NOTES:

Charleston (15-37, 7-10 CAA): The Cougars dropped their first game of the CAA Tournament to Elon (5-0) before eliminating Hofstra with an extra-inning victory (6-5), but fell to Elon a second time (1-0), ending their season. Throughout the weekend Noel Dominguez went 3-for-6 (.500) at the plate and posted a .700 on-base percentage to earn all-tournament team honors. She recorded at least one hit in all three games, ending the year on an 11-game hitting streak. Mia Dittoe went 3-for-5 and was a home run shy of the cycle in Charleston’s victory. She also recorded two RBIs and a run in the effort as Dittoe joined Dominguez on the CAA All-Tournament team. Peyton Lemire went 1-0, throwing 8.2 innings during Charleston’s win. The Cougars conclude the year 15-37 overall with a 7-10 mark in conference play during Tracey Lynch’s first season at Charleston. 

Delaware (29-16, 11-4 CAA): The Blue Hens defeated Elon 1-0 in their first game of the CAA Tournament before dropping two straight. Halle Kisamore went 4-for-9 at the plate, including three doubles, and recorded two RBIs and two runs scored, earning all-tournament team honors. Kisamore recorded at least one hit in all three games and had one multi-hit performance. Emily Winburn joined Kisamore on the CAA All-Tournament team after going 1-1 in the circle with a 2.33 ERA and four strikeouts in 9.0 innings of work. Her win came in a complete-game shutout effort against Elon. Julz Garber was second on the team with three hits, going 3-for-8, and recorded one RBI. Delaware finishes the year 29-16 after going 11-4 in conference play and earning the CAA regular-season title.  

Drexel (24-23, 5-14 CAA): Drexel concluded its season 24-23 overall after going 5-14 in CAA play under first-year head coach Katie Jansson. Kristi DiMeo paced the Dragons with a .371 batting average and a .464 on-base percentage. DiMeo recorded a team-high 56 hits with 34 RBIs and 27 runs scored. DiMeo is second in the league in hits and third in batting average. Jackie Masone was second on the team in batting average (.364) and hits (47) while scoring a team-high 37 runs. Ashley Errico (.272) paced the team with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs. In the circle, Brooklyn Daly (10-9) led the team in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. Daly posted a 3.65 ERA in 119.0 innings of work with 54 K’s. 

Elon (30-22, 10-8 CAA): The Phoenix advanced to the CAA Championship game for the second time since 2019 but fell to UNCW. Carley Davis led Elon at the plate, recording a tournament-high seven hits throughout the weekend. Davis went 7-for-12 (.583) with a team-high three RBIs and scored one run en route to CAA All-Tournament team accolades. She was joined on the team by McKenna McCard, who ended her season with a pair of impressive performances in the circle. McCard posted a 1-0 record in 11.2 innings of work with a 1.80 ERA and nine strikeouts while limiting the opposition to a .175 batting average. Chloe Hatzapolous was also selected for the all-tournament team. In addition to multiple web gems in the field, Hatzapolous went 4-for-11 at the plate with one RBI and one run scored. Isley Duggins also contributed quality innings for the Phoenix, going 1-0 and posting a 0.70 ERA in 10.0 innings of work. Elon finishes the year 30-22 overall with a 10-8 mark in CAA play.

Hofstra (21-27, 13-6 CAA): The Pride dropped its first two games of the CAA Tournament, falling to UNCW 2-1 before a 6-5 defeat against Charleston in nine innings. Kayla Wilson paced Hofstra in hits, going 3-for-5 (.600) throughout the tournament. Meghan Giordano and Madison McKevitt recorded one home run each, with McKevitt knocking in a team-best three RBIs. Chelsea Manto ended the year on a 10-game hitting streak after recording one hit in each game of the CAA Tournament. Manto stole two bases and scored one run over the weekend. In the circle, Annabella Pisapia pitched 7.1 innings without allowing an earned run. She scattered just four hits and struck out a pair of batters despite going 0-1. Hofstra concludes Adrienne Clark’s first season 21-27 after finishing second in the CAA during the regular season with a 13-6 record. 

James Madison (21-21, 10-5 CAA): The Dukes finished the year 21-21 overall with a 10-5 record in CAA play. Offensively, JMU leads the CAA, scoring 5.5 runs per game and 66 home runs. The Dukes rank 14th in the nation, averaging 1.57 home runs per game. Hannah Shifflett leads the CAA with a .393 batting average and 15 home runs while ranking sixth with 53 hits. She also recorded team-highs with 39 RBIs and 42 runs scored. Freshman Jasmine Hall was second on the team, hitting .362 with 34 hits, seven home runs, 19 RBIs and 28 runs scored. In the circle, Alissa Humphrey (9-13) tossed a team-high 130.1 innings and ranks second in the CAA with 136 strikeouts.   

UNCW (32-13, 11-8 CAA): The Seahawks won their first CAA Championship following a 10-2 win over Elon in the tournament final. UNCW defeated second-seeded Hofstra (2-1) and top-seeded Delaware (4-2) to reach the Championship final. The UNCW freshman duo in the circle was phenomenal. Emily Winstead earned Most Outstanding Performer honors, going 2-0 with a save in 12.2 innings pitched. Winstead posted a 1.11 ERA with a tournament-high 15 strikeouts while limiting the opposition to a .156 batting average. Kara Hammock joined Winstead on the all-tournament team, making three appearances and going 1-0 with a save. Hammock threw 7.1 innings, posting a 0.95 ERA in her work. Morgan Britt and Janel Gamache were also selected for the CAA All-Tournament team. Britt went 5-for-11 (.455) throughout the weekend, recording hits in all three games, and four of her five hits went for extra bases. Additionally, she recorded a tournament-high six RBIs and scored a pair of runs. Gamache went 5-for-10 (.500) with three runs scored. She recorded at least one hit in all three games and had back-to-back multi-hit games, including the Championship. UNCW will head to the Clemson Regional for the NCAA Tournament on May 20 through the 22.  

Towson (14-33, 4-16 CAA): The Tigers finished the season 14-33 overall, with a 4-16 record in conference play. Briana Ramirez paced Towson with a .379 batting average, recorded a team-high 55 hits and matched a team-best with 23 runs scored. Ramirez ranks second in the CAA in batting average and third in hits. Mackenzie Lake was second on the team in batting average (.303) and hits (44) while hitting a team-high five homers with 22 RBIs and 20 runs scored. Julia Jackson (11-15) led the CAA in innings pitched, with 160.1. Jackson ranked fifth in the league in wins (11) and was top-10 in strikeouts, leading Towson with 84.  

SEAHAWKS SOAR TO FIRST CAA CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE 

• UNCW made history by winning its program’s first-ever CAA Championship, going 3-0 in the CAA Tournament, capping its run with a 10-2 win over Elon in the Championship game. 

• In doing so, UNCW became the first No. 3 seed in conference history to win the CAA title and the first team since 2018 to win on an opponent’s home field. 

• Additionally, the Seahawks became the lowest-picked team in the preseason poll to claim the CAA crown in conference history. UNCW was picked sixth in the CAA Preseason Poll this spring.    

UNCW DRAWS CLEMSON REGIONAL 

• UNCW will be making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as the Seahawks head to the Clemson Regional on May 20-22. The Regional consists of 10th-seeded Clemson, Auburn, Louisiana and UNCW. 

• UNCW has never faced Clemson or Louisiana, while the Seahawks are 0-5 all-time against Auburn. UNCW will face 10th-seeded Clemson at noon on May 20.  

CAA TEAMS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

• CAA teams have had success over the years in the NCAA Tournament, posting a 45-44 record all-time. The conference has had four teams advance to a Super Regional and one team reach the Women’s College World Series, while a CAA team has won at least one regional game each of the past nine seasons. 

BLUE HENS TOP BIRDS IN THE REGULAR SEASON

• Delaware captured the CAA regular-season title for the first time in program history, following an 11-4 spring in conference play. The 11 conference wins are the most for the Blue Hens since 2013, and the .733 conference winning percentage is the program’s best since the CAA began playing softball in 2002.

 HARD TO SWEEP A SERIES 

• The brooms have stayed in the closet for the most part throughout CAA play, as there have only been five three-game sweeps in 25 conference series. Home and road splits have been fairly close as the home teams have claimed 14 series victories while the visitor has won 11.

A CLASS OF HER OWN

• Drexel’s Kristi DiMeo was among the top 30 softball student-athlete candidates selected for the 2022 Senior CLASS award. The honor highlights seniors that show exemplary excellence in four categories: community, classroom, character and competition. As a top candidate, DiMeo will be eligible for the finalist ballot that narrows the pool to 10 candidates for the award’s final vote.

FRESHMEN PHENOMS 

• Drexel shortstop Jackie Masone and UNCW pitcher Emily Winstead were named to the Schutt Sports/NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25 announced by the NFCA on April 28.

• Masone hit .364 with nine doubles, seven homers, 25 RBIs and 37 runs scored. She ranks fourth in the conference in runs scored and fifth in batting average.

• Winstead has an 13-8 record in 26 appearances this season with a 1.66 ERA and 182 strikeouts. She leads the CAA in ERA, strikeouts, strike-out-to-Walk ratio (3.50) and strikeouts per seven innings (9.4). 

BIG WINS FOR THE BIRDS 

• Delaware has earned three wins over Power Five opponents while Elon has picked up two. 

• The Blue Hens have defeated two Big Ten adversaries, topping Purdue 6-5 in extra innings on Feb. 19 and Penn State 6-4 on Mar. 11. They also earned a convincing 12-4 win over NC State on Feb. 26.  

• On Feb. 16, the Phoenix earned a walk-off win over, ACC foe North Carolina, defeating the Tar Heels 4-3. Mar. 4, Elon earned a 2-0 win over Michigan State out of the Big Ten. 

HOT START DOWN SOUTH

• UNCW posted a 20-5 record through its first 25 games this spring. The 2022 team is the fastest UNCW team to reach 20 wins, marking its best start in program history. UNCW ranks first in the CAA in team ERA (1.78) and is the only team below 2.00. The Seahawks sit fourth in batting average (.267) and third in field percentage (.964). 

RANKING IN THE RECORD BOOK  

• Drexel’s Kristi DiMeo ends the season among the top three in the CAA career ranks in several categories. The graduate student ranks second in league history in runs batted in and third in batting average as well as home runs. DiMeo has 226 career RBIs while maintaining a .398 batting average with 52 home runs. 

NEW FACES AROUND THE LEAGUE 

• Three CAA teams enter 2022 under new leadership in their head coach position.

• Tracey Lynch takes over at Charleston, where she was an assistant coach during the 2013 season. For the past six years, Lynch served as an Assistant Coach at UNCG.

• The Katie Jansson era of Drexel softball starts in 2022. Jansson arrives at Drexel after three seasons of head coaching duties at her alma matter Iona.

• Adrienne Clark returns to Hofstra after an illustrious career as a student-athlete and assistant coach. During her time as a player and Assistant Coach, Clark won five CAA Championships and 14 NCAA Tournament games.

NEW MEMBERS COMING 2023

• The Colonial Athletic Association announced Hampton, Monmouth, and Stony Brook will join the conference as full members in 2023. Subsequently, CAA Softball will grow from eight teams to ten.  

• Half the league will get a 2023 preview facing the newest members of the CAA this spring. Drexel will face Hampton twice at Hampton’s Pirate Invitational, and see Stony Brook at the Rutgers tournament. Towson will host Monmouth for a pair of games at Towson’s TU Tiger Clash. Hofstra will face Long Island rival Stony Brook in a home-and-home, while Delaware will host Monmouth in a mid-week non-conference matchup. 

2021 SEASON IN REVIEW 

• 2021 was a historic year in CAA Softball as James Madison become the first team in conference history to win an NCAA Super Regional, advance to the WCWS and win a game at the WCWS. 

• JMU won its second consecutive CAA Tournament title following a 17-1 CAA regular season. 

• James Madison’s Odicci Alexander was named the Softball America Player of the Year, in addition to the D1 Softball Women of the Year and was a second-team All-American.

• The JMU coaching staff earned NFCA and D1 Softball Coaching Staff of the Year accolades, while Associate Head Coach Jennifer Herzig was named NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year.