DELAND, Fla. – The Fairleigh Dickinson University softball team will continue the 2013 campaign at the Stetson Classic in DeLand, Fla. March 8-10. The Knights will face the host Hatters, Colgate and Valparaiso in the three-day tournament.
FDU will take on Valparaiso on Friday at 11 a.m. before facing host Stetson at 4 p.m. On Saturday, the Knights will play Colgate at 1:30 p.m., with a fourth game scheduled for Sunday against a team to be determined based on wins and losses in the previous three games.
The Knights are 2-1 on the year after defeating Delaware State twice at the season opening Norfolk State Spartan Clash.
Sophomore Megan Reiner (Los Angeles, Calif./John Marshall) and freshman Loren Stavrou (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson Classical High School) led the team from the circle with one win each. Reiner has allowed no earned runs, while Stavrou holds an ERA of 2.70. Senior Maire Shaughnessy (Culpeper, Va./Highland) also has an ERA of 0.00 after pitching 4.2 innings of relief through the weekend.
Offensively, the Knights are led by Angelique Nieves (Union City, N.J./High Tech High School), who currently maintains a batting average of .714. The sophomore transfer recorded five hits in seven at bats and drove in two RBI in her Burgundy and Blue debut. Freshmen Madelaine Wilen (Bakerfield, Calif./Ridgeview High School) and Courtney Slye (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley High School) added strong appearances at the plate in their collegiate debuts and are batting .444 and .429, respectively.
The Crusaders of Valparaiso started their season in early February and have gone 6-6 on the year. Valpo most recently went 3-1 at the Charleston Southern Buccaneer Invitational with two wins over the host.
Sophomore Brittany Duncan leads the Crusaders with a batting average of .469. She has 15 hits in 11 games with two home runs and nine RBI. Amanda Bolton leads the team on the mound with a 2.42 ERA, while Taylor Weissenhofer has posted a 3-2 record in seven appearances.
Stetson is 8-6 on the season with two wins over Niagara in its most recent outing. Jessica Griffin paces the Hatters offensively with an average of .382. Chelsea Whalley maintains a batting average of .359 and leads the team with 16 RBI through 14 games. Meredith Owen holds a 7-2 record from the circle with an ERA of 1.23. She has struck out 30 batters, while walking just three.
The Raiders of Colgate will begin the 2013 season at the Stetson Classic. Last season, Colgate went 19-28 on the year, as junior Tera Vaughn led the team with a .301 batting average through 47 contests. Senior Emmie Dolfi knocked in 35 runs for the Raiders last season and returns as this year's captain.
Following the Stetson Classic, the Knights will travel to Kissimmee, Fla. for the 2013 Rebel Spring Games, playing 10 contests in six days.
