MIDDLESEX COLLEGE SOFTBALL DRAWS #6 SEED AT NJCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
The Middlesex College softball team learned its fate today as the NJCAA Division III Softball National Championship is set to begin next week in Dewitt, New York,
The Colts drew the six seed in the eight-team field and will face #3 North Dakota State College of Science in the first round of the tournament.
The teams will face off at 2pm on Wednesday, May 25.
Playing in their first National Championship, the Colts carry a 23-7 record into play. Middlesex earned their ticket to the tournament by beating RCSJ-Gloucester in two consecutive elimination games last week.
The winner of the Middlesex vs. North Dakota SCS game will take on the winner of #2 Corning CC vs. #7 St. Cloud TCC.
Currently ranked #11 in the nation, Middlesex is led by pitcher Kaitlynne McCarthy (Sophomore/Port Reading, NJ), who garnered North Atlantic District B MVP honors after pitching every inning of the three-game set and knocking in the decisive run with an RBI double in the decisive third game.
McCarthy is currently fifth in the nation among pitchers who have thrown at least 100 innings with a 2.06 ERA and is 15-7 on the season.
The Colts offense has seen a number of dangerous bats, led by Abigail Jason (Edison, NJ), Jennah Schiraldo (Sophomore/Carteret, NJ), Olivia Tirso (Freshman/Elizabeth, NJ) and Julie Davis (Sophomore/South Plainfield, NJ).
Jason and Tirso led the team with 37 hits each. Schiraldo and Davis were not far behind with 35 each. Jason led the team with a 1.104 OPS and 35 runs scored and has struck out just three times all season.
Chloe Oblepias (Sophomore/Carteret, NJ) has also been one of the key players for the Colts this season. The athletic second baseman batted .388 with 27 runs scored and 20 RBIs while covering a lot of ground in the infield.
Destiny Gonzalez (Freshman/Sayreville, NJ) led Middlesex with nine stolen bases. The Colts have been successful on 36 of their 38 steal attempts this season.
Right fielder Katelyn Herman (Sophomore/Fords, NJ) turned in perhaps the key play of the North Atlantic District B Tournament when she made a catch on a ball that seemed destined to be a game-tying two-run double. Herman ranged far to her right before making a diving catch and then doubled off the runner at second base to escape the jam.
Middlesex has also received key contributions throughout the season from Alyssa Dima (Sophomore/Manville, NJ), Hannah Cotayo (Freshman/Carteret, NJ) and Olivia Vranica (Sayreville/Carteret, NJ).
Middlesex will be facing a North Dakota SCS team that went 32-10 this year and is currently ranked #3 in the country in the latest NJCAA Division III softball poll.
The Wildcats feature freshman pitcher Katelyn Strauss, who led all of NJCAA Division III with 295 strikeouts and went 20-5 on the season.
Their power-hitting lineup is led by Maxine Ebel, a sophomore who batted .386 with 9 home runs and 46 RBIs. Ten players on the Wildcats roster have hit a home run this season.
North Dakota SCS comes into the tournament on a nine-game winning streak, having earned a berth in the championship by sweeping to the Region XIII title.
Middlesex will see some familiar faces at the tournament as they will be joined by fellow Region XIX member Brookdale CC, who drew the #5 seed and Monroe CC from the Bronx, who is seeded seventh. Middlesex split with Brookdale this season and won two out of three from Monroe.
The Colts are led by Head Coach Jim Muldowney, who earned the Region XIX Coach of the Year Award after leading Middlesex College in a historic season. Along with Assistant Coaches Matt Mehalick, Anthony Muldowney and Cheryl Kjersgaard, the group was able to take a Middlesex team that didn't even compete in 2020 to the NJCAA Division III National Championship just two seasons later.
Livestream of the games will be available through NJCAA.org.
