Wilkes is set to host the 2013 Freedom Conference Softball Championships Friday and Saturday at the Ralston Athletic Complex

WILKES SET TO HOST 2013 FREEDOM CONFERENCE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY; VIEW LIVESTATS, OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT WEB SITE

5/2/2013 3:13:00 PM

WILKES SET TO HOST 2013 FREEDOM CONFERENCE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY; VIEW LIVESTATS, OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT WEB SITE

EDWARDSVILLE – An automatic berth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament will be up for grabs when Wilkes University serves as host of the 2013 Freedom Conference Championship Tournament Friday and Saturday at the Ralston Athletic Complex.

The double elimination tournament begins Friday at 11:00 a.m. when top-seeded DeSales University faces fourth seeded FDU-Florham. Second-seeded King's College will then matchup with third-seeded Manhattanville College in the next game at 1:00 p.m. The two first-round winners will the play in the third game of the day at 3:00 p.m. with the victor advancing to Saturday's championship round.

The tournament continues Saturday at 9:00 a.m. with an elimination game, while another elimination contest follows at 11:00 a.m. The title game will then be played at 1:00 pm. The winner of the tournament will receive an NCAA national tournament bid.

LiveStats will be provided for all tournament games.

Per-day tickets are set for $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $3 for students. All-session passes are available at $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $5 for students.

The Freedom Conference Championship Tournament web site can be found here, Tournament Central.

Top-seeded DeSales is making its eighth appearance in the tournament after missing the field last season holding a 9-13 record in tournament play capturing the title in 2008. Coach of the Year, Rachel Turoscy, led the Bulldogs to the top spot this season going 25-10-1 overall and 13-1 in Freedom play, its lone loss in conference play coming at Manhattanville (loss 3-2). Rookie/Pitcher of the Year DJ McCauley leads the Bulldogs attack hitting .410 with 12 doubles, five home runs and 24 runs batted in (RBI). In the circle she sports a 1.83 earned run average (ERA) pitching 114.2 innings striking out 103 batters over the year. Fellow First Team All-Freedom selections Julie Brugger (.326) and Carly Bartholomew (.350) bolster a deep offensive lineup for DeSales.

Second-seeded King's is no stranger to the Freedom Conference Tournament having won 10 of the last 13 Freedom titles including its last crown in 2011 when the Lady Monarchs hosted the event. King's sports a 35-9 record in tournament play since 1997. The Lady Monarchs are led offensively by First Team All-Freedom catcher Amanda Cardone who bats .494 with 14 doubles, five home runs and 28 RBI. All-Freedom honoree shortstop Jenn Harnischfeger follows batting .420 with a team-high 37 runs scored and three triples. In the circle, King's uses a balanced rotation with two starters earning six wins and one with five victories on the year. Brittany Haight tops the rotation with a 2.86 ERA striking out 35 batters in 56.1 innings pitched.

Third-seeded Manhattanville is making its fourth straight appearance in the postseason, and the Valiants are 4-6 all-time in the Freedom Tournament, including an 0-3 mark in opening-round games. The Valiants are still looking for their first Freedom Conference title and sixth conference tournament title overall, having previously taken the Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference title in 1995 and 1997 as well as the Skyline Conference Tournament crown in 2002, 2005 and 2007. Manhattanville comes into the tournament hitting .304 as a team thanks in large part to the play of Freedom Conference Player of the Year Jessica Van Galen, who enters the weekend fourth in Division III with a .545 batting average. She also ranks in the top-12 of Div. III in on-base percentage (.602, seventh) and slugging percentage (.889, 12th), while also leading the conference in hits (54) and total bases (88) and ranking in the top-five in RBI (35), doubles (13) and home runs (7).

Fourth-seeded FDU-Florham is making its eighth appearances in the tournament and first since 2011. The Devils sport a 4-12 record in tournament play still looking for their first Freedom title. Although finishing with identical 8-6 Freedom marks alongside Manhattanville, the Devils dropped to the fourth seed due to Manhattanville splitting with top-seeded DeSales (FDU-Florham lost twice to DeSales). All-Freedom First Team selection Brittni Wurst leads the Devils attack at the plate batting .393 with four doubles and 28 stolen bases. Second Team selections Sarah Lima (.404) and Wynne McCann (.352) add depth to a dangerous FDU-Florham lineup. Karla Babb, a Second Team All-Freedom choice, posted 10 wins in the circle boasting a 2.98 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 124.1 innings.

The tournament schedule is as follows:

Friday, May 3, 2013
Game 1:            11:00 a.m.        #1 DeSales vs. #4 FDU-Florham
Game 2:            1:00 p.m.          #2 King's vs. #3 Manhattanville
Game 3:            3:00 p.m.          Winner game #1 vs. Winner Game #2

Saturday, May 4, 2013
Game 4:            9:00 a.m.         Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2
Game 5:            11:00 a.m.       Loser Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4
Game 6:            1:00 p.m.         Winner game #3 vs. Winner Game #5
Game 7:            3:00 p.m.         If necessary game

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