May 7, 2003

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The America East Softball Championships will be held at Stony Brook University this week, marking the first conference tournament held on the campus. The double-elimination tournament begins Thursday with the championship game on Saturday at noon.

The Seawolves (25-31, 12-10 America East) qualified for the tournament for the first time this year after sweeping their final six regular-season games. The No. 4 seed, Stony Brook will take on top-seeded and defending champion Boston University (29-20, 17-3), which also won the regular season crown. Stony Brook boasts one of the best hitters in the nation in sophomore Stephanie DiBiase, who bats .407 and has 81 hits on the year, including 10 home runs. Sophomore Kristen Brust is the team's best slugger, with a school-record 13 round-trippers, a school-record 37 RBI, and a .353 batting average to her credit. Angela Andrews has seen most of the action on the mound for the Seawolves, with a 17-18 record and an ERA of 2.88.

The Terriers split their four-game series with Albany last weekend to earn the No. 1 seed. Jamie Haas leads the team at the plate, batting .329 with 55 hits. Julie Henneke and Erin McDonald have seen most of the action on the mound with both achieving 11 wins. Henneke has an ERA of 1.58 and has fanned 120 batters on the season.

The teams split at University Field in their regular season meeting.

Albany earned the No. 2 seed and faces third-seeded Maine in the first round. The Great Danes put together a 32-8 overall record, 17-4 in conference play. Maegan Larsen leads the team in batting average (.314), hits (37) and RBI (23). Pitchers Andrea Lindgren and Kristin Couris have put together stellar records of 18-4 and 10-2, respectively. Lindgren has an ERA of 1.02 in 151.2 innings pitched to go along with 156 strikeouts, both of which lead the league.

The Black Bears (25-20, 13-9) swept a doubleheader from Hartford in their regular season finale. Jess Brady leads the team in batting average (.359) and hits (55). Brittany Cheney has a team-high 21 RBI and bats .328. Jenna Merchant has pitched 168.1 innings, accumulating a 1.50 ERA and a 14-9 record.

Albany and Maine kick off the tournament with a noon doubleheader on Thursday, with the Seawolves' game following at 2:30 p.m. The Stony Brook-Boston University tilt will be broadcast both on WUSB Radio 90.1 FM and the internet at www.goseawolves.org. The tournament continues Friday with games at 11 am, 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. The America East website, www.americaeast.com, will also carry live stats of each game.

Admission to the tournament is free.