CARLISLE, Pa. - The second-seeded Dickinson softball team will begin their search for a third Centennial Conference Championship on Thursday afternoon when they host the third-seeded Shorewomen of Washington College on day one of the double-elimination Centennial Conference Tournament. First pitch at Dickinson Park is slated for 4:30pm.

Tournament Overview
After single games on Thursday at top-seeded Ursinus and second-seed Dickinson the tournament will shift over to Collegeville, Pennsylvania for the remaining two days of the double-elimination action on Saturday and Sunday. With a win on Thursday the Devils would play the winner of Ursinus and Swarthmore on Saturday at around 2pm, while a DC loss to the Shorewomen would see them take the field at 11am against the loser of the Bears and Garnet. 

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The Devils Den
Dickinson enters the tournament as the number two seed with a mark of 23-13 overall and 12-4 inside the Centennial Conference. This season has marked quite a turnaround for the Red and White after going 12-25 (5-11 Centennial) during the 2022 campaign in which DC missed the postseason.

Offense
Veteran Leadership
The quartet of Laila Gwathmey, Paige Hahn, Zoe Kleeblatt and Devon Kueny have gotten it done for Dickinson all season as each of them holds a .250 batting average or higher with Kueny pacing the group at .353 as the leadoff hitter. As a unit they have combined for 120 hits (24 extra-base hits), 62 RBIs, 59 runs scored and 26 walks in addition to 31 stolen bases. 

First-Year Standouts
The Devils have also been supported by an impressive group of rookies as outfielder Jane Lloyd leads the team with a .381 batting average thanks to team-highs in hits (40) and runs scored (38), while adding 16 stolen bases, 15 RBIs, and seven multi-base hits. Classmates Eden Blanker, Abby Kohan and Jessie Sandusky have also provided huge offensive boosts for the Red and White providing 84 hits and 61 runs batted in. Blanker paces the team in both doubles (13) and home runs (6). Emily Whelan has helped out as well posting a .247 average with 20 hits, 15 runs scored and 12 driven in. 

Deep Bench
The trio of Brooke Espenshade, Emma Glosson, and Jen Klepfer have joined up for 26 hits, 13 runs scored and 11 RBIs. Emma Varella also serves a key role for the Red and White acting as the main pinch-runner which includes 11 runs scored. 

Pitching
Dominant Duo
The pair of Riley Kuehn and Lindsay Kucker have been outstanding for the Devils in the circle as they have combined for a record of 20-7 with 11 complete games and two shutouts on 179.2 innings thrown. Kuehn has tossed a team-high 101.2 frames totaling 68 strikeouts with 2.13 ERA, while giving up just 43 runs (31 earned) and allowing the opposition to hit .258. Kucker posted a 2.96 ERA with 46 strikeouts and a .246 opponent batting average.

The Rest of the Staff
The trio made up of Beth Belanger, Kaylie Renner and Kohan have joined together to throw 71.1 innings racking up 30 strikeouts and posting a 3-6 record. 

The Rest of the Field
No. 1 Seed  - Ursinus College Bears
The top-seed in the tournament comes in with a record of 27-12 overall and 12-3 in the conference. The Bears had the second-best offense in the league posting a .325 team batting average with 15 home runs and drawing 95 walks, while fanning 92 times. They are led by Sara Sullivan and Samantha Mallen who are both hitting over .370 with 89 hits (14 extra-base) and 43 RBIs. Four other UC batters enter play hitting over .300 (Kayla Carr, Amanda Panati, Stephanie Wichman and Madison Wilson). In the circle they are paced by Christa Andrusiewicz (12-6) and her 3.91 ERA on 24 appearances (19 starts) with 11 complete games. She has allowed 61 runs (51 earned) in addition to walking 36 and fanning 46. Andrusiewicz is backed by a duo of Alexis Miller and Wichman who have combined for a record of 12-6 giving up 122 hits and 66 runs to go along with 61 K's. Taylor Gardner is in her first season as the leader of the Bears cave.

Bears vs Devils in 2023 - UC swept the doubleheader in Carlisle back on April 22nd winning by scores of 4-1 and 7-2

No. 3 Seed - Washington College Shorewomen
Washington comes into Thursday's matchup with the Devils as the number three-seed after going 19-17-1 (11-4-1 Centennial). The Shorewomen begin tournament play with a .318 batting average with nine home runs and 80 walks, but fanning 125 times on the campaign. Two WC players are posting batting averages over .400 with Alyssa Vieira leading the charge thanks to a .429 on a team-leading 60 hits and 22 RBIs, while going a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen bases. Lexie Witmer is the other bat the Red and White need to watch out for as she holds a .407 average and leads the team in both RBIs (30) and doubles (13). Brynn Balliet (10-6) heads the WC pitching staff with 21 appearances (20 starts) posting a 3.17 ERA on 115 innings pitched allowing 124 hits and 63 runs (52 earned) to go along with 43 strikeouts. Lexi Barnhart and Gen Kozub are the other two arms to look out for joining together for a 9-8 record with 172 hits against, walking 61 and fanning 52. Rowing the boat for the Shorewomen is Sally Snover in her third season.

Shorewomen vs Devils in 2023 - The teams split a doubleheader in Chestertown, Maryland last weekend with DC claiming a 9-2 win in game one, before WC took the back-half 3-2 to secure the rematch.

No. 5 Seed - Swarthmore College Garnet
Swarthmore enters the double-elimination part of the tournament after picking up an 11-2 win over the number four-seed Gettysburg College on Tuesday in the play-in game. The Garnet hold a record of 21-16 (8-8 Centennial) and are riding a six-game winning streak. As a team they are hitting .316 with seven home runs and 119 walks, while striking out 111 times. Olivia McClammy paces the offensive unit with a .435 average on 40 hits in addition to driving in 24  and walking 11 times to go along with just five strikeouts. The group of Iris Barone, Emily Bertrand, Avery McClure and Flannery McFadden all hit over .333 and have joined up for 48 RBIs thanks to 124 hits. The Garnet will go as far as Bertrand (6-2) can take them in the circle as she holds a 2.70 ERA in 46.2 innings pitched with 27 strikeouts. Their other three main pitchers Lane Barron, Molly O'Sullivan and Sarah Schab all hold an ERA over five with a combined record of 12-10. Melissa Finley is her fifth season as the head coach of the Garnet.

Garnet vs Devils in 2023 - The Red and White swept the Garnet in Carlisle on April 8th by scores of 6-3 and 2-0.