SOFTBALL: Simmons, JWU Earn Top Seeds In GNAC Softball Divisions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Single-Elimination First Round Takes Place Tuesday, May 2
WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons and Johnson & Wales finished the GNAC regular season atop their respective divisions to earn hosting duties in the upcoming GNAC Tournament. The Sharks had an 8-2 divisional record, while JWU finished at 11-1.
The Sharks pitching has been phenomenal this year with the league's second-best ERA at 2.46 and a league-low .243 batting average against. Johnson & Wales had one of the most prolific offenses in the league. The Wildcats posted league-bests in batting average (.348), on-base percentage (.431), and slugging percentage (.491). They also have league-leading 25 home runs, 251 RBI, and 282 runs.
Those teams will await the winners of the GNAC First Round, which features two single-elimination play-in games on Tuesday, May 2 between the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in each division. In the North Division, No. 4 seed Rivier travel to No. 3 seed Emmanuel at 3 p.m., while in the South Division, No. 4 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) visits No. 3 seed Lasell with the start time still TBD.
After the play-in round, the six remaining teams will compete in double-elimination format. The GNAC Quarterfinals will take place on Thursday, May 4 with two games hosted at each of the No. 1 seeds. The play-in winners will play the No. 2 seed in each division to open the day. In the North Division, the play-in winner will play No. 2 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) and in the South Division, the play-in winner ill play No. 2 seed Albertus Magnus. The winners of the early games will then play the hosts at their respective sites.
The tournament will continue with the Semifinal and Championship Rounds, which be hosted entirely at Johnson & Wales as the top seed in the South Division on Saturday-Sunday, May 6-7. There will be four games on Saturday, followed by either two or three championship round games on Sunday.
With three teams finishing at 8-2 in divisional play in the North Division, the league's tiebreaking procedure was needed to determine seeding. Simmons, Emmanuel, and Saint Joseph's (Maine) all went 1-1 against each other in head-to-head play offering no relief. The three teams also had identical records against all other opponents within the division. There were no common teams in cross-divisional play or in non-conference action between the three teams meaning steps three and four could not be used to break the tie. In the fifth tiebreaking step, Simmons was awarded the No. 1 seed in the North due based on having the highest overall win percentage at .611 compared to .579 for Emmanuel and .556 for Saint Joseph's (Maine).
With Simmons removed from the equation, the Saints and Monks started a new tiebreaker from the beginning. The two teams split their head-to-head meeting and a had the same record against all other teams within their division. The teams also did not have any common cross-divisional opponents. Both teams played Regis, but Emmanuel's doubleheader was a "non-conference" competition scheduled independently of the GNAC schedule. Those Regis games would be considered in the next tiebreaking step, however, which is "results against common opponents." Beyond the divisional games, which it was already determined both teams had identical records against, both teams played games against Regis and Catholic. The Monks went 3-0 in those games, while the Saints went 1-2 giving SJC the No. 2 seed in the North Division.
There is no reseeding throughout the GNAC Tournament, with the league champion receiving the GNAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
First-Round - Tuesday, May 2 (Single-Elimination)
PLAY-IN 1: #4N Rivier at #3N Emmanuel – 4:30PM
PLAY-IN 2: #4S University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) at #3S Lasell – 2PM
Quarterfinals - Thursday, May 4 (Double-Elimination)
GAME 1: #3N Emmanuel vs. #2N Saint Joseph's (Maine) (at #1N Simmons) – 3PM
GAME 2: #3S Lasell vs. #2S Albertus Magnus (at #1S Johnson & Wales) – 4:30PM
GAME 3: #2N Saint Joseph's (Maine) at #1N Simmons – 7PM
GAME 4: #2S Albertus Magnus at #1S Johnson & Wales – 5PM
Semifinals - Saturday, May 6 (Double-Elimination) (at #1S Johnson & Wales)
GAME 5: #1S Johnson & Wales vs. #3N Emmanuel (loser eliminated) – TBD
GAME 6: #1S Saint Joseph's (Maine) vs. #3S Lasell (loser eliminated) – TBD
GAME 7: #1N Simmons vs. #2S Albertus Magnus – TBD
GAME 8: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 – TBD
Championship - Sunday, May 7 (Double-Elimination) (at #1S Johnson & Wales)
GAME 9: Loser of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 (loser eliminated)
GAME 10: Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 7
GAME 11: If necessary
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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