LEICESTER, Mass. – After taking three-of-four games last weekend against New England College, the Becker Hawks clinched a spot in the New England Collegiate Conference Softball Tournament as the No. 4 seed in the double-elimination postseason.
The Hawks went 12-14 this season, including 8-10 against NECC opponents. Eastern Nazarene is the No. 1 seed after a 14-4 season in conference play. Lesley clinched the No. 2 seed, finishing a game behind ENC at 13-5. New England College picks up the last spot in the Postseason following their 10-8 conference record.
Hawks senior Sarah Ellis (Berkley, Mass.) led many categories in the lineup this season, including batting a team-best .398 with team-highs in hits (37) and doubles (11). Sophomore Holly Letourneau (Woonsocket, R.I.) finished .384 at the plate this season, including leading the conference with 36 RBI and seven home runs.
Junior Ashley Veillette (Danielson, Conn.) is a dual-threat player for the Hawks, contributing both at the plate and in the pitching circle. Offensively, Veillette batted .351 and was second on the team with 34 hits, six home runs, and 24 RBI. In the circle, Veillette went 7-7 with a 3.53 ERA and 47 strikeouts.
The No. 1 ENC Lions have a dynamic offense as they lead the conference in runs scored with 154, an average of 8.56 runs per game.
Four Lions bat at least .425 among qualified players with at least 50 at-bats this season. Sophomore Bailey Olaveson (Lakeside, Calif.) leads the NECC in batting average, hitting .541 this season with 40 hits, six home runs, and 31 RBI. Junior Aurora Adams (Fullerton, Calif.) is batting .489, including a conference-leading 43 hits. Olaveson and Adams are the only two batters in the conference this season not to record a strikeout among players with at least 40 at-bats.
The other two Lions batting well this season are senior Adriana Montuya (American Canyon, Calif.) and sophomore Taylor Brandt (Napa, Calif.). Montuya hits .481 while Brandt is batting .425.
Freshman Jennelle Munoz (Lake Elsinore, Calif.) is one of the conference's most impressive first-year players as she finished the season 12-1 in the circle with a conference-low 1.73 ERA.
The No. 2 Lesley Lynx were in a battle for the No. 1 seed last weekend, but a pair of losses to ENC bumped them into the No. 2 spot for this season's tournament.
Senior Jordan Day (Seminole, Fla.) was once again one of the best the NECC has to offer. At the plate, Day batted .532 this season, including 33 hits, 10 doubles, and three home runs. In the pitching circle, Day went 7-1 with a 2.07 ERA and 62 strikeouts.
Junior Ilana Zack (Randolph, Mass.) went .483 at the plate this season, including 28 hits and a conference-best 15 doubles.
No. 3 New England comes in after dropping three out-of-four to the Hawks. Junior Cameron LeClaire (Clinton, Conn.) leads the Pilgrims with a batting average of .512, the last of three players in the NECC with an average over .500 this season. LeClaire finished with 22 hits, including 20 singles.
NEC senior Destiny Helmedach (Middlefield, Conn.) finished the regular season batting .391 and was second on the Pilgrims with 27 hits. Grad student Chanel Welch (Seabrook, N.J.) finished the season with a team-best 28 hits while batting .368.
A pair of seniors pitch for the Pilgrims. Taylor Barbour (Bay Shore, N.Y.) went 7-3 this season, ranking second in the conference in ERA (1.99) and strikeouts (81). Emily Farone (Sandown, N.H.) was 7-4 in the circle with a 3.43 ERA.
In 12 games this season against the playoff competition, the Hawks went 6-6, including a trio of one-run losses to the Lions in the first weekend in April.
The NECC Tournament starts Friday, May 7 at noon as the Lions and Hawks get things started at Griswold Park in Revere, Mass. The Lynx and Pilgrims will be played immediately following the noon game at the same location.
Saturday and Sunday's action moves to Mitchell-McCoy Stadium in Quincy, Mass., where the NECC will crown the 2021 Softball Champion.
