Lady Bears Softball Opens 2015 Campaign with Tucson Invitational Games in Arizona Beginning on Thursday

TUCSON, Ariz. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) softball team will open their 2015 campaign with a six-game set as part of the Tucson Invitational Games in Tucson, Arizona. The Lady Bears open play on Thursday against The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Denison University, followed by meetings with The University of Puget Sound and The University of Minnesota Crookston on Friday, and closing the trip against Pacific Lutheran University and #16 Central College (IA) on Saturday.

Game Information

(All Times Eastern)

Thursday, March 19

Opponent: The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Tucson, Ariz.

Opponent: Denison University
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Tucson, Ariz.

Friday, March 20

Opponent: The University of Puget Sound
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Tucson, Ariz.

Opponent: The University of Minnesota Crookston
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Tucson, Ariz.

Saturday, March 21

Opponent: Pacific Lutheran University
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Tucson, Ariz.

Opponent: #19 Central College (Iowa)
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Tucson, Ariz.

Quick Links

St. Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Denison University: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
University of Puget Sound: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
University of Minnesota-Crookston: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Pacific Lutheran University: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Central College (IA): Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

• The Lady Bears will open their season in Arizona for the first time in five years after four straight trips to the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Fort Myers, Florida. St. Joseph's opened their seasons at the Tucson Invitational Games from 2007 to 2010.
• The 2014 Lady Bears softball team was victors in eight of their last nine to finish 17-16. They outscored opponents a remarkable 97-10 in those final nine contests.
• St. Joseph's capped off the 2014 season with a dominant performance in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Tournament, outscoring The College of New Rochelle and Yeshiva University a combined 32-1 en route to their sixth straight title.
• The Lady Bears will embark upon their 2015 campaign aiming to defend the HVIAC Tournament and regular season titles as well as secure their fifth United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Championship appearance in the last seven years.
• The St. Joseph's softball squad is accustomed to success, suffering only two sub-.500 seasons in the last 13 years.

Series History

Of their six opponents in the Tucson Invitational Games, Wisconsin-La Crosse is the only side with a previous history against St. Joseph's. The Lady Bears dropped their sole meeting with the Eagles on March 19, 2009.

Last Meeting vs. Wisconsin-La Crosse

St. Joseph's fell 10-2 to the Eagles on March 19, 2009. This contest, like Thursday's upcoming meeting, was part of the Tucson Invitational Games and was the Lady Bears' season opener.

The Lady Bear Facts

The 2014 Lady Bears softball team was victors in eight of their last nine to finish 17-16. They outscored opponents a remarkable 97-10 in those final nine contests. St. Joseph's also capped off the 2014 season with a dominant performance in the HVIAC Tournament, outscoring New Rochelle and Yeshiva a combined 32-1 en route to their sixth straight title.

The Lady Bears will embark upon their 2015 campaign aiming to defend the HVIAC Tournament and regular season titles as well as secure their fifth USCAA National Championship appearance in the last seven years.

St. Joseph's will be led by reigning HVIAC All-Conference members Cassandra Molinari, Kristin Ferrigno, Samantha Rossi and Samantha Simon. Molinari was also named the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Co-Player of the Year last season while Rossi was tabbed AD3I Rookie of the Year.

Inside the Eagles Nest

Wis.-La Crosse is a member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The Eagles are coming off five consecutive winning seasons, including a 25-13 campaign last season helped by a 6-2 record in the 2014 Tucson Invitational Games.

The Eagles are on pace for another successful season, boasting a 10-4 record helped by a dominant 6-0 performance thus far in this year's Tucson Invitational. Wisconsin will be riding their six-game winning streak into Thursday's meeting with the Lady Bears.

Wisconsin-La Crosse Last Time Out

On Tuesday, the Eagles swept a doubleheader against Edgewood (Wis.) (9-0) and Puget Sound (5-4), another upcoming Lady Bears opponent.

Big Red Machine

Located in Granville, Ohio, Denison is a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Big Red softball is accustomed to success, riding a remarkable ten consecutive winning seasons into 2015.

Denison kicked off their year with the Tucson Invitational Games, holding a 4-2 record thus far. They've won three consecutive, including an impressive 8-7 upset over No. 16 Central (IA) on Monday.

Denison Last Time Out

On Tuesday, The Big Red swept their doubleheader and extended their winning streak to three games with a 9-1 five- inning victory over Crown (Minn.) and a 12-2 six-inning win against Marian (Wis.).

Chipping Away

Puget Sound, located in Tacoma, Washington, is part of the Northwest Conference (NWC). The Loggers are 2-16 this season, with their last winning campaign dating back to 2007.

Puget Sound Last Time Out

The Loggers snapped a six-game skid on Tuesday, capping off a doubleheader with a 6-4 triumph over Dubuque. In the first game, Puget was edged out 5-4 by Wisconsin-La Crosse in their Tucson Invitational opener.

Inside the Eagles Nest

Minnesota-Crookston competes in the Division II Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagles are coming off four consecutive losing seasons, including a 3-34 finish last season and a 2-11 start in 2015. Minnesota, winners of two of five in the Tucson Invitational Games, has played more competitive softball as of late after opening the season with eight straight losses.

Minnesota-Crookston Last Time Out

The Golden Eagles dropped a pair of games on Tuesday after winning two of their previous three, falling 8-4 to Marian and getting shutout 8-0 against Dubuque.

A Knights' Tale

Pacific Lutheran, located in Tacoma, Washington, belongs to the Northwest Conference (NWC) alongside Puget Sound. The Knights are coming off a disappointing 16-24 record in 2014. Pacific finished 27-17 in 2013 and a dominant 45-11 in 2012, when they claimed their first NCAA Division III Softball Championship in program history.

The Knights are off to a 5-9 start this season, but they've split their last eight games as they look to build positive momentum going forward.

Pacific Lutheran Last Time Out

Pacific split a doubleheader with Linfield on March 14, falling 9-0 in five innings in the opener and then responding with a tight 2-1 victory to even the score.

Dutch Defence

Central College competes in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC). Central's softball program boasts an impressive history, including four NCAA Division III Championships ('88, '91, '93, '03) and two runner-up finishes ('86, '01). Central was also a 2014 NCAA Tournament qualifier and given a No. 12 ranking in the 2015 preseason NFCA Coaches' Poll. The 8-4 Dutch have remained in the Top 20, currently sitting at No. 19 in the nation.

Central Last Time Out

The Dutch split a doubleheader on Monday, first getting edged out 8-7 by Denison (Ohio) and then bouncing back with an 11-0 five-inning triumph over Edgewood (Wis.), improving to 6-2 in the Tucson Invitational Games and 8-4 on the season.

Next Up for the Lady Bears 

St. Joseph's will return east for a ten-game home stand at Padavan-Preller Field, beginning with a doubleheader (4 p.m. and 6 p.m.) against New Rochelle on March 26 in a rematch of last year's HVIAC Tournament semifinal. Live stats for each game can be found at SJCBears.com.