and 27 RBIs. A year ago Girman challenged the season record for home runs, ending the year with 12, but she did not hit her first until April 20. In her last ten games she has five long balls.
 
Alaina Whipkey (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) has made a major impact at shortstop after transferring from California (Pa.). The sophomore is hitting .352 with a team-leading six home runs and 27 RBIs.
 
Two other freshmen have seen considerable action, as well. Bella Atherton (Kittanning, Pa./Armstrong) has been the top option at catcher and is hitting .310. Jenna Clontz (Kittanning, Pa./Armstrong) is a power-hitting outfielder who is hitting .321 and is tied for the team lead with six home runs while driving in 22 runs.
 
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Players Mentioned

Abbey Girman

#23 Abbey Girman

OF
5' 6"
Junior
L/R
Maggie Lenda

#19 Maggie Lenda

P
5' 10"
Junior
R/R
Natalia Mallozzi

#1 Natalia Mallozzi

OF/1B
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
L/R
Jules Ryan

#37 Jules Ryan

2B
5' 8"
Senior
R/R
Josie Spano

#13 Josie Spano

1B/P
5' 8"
Sophomore
R/R
Gabi Vasi

#27 Gabi Vasi

P
5' 7"
Senior
L/R
Katie Armstrong

#9 Katie Armstrong

P
5' 2"
Freshman
R/R
Bella Atherton

#7 Bella Atherton

C
5' 5"
Freshman
R/R
Jenna Clontz

#25 Jenna Clontz

OF
5' 7"
Freshman
R/R
Emma Smerick

#5 Emma Smerick

OF
5' 6"
Freshman
L/R

Players Mentioned

Abbey Girman

#23 Abbey Girman

5' 6"
Junior
L/R
OF
Maggie Lenda

#19 Maggie Lenda

5' 10"
Junior
R/R
P
Natalia Mallozzi

#1 Natalia Mallozzi

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
L/R
OF/1B
Jules Ryan

#37 Jules Ryan

5' 8"
Senior
R/R
2B
Josie Spano

#13 Josie Spano

5' 8"
Sophomore
R/R
1B/P
Gabi Vasi

#27 Gabi Vasi

5' 7"
Senior
L/R
P
Katie Armstrong

#9 Katie Armstrong

5' 2"
Freshman
R/R
P
Bella Atherton

#7 Bella Atherton

5' 5"
Freshman
R/R
C
Jenna Clontz

#25 Jenna Clontz

5' 7"
Freshman
R/R
OF
Emma Smerick

#5 Emma Smerick

5' 6"
Freshman
L/R
OF