Tournament Bracket (PDF)

WAYNE , N.J. – The William Paterson softball team (23-13, 10-8 NJAC) will begin play in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament Tuesday, May 1, at Rutgers-Camden (27-13, 13-5 NJAC). First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

The Pioneers are the fourth seed in the six-team, double-elimination tournament, while the Scarlet Raptors are the third seed. All six teams will advance to play in the weekend portion of the tournament Friday-Sunday, May 4-6, at the Montclair State Softball Stadium. The winner of the William Paterson/Rutgers-Camden contest will face the winner of the Richard Stockton/Ramapo first-round game on May 4 at 4:00 p.m. The loser of the WPU/R-C game will take on the winner of the Montclair State/Rowan first-round game at 1:30 p.m. on May 4. The remainder of the tournament bracket will be determined following the conclusion of the three scheduled games on May 4.

The Pioneers and Scarlet Raptors previously met April 21 in Wayne. William Paterson won the first game of the doubleheader, 4-2, and Rutgers-Camden won the nightcap, 5-2.

Freshman outfielder Christina Zippler (Blackwood, N.J./Washington Twp.) leads William Paterson's everyday players with a .378 (37-98) batting average. Senior shortstop Alicia Albert (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) is hitting .360 (41-114) with 18 RBI and a team-best 23 runs scored. Sophomore catcher Meghan Reilly (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) leads WPU with eight doubles and three triples, adding 22 runs scored and a .355 (33-93) average, while sophomore third baseman/designated player Ana Abourashed (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex) is the team leader in home runs (five), RBI (31) and slugging percentage (.607), batting .337 (30-89).

Junior Diana Schraer (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) is 17-4 inside the circle this season with a 1.42 ERA, 15 complete games in 21 starts, and 76 strikeouts in 142.2 innings. Freshman Amy Sievert (Matawan, N.J./ Old Bridge) is 1-3 with a 5.48 ERA in eight appearances.