Softball Travels to Adelphi to Begin NCAA East Regional

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – For the fourth time in the last six years, the University of Bridgeport's softball team is set to appear in the NCAA East Regional. This time around, it is the Purple Knights earning an at-large bid into the "Big Dance" as the No. 7 seed. UB is scheduled to face second-seeded Adelphi on Thursday in Garden City, N.Y.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Bridgeport is set to take on this weekend's hosts and the No. 2 seed, Adelphi, on Thursday at noon. The Panthers finished the year with an overall record of 31-19 and a mark of 17-5 in the Northeast-10 Conference.  

Despite being scheduled to play each other this season, UB and Adelphi have not met (rain). The Panthers do hold a 4-2 record against CACC foes this season while also holding five wins against NCAA Tournament teams.

Individually, Adelphi is led by one of the top pitchers in the region. Lindsey Hibbs boasts a sensational 1.24 ERA this season across 196.2 innings pitched. She has also totaled 224 strikeouts which ranks third in the East Region.

THE REST OF THE MINI-BRACKET
The second game on Thursday at Adelphi features third-seeded Pace and sixth-seeded Molloy. The Purple Knights played both teams during the regular season.

A RESILIENT BUNCH
Sitting with a 3-13 record on March 16, the Purple Knights continued fighting and the results followed. UB posted 14 straight conference wins from March 19 – April 14. They then finished the year with a mark of 18-4 in the months of April and May.

Coach Stearns' squad closed out 2024 with a home record of 12-1. They also outscored their conference opponents this season by a 134-62 margin.

CACC TOURNAMENT
Bridgeport earned three wins in last week's championship tournament before rain cancelled the championship game that featured the Purple Knights and top-seeded Wilmington.

The Wildcats were then crowned the conference champions as the No. 1 seed in the tournament. UB and Wilmington had split games on Friday and Saturday.

Following the cancellation, Kaite Burawski, Mya Jones, Angela Oros, and Meg McFarland were all named to the CACC's All-Tournament Team.

KAITE BURAWSKI
A huge part of the Bridgeport success story this season has been Kaite Burawski. The left-handed pitcher has been dominant this season after missing all of last year.

Burawski, who was the ECC Pitcher of the Year in 2021 and 2022, was named to the CACC's All-Conference First Team this season. She currently stands with an ERA of 2.50 with 215 strikeouts (2^nd in the CACC) across 165 innings pitched.

Burawski was especially impressive in the month of April when she registered an ERA of 1.24 across 12 appearances and 73.1 innings pitched. She has 11 games this season where she posted double-digit strikeouts, including a season-high 17 versus Polk State.

THE UB OFFENSE
A trio of Bridgeport hitters were named to CACC All-Conference Teams. Meg McFarland and Angela Oros were each named as first teamers while Mya Jones was tabbed to the All-Conference Second Team.

Oros leads the Purple Knights in almost all categories, including total hits (52), slugging (.586), doubles (13), home runs (5), and extra-base hits (19). She also ranks second on UB with a .371 batting average.

McFarland has also been sensational during her senior season. The Monroe, Conn. native is batting a team-best .376 while starting all 48 games in centerfield. McFarland also finished with 34 RBIs and 34 runs scored—each of which ranks second on the team.

Jones, the 2023 CACC Rookie of the Year, put forth another great season as a sophomore. The Delaware native batted .364 across 34 games played. She finished with 32 RBIs, 18 runs scored and 10 walks.

Madison D'Amato and Hailey Kim have also been tremendous while starting almost every game in the middle infield. D'Amato boasts a .306 average with a team-high 38 runs scored and 18 steals while Kim is batting .352 with 26 runs scored.

TOURNEY HISTORY
The Purple Knights have now been in the "Big Dance" four times over the last six years. UB's previous three appearances came off three ECC Championships.

Bridgeport holds a 1-6 record in their previous three regional stays. UB's lone win came against Molloy in 2021.

HOW TO FOLLOW
For all updates on Bridgeport softball during the NCAA East Regional, be sure to follow @UB_Softball on Twitter and Instagram.