Preparing for the 2024 Season With a Look Back at 2023 (Big West, CAA, Conference USA, Horizon, Ivy, MAAC)

The start of the softball season at the Division I level is just over two months away.

Extra Inning Softball is providing a look forward to the 2024 season by first providing a final look back on the 2023 season.

This is the third of a five-part series featuring the Big West Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Horizon League, Ivy League and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

*****

Big West Conference

2023 Standings

First Team All-Big West Conference: Hannah Becerra (Cal State Fullerton), Jacquelyn Bickar (Long Beach State), Kenedi Brown (UC Davis), Mikayla Carman (CSUN), Lauryn Carranco (CSUN), Jada Cecil (UC San Diego), Jessica Clements (Cal Poly), Anna Dethlefson (UC Davis), Ashley Donaldson (UC Santa Barbara), Shannon Haddad (Long Beach State), Izabella Martinez (Hawai’i), Madelyn McNally (UC Santa Barbara), Maya Nakamura (Hawai’i), Sara Olson (Long Beach State), Myka Sutherlin (Cal State Fullerton)

Big West Tournament:
The Big West does not play a postseason tournament and the regular season champion earns the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Needing two wins over their rivals Cal State Fullerton to win the Big West Championship, Long Beach State kept the Titans off the board with a pair of shutouts to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and win their 10th Big West title on Saturday.

Long Beach State (31-21, 21-6 Big West) entered the day one game behind Cal State Fullerton (33-16, 20-7 Big West), and needed to take both games on Senior Day.

The Beach won the opener 5-0 and completed the sweep with a 1-0 win in game two of the doubleheader.

Junior Sophia Fernandez allowed only three hits in recording the shutout in game one, while Shannon Haddad picked up the win in the second game with a three-hit shutout of her own.

NCAA Postseason Team(s): Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton

*****

Colonial Athletic Association

2023 Standings

First Team All-Colonial Athletic Association: Madyson Peters (Towson), Claudia Penny (Elon), Kasey Collins (Hofstra), Hanna Garber (Delaware), Mackenzie Lake (Towson), Alyssa Costello (Stony Brook), Chelsea Manto (Hofstra), Arial Pearce (UNCW), Addie Ferguson (Towson), Janel Gamache (UNCW), Kara Hammock (UNCW), Emily Winburn (Delaware)

Colonial Athletic Association Tournament
Game 1 – Towson 3, North Carolina A&T 2
Game 2 – Stony Brook 5, Charleston 3
Game 3 – Towson 7, Elon 5
Game 4 – Hofstra 5, Stony Brook 2
Game 5 – Stony Brook 2, Elon 1
Game 6 – Towson 4, Delaware 2
Game 7 – Hofstra 9, UNCW 5
Game 8 – Stony Brook 11, UNCW 9
Game 9 – Towson 2, Hofstra 1
Game 10 – Stony Brook 1, Delaware 0
Game 11 – Hofstra 9, Stony Brook 8
Game 12 – Hofstra 6, Towson 4
Game 13 – Hofstra 5, Towson 4

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Third-seeded Hofstra earned two wins over fifth-seeded Towson on the final day of the 2023 CAA Softball Championship to collect its league-best 13th CAA Softball title from Bill Edwards Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Pride (29-25) got a walk-off two-RBI single from Angelina Ioppolo in the bottom of the seventh in the 13th and final game of the tournament, becoming the first team since 2011 to win the CAA Championship from the consolation bracket. Hofstra earns the conference’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament, making its first trip to the big dance since 2018. Towson (30-24) concludes the season after becoming the lowest seed in tournament history to reach the championship game and making its first appearance in the final since 2016.

Meghan Giordano was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Championship after going 3-for-6 with two home runs, five RBIs, three runs scored and a walk on Saturday. For the week, Giordano posted a .565 on-base percentage, hitting .444 (8-18) with two home runs, two doubles, seven RBIs, seven runs scored and five walks.

Giordano was joined on the all-tournament team by Julia Apsel, Kasey Collins, and Aliya Catanzarita from Hofstra. Apsel picked up both wins in the circle on Saturday and went 3-1 with a save for the tournament, throwing 22.1 innings with a 2.51 ERA. Collins batted .450 (9-20) with five runs scored and three RBIs throughout the week, including 5-for-8 with four runs in the two championship games. Catanzarita posted a.565 on-base percentage for the tournament, going 3-for-6 with a home run, two RBIs, and one run scored today.

NCAA Postseason Team(s): Hofstra

*****

Conference USA

2023 Standings

First Team All-Conference USA: Isabella Perez (FIU), Sierra Frazier (UAB), Ashleigh Washington (Charlotte), Kassidy Krupit (Charlotte), Laura Mealer (Middle Tennessee), Kailey Gamble (North Texas), Cierra Simon (North Texas), TJ Webster (WKU), Bailey Vannoy (Charlotte), Sierra Sacco (LA Tech), Taylor Davis (WKU), Faith Hegh (WKU), Sam Gress (Charlotte), Gabby Sacco (Florida Atlantic), Ashley Peters (North Texas)

Conference USA Tournament
Game 1 – No. 6 MTSU 5, No. 7 LA Tech 4
Game 2 – No. 5 WKU 2, No. 8 FIU 1
Game 3 – No. 3 North Texas 2, No. 6 MTSU 1
Game 4 – No. 4 Florida Atlantic 6, No. 5 WKU 0
Game 5 – No. 3 North Texas 3, No. 2 UAB 2
Game 6 – No. 1 Charlotte 4, No. 4 Florida Atlantic 3
Game 7 – No. 6 MTSU 7, No. 5 WKU 1
Game 8 – No. 4 Florida Atlantic 5, No. 2 UAB 3
Game 9 – No. 3 North Texas 4, No. 1 Charlotte 3
Game 10 – No. 6 MTSU 2, No. 4 Florida Atlantic 1
Game 11 – No. 6 MTSU 6, No. 1 Charlotte 5
Game 12 – No. 6 MTSU 3, No. 3 North Texas 2

RUSTON, La. – In the first extra-inning championship game in C-USA Softball Championship history, No. 6 Middle Tennessee claimed its second tournament title with a 3-2 triumph over No. 3 North Texas in 12 innings on Saturday at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field. It matched the longest contest in tournament history (UTEP vs. East Carolina – May 7, 2008).

Anyce Harvey scored the game-winning run on an Ansley Blevins single in the top of the 12^th inning. The duo was named to the all-tournament team, along with Amaya Harris, Laura Mealer, Kamryn Carcich and tournament MVP Shelby Sargent.

Carcich allowed just two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings before she handed the ball off to Gretchen Mead (17-5), who finished the game with 6.2 no-hit innings while striking out three. Carcich logged a 1.33 ERA in 21 innings and held hitters to a .185 batting average.

Sargent went 3-5 with a pair of doubles in Saturday’s finale, setting the C-USA record for doubles (six) and total bases (17) in a tournament. Harvey, Harris and Mealer combined for 14 RBI over six games this week.

NCAA Postseason Team(s): Charlotte, Middle Tennessee

*****

Horizon League

2023 Standings

First Team All-Horizon League: Jenna Deang (Cleveland State), Becky Hurosky (Cleveland State), Tiffany Giese (Green Bay), Paige Hanson (Green Bay), Jaida Speth (IUPUI), Maddie Lacer (Northern Kentucky), Ella LeMonier (Northern Kentucky), Maci Brown (Oakland), Reese Ruhlman (Oakland), Taryn Jenkins (Purdue Fort Wayne), Sara Fessler (Youngstown State), Lauryn Hicks (Northern Kentucky), Sydney Campbell (Oakland), Dana Vatakis (RMU)

Horizon League Tournament
Game 1 – No. 5 Green Bay 5, No. 4 IUPUI 1
Game 2 – No. 3 Northern Kentucky 1, No. 6 Youngstown State 0
Game 3 – No. 6 Youngstown State 3, No. 4 IUPUI 1
Game 4 – No. 1 Oakland 10, No. 5 Green Bay 2
Game 5 – No. 3 Northern Kentucky 2, No. 2 RMU 1 (8)
Game 6 – No. 6 Youngstown State 9, No. 5 Green Bay 1
Game 7 – No. 6 Youngstown State 2, No. 2 RMU 0
Game 8 – No. 3 Northern Kentucky 4, No. 1 Oakland 2 (8)
Game 9 – No. 1 Oakland 2, No. 6 Youngstown State 0
Game 10 – No. 1 Oakland 4, No. 3 Northern Kentucky 2
Game 11 – No. 3 Northern Kentucky 2, No. 1 Oakland 1

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Northern Kentucky secured its first #HLSB championship with a 2-1 victory in Saturday’s second game.

In game two, the Golden Grizzlies struck first when Kamryn Troyer scored in the second inning.

The Norse responded to tie the game up in the fourth when Trinity Robertson drove in Megan Lenhart.

The game-winning run came in the fifth when Jena Rhoads doubled to score Ella LeMonier for Northern Kentucky.

NCAA Postseason Team(s): Northern Kentucky

Join Today to Get Unlimited Access to Extra Inning Softball

Join Now

Already a Extra Inning Member? Log In