Complete Game Notes (PDF)

THE WEEK AHEAD
The Southern Connecticut State University softball team (26-17, 11-5 NE-10 SW) will end the regular season with five road games this week. The Owls will travel to Pace for a doubleheader on Wednesday. SCSU will then travel to AIC for a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.

OWLS LEADERS
•Kelsey Cockrill leads the Owls with a 12-9 record and a 1.73 ERA.
•Kaley Marden leads the Owls with a .331 batting average.
•Alyssa Downs leads the team with six home runs.
•Alyssa Downs leads the team with  24 RBI.

OWLS NO. 7 IN FIRST NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
SCSU is currently slotted at No. 7 in the first NCAA Division II East Region rankings of the 2013 campaign. The rankings are used to determine selection to the NCAA Tournament.

SENIOR DAY
The Owls honored their six seniors this weekend against Le Moyne - Brittany Bucko, Alyssa Downs, Sambina Farese, Kate Hoffman, Stacy Pouliot, Kristin Whitley. To date, this group has helped lead the program to more than 140 wins, one Northeast-10 Conference regular season championship, three Northeast-10 Tournament berths, two Northeast-10 Conference Tournament championships, three NCAA Tournament berths, and the first College World Series berth in school history in 2012.

ALL-TIME AGAINST PACE
SCSU leads the all-time series against Pace, 32-18-2. The Owls defeated Pace, 6-1, last week at Pelz Field.

ALL-TIME AGAINST AIC
AIC leads the all-time series over SCSU, 39-21-1. The Owls won two games against AIC last year in Springfield, Mass.

LAST TIME OUT
SCSU split two games with Le Moyne in New Haven, Conn. on Sunday. The Owls lost game one, 2-1, and won game two, 6-3.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY
As of April 22, the Owls have posted an overall batting average of .280. The team also has two starters batting .300 or better and six hitting .290 or better.

CLUTCH AT HOME
During their Senior Weekend homestand, the Owls recorded two victories against Le Moyne, spliting a pair of doubleheaders. In the process, the Owls improved to 17-5 on the season at Pelz Field.

SWING FOR THE FENCES
Seniors Alyssa Downs and Brittany Bucko have been at the top of the Southern Connecticut leaderboard in home runs this season. Downs  added to her team lead with her sixth homer on Sunday afternoon against Le Moyne.  Bucko closely follows with four home runs this season.  
Both players will finish their careers 1-2 in the SCSU career home run record book:

1. Downs (2010-present) - 39
2. Bucko (2010-present) - 35
3. Megan Caporossi (2007-2010) - 30

HOME SWEET HOME
The Owls have a .773 (17-5) winning percentage at Pelz Field, this year.

DOUBLES DELIGHT
Southern Connecticut has hit over 50 doubles this season.  As of April 22, six Owls have more than five doubles, led by Stacy Pouliot, Alyssa Downs and Kate Hoffman with eight each.
 
DOWNS BREAKS SCHOOL RBI RECORD
Earlier this spring, senior Alyssa Downs broke the SCSU career runs batted in record. The infielder has 171 RBI (as of April 22) to break the previous record of 153 held by Megan Caporossi (2007-2010).

THREE OWLS ON WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Second baseman Nicole Buch, starting pitcher Kelsey Cockrill and infielder Kate Hoffman all were named to the April 15 Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll during a 5-0 week for the Owls.  Buch batted .500 (7-for-14) for the Owls with one RBI, three runs, two walks, and two doubles. Cockrill went 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA along with two complete games, allowing one earned run on six hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts. Hoffman batted .500 (6-for-18) with two RBI, two runs, and one game-winning hit against No. 13 nationally ranked Adelphi.

MUSCARELLA HAS STANDOUT WEEK
During the first week of April, Julie Muscarella batted .381 (8-for-21). She added one RBI and three runs scored.

COCKRILL, KOERNER NAMED TO NORTHEAST-10 WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Kelsey Cockrill and Sarah Koerner were both named to the weekly honor roll during the Owls 3-2 week on April 1. Cockrill went 2-1 with a 2.03 ERA in three games. Cockrill had three complete games in 20.2 innings, while allowing six runs on 23 hits with four walks and 18 strikeouts. Koerner batted .500 (9-for-18) in six games with one RBI and five runs scored.

SIX OWLS EARN WEEKLY HONORS
Second baseman Kate Hoffman and starting pitcher Kelsey Cockrill both earned Northeast-10 Co-Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively, on March 25. Four other Owls - center fielder Brittany Bucko, shortstop Nicole Buch, left fielder Julie Muscarella and catcher Stacy Pouliot were also named to the weekly honor roll.

WHITLEY STANDS ALONE
Kristin Whitley moved atop the Southern Connecticut all-time hit list on March 24 with the 220th of her career. She moved past Megan Caporossi in that department.

WELCOME BACK
The Owls were without two major offensive threats as All-Americans Brittany Bucko and Kristin Whitley were sidelined during the opening trip to Florida. The duo made an immediate impact upon their return up north. Whitley had three hits and two RBI in the doubleheader sweep of Assumption. Bucko posted a .333 average during the first weekend at home with two home runs, three runs scored and two RBI.

MUSCARELLA NAMED NORTHEAST-10 CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK; FOUR MEMBERS OF SOFTBALL EARN WEEKLY AWARDS
Left fielder Julie Muscarella was the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week on March 18, while Nicole Buch, Brittany Bucko and Kelsey Cockrill were also named to the weekly honor roll.
• Muscarella batted .636 (7-for-11) during a 3-1 week for the Owls with two runs scored, seven RBI and a home run. The junior led the bottom half of the Owls' order with at least two hits in three games during the week.
• Buch batted .500 (5-for-10) with four runs scored and two RBI.
• Cockrill had two wins with a 1.00 ERA. She pitched 14.0 innings while allowing two runs on 11 hits with six walks and eight strikeouts.
• Bucko batted .333 (5-for-15) with three runs scored and two home runs.

MUSCARELLA MUSCLES UP OFFENSIVELY
Junior Julie Muscarella batted .636 (7-for-11) in the Owls' four games during the week of March 12. She also drove in a team-high seven runs, scored two times and had one home run.

A HOT START    
Junior transfer Kaley Marden had a stellar start to the 2013 season in Florida. Over the course of the opening eight games, she led the Owls with a .565 batting average, two RBI, three runs scored and four walks.

BUCKO TAKES THE LEAD
With a home run on March 23, Brittany Bucko moved past teammate Alyssa Downs for the SCSU career home run record with 34 longballs. The pair had been tied at 33 apiece.

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES
The Owls went homerless in eight games in Florida, but connected for four homers in four games at Pelz Field in the opening weekend at home. Southern Connecticut hit 29 home runs in 21 home games a year ago.

FIRST WIN
Freshman pitcher Jessica Van Alphen got her first collegiate win against Dominican on March 7.

THREE EARN WEEKLY NE-10 HONORS    
Kaley Marden, Kate Hoffman and Kelsey Cockrill were all selected to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll for their efforts during the Owls' swing in Florida.

IN THE PRESEASON NFCA POLL
Coming off a record-setting 2012 campaign that culminated in the program's first-ever appearance and victory at the College World Series, Southern Connecticut was selected No. 5 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association 2013 preseason poll. It's the highest ranking in school history for the Owls, who checked in at No. 6 in the final NFCA poll of 2012.
 
IN THE NFCA POLL
After opening the 2013 season at No. 5 in the NFCA Division II Top 25 poll, SCSU then moved to No. 10 on Feb. 20 and No. 14 on Feb. 27 without playing a game.

THE CAPTAINS
The captains for this season will be seniors Brittany Bucko, Alyssa Downs, Kristin Whitley and Stacy Pouliot.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
The Owls added seven new members to the roster this season - junior transfer Kaley Marden along with six freshmen - Audrey Dolloff, Yesenia Evaristo, Brooke Franco, Jessica Van Alphen, Kelly Wicks and Emily Wirsing.

IN THE NE-10 PRESEASON POLL
Southern Connecticut has been selected to win the Northeast-10 Conference's Southwest Division, as voted on by the league's coaches.

OWLS MAKING HISTORY
It was a record-breaking season on several fronts for the Owls as a team in 2012.
• After two consecutive trips to the regional final, the Owls advanced to the Super Regionals and College World Series for the first time in school history.
• Southern Connecticut also set a new school record with 43 victories in the process.

EVERYONE'S ALL-AMERICANS
Teammates Brittany Bucko and Alyssa Downs were named Daktronics All-Americans during the 2012 season. Bucko also earned All-American honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
 
THREE EARN ACADEMIC HONORS
Three Owls - Brittany Bucko, Kristin Whitley and Stacy Pouliot - earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America for their work in the classroom and on the field last spring. In addition, Bucko (First-Team) and Whitley (Third-Team) were officially named Academic All-Americans.
 
QUINTET COLLECTS NFCA ALL-REGION HONORS
Five members of the squad earned NFCA All-Region honors, as voted on by the region's coaches. Brittany Bucko and Alyssa Downs were tabbed for the First-Team. Jayme Larson, Jessica Rosa and Kate Hoffman were named to the Second-Team.

FOUR EARN DAKTRONICS ALL-REGION HONORS; BUCKO NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Four members of the squad earned Daktronics All-Region honors, as voted on by the region's Sports Information Directors. Brittany Bucko was selected as the regional Player of the Year and a First-Team honoree. Fellow classmate Alyssa Downs was also tabbed for the First-Team. Jayme Larson and Kate Hoffman were named to the Second-Team.

OWLS RAKE IN YEAR END HONORS
Eight members of the team were named to the Northeast-10 All-Conference teams. Senior Jayme Larson, juniors Brittany Bucko, Stacy Pouliot, Alyssa Downs and Kristin Whitley were all selected to the First-Team. Junior Kate Hoffman was a Second-Team honoree. Senior Jessica Rosa and freshman Kelsey Cockrill were each honored on the Third-Team. Cockrill was also tabbed for the league's All-Rookie Team. Head coach Lisa Barbaro was named Coach of the Year. Bucko was also tabbed as the league's Player of the Year.
 
ALL-TIME IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The 2012 trip was the sixth NCAA appearance in program history (2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). The Owls are 11-13 all-time in NCAA Tournament action, with all 11 victories coming over the past three years.

POULIOT MAKES NE-10 ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
Junior catcher Stacy Pouliot was named to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Tournament Team. Pouliot batted .364 (4-for-11) in the Owls' three games in the tournament. She also did not commit an error behind the plate and threw out one of two baserunners attempting to steal.
 
COACH BARBARO GRABS 250th WIN
With the win over Stonehill in the NE-10 quarterfinals, head coach Lisa Barbaro won her 250th career game at the helm of the Owls.
 
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
The Owls first place finish in the Northeast-10 Conference marks the first time in school history that they have claimed the conference regular season title.
 
ON DECK
The Northeast-10 Tournament begins on April 30 at  higher seeds.