Tournament Notes (PDF)

WAYNE, N.J. -- The William Paterson Pioneers (23-14, 10-8 NJAC) will look to win their third New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Tournament title in five years when WPU takes part in the 2007 NJAC Softball Tournament Friday-Sunday, May 4-6, at the Montclair State Softball Stadium in Little Falls, N.J.

Fourth-seeded William Paterson will take on host and top-seeded Montclair State May 4 at 1:30 p.m. The Red Hawks are ranked fourth in this week's National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 Poll. The remainder of the tournament bracket will be determined following the conclusion of the three scheduled games on May 4.

In the first round May 1, the fourth-seeded Pioneers fell to third-seeded Rutgers-Camden, 4-1. William Paterson previously met Montclair State April 24 in Little Falls, and the Red Hawks swept the doubleheader on their home field, 3-0 and 10-3.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS: William Paterson is 23-14 overall following a 4-1 loss at Rutgers-Camden May 1 in the first round of the NJAC Tournament. The Pioneers finished fourth in the conference regular-season standings with a 10-8 record.

The Pioneers have won three NJAC Tournament titles, including two of the last four (1999, 2003, 2005).

The 2007 William Paterson squad is a young team, boasting 11 freshmen on its 21-player roster. Five seniors, two juniors and three sophomores round out the group.

Freshman outfielder Christina Zippler (Blackwood, N.J./Washington Twp.) leads William Paterson's everyday players with a .376 (38-101) batting average. Sophomore catcher Meghan Reilly (Middlesex, N.J./Middlesex), a first-team selection to the 2007 All-NJAC Team, leads WPU with eight doubles and three triples, adding 22 runs scored and a .354 (34-96) average. Honorable-mention all-NJAC pick senior shortstop Alicia Albert (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) is hitting .350 (41-117) with 18 RBI and a team-best 23 runs scored, 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 (.600), batting .333 (30-90).

Junior Diana Schraer (Paramus, N.J./Paramus), a second-team all-NJAC honoree, is 17-5 inside the circle this season with a 1.51 ERA, 16 complete games in 22 starts, and 78 strikeouts in 148.2 innings. Freshman Amy Sievert (Matawan, N.J./ Old Bridge) is 1-3 with a 5.48 ERA in eight appearances.