Championship Central
2019 Bracket
 
Thursday, May 9
vs. No. 4 UMBC (11 a.m.) - Live Stats | Watch Live | Game Notes
 
LOWELL, Mass. – No. 1 UMass Lowell, the 2019 America East Regular-Season Champion, will take part in the 2019 America East Championship this week from May 9-11 hosted by the University of Hartford. After a first-round bye, the River Hawks (27-18, 15-3 AE) are set to square off against No. 4 UMBC on Thursday, May 9 at 11 a.m.
 
REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPS
The River Hawks took two out of three games against UAlbany in their final conference series of 2019 to become the first women's team at UMass Lowell to win the America East regular-season title and lock up the top spot for post-season play. Junior Courtney Cashman (Danvers, Mass.) batted .500 with five hits in that series, while senior Sydney Barker (Upland, Calif.) boasted six RBI. As a team, the River Hawks totaled seven homers on the weekend with redshirt-junior Casey Harding (Cheshire, Conn.) and sophomore Maria Moccio (Feeding Hills, Mass.) accounting for two apiece.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Through 45 games, Courtney Cashman leads the River Hawks with a .520 batting average, 66 hits, 30 RBI, 46 runs scored, 15 doubles and 10 home runs. Senior Sydney Barker (Upland, Calif.), who is batting .333, adds a .516 slugging percentage, and sophomore Maria Moccio (Feeding Hills, Mass.) chips in with 35 RBI and nine home runs. Sophomore Lovina Capria (Deltona, Fla.) paces the pitching staff with a 15-7 record, a 2.56 ERA and 89 strikeouts.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Head Coach Danielle Henderson was named the America East Coach of the Year, while six River Hawk student-athletes combined for nine individual honors at the championship banquet on May 7. Courtney Cashman, Sydney Barker and junior Melany Sheldon (Garbagnate, Milan, Italy) were all named to the All-Conference First Team, while Lovina Capria, Casey Harding and Maria Moccio received Second Team accolades. Barker, Harding and Moccio were also All-Academic Team selections.
 
MAKING HISTORY
With 27 wins so far in 2019, the River Hawks have secured their third straight 20-win season, while setting a new Division I program record for wins, besting the previous record of 21, which was set in the last two consecutive seasons. Other DI program records set by the team already this year include conference wins (15), runs (207), home runs (41), RBI (189) and ERA (3.45), as well.
 
CARDIAC KIDS
The River Hawks have become accustomed to last-inning thrillers this season, as they are currently outscoring their opponents, 31-6, in the seventh inning. Additionally, 10 of the teams wins this year have been decided in the team's final at-bat.
 
THE PERFECT GAME
Senior Kaysee Talcik (Shelton, Conn.) made history in a 4-0 win in game two of a doubleheader at America East opponent Stony Brook on April 27, retiring all 21 batters she faced to pitch the program's first ever perfect game. She totaled five strikeouts in that performance for her second career no-hitter, as well.
 
GOING STREAKING
The River Hawks put together a 12-game win streak from spanned from March 19-April 14. That stretch matched the program's longest win streak since a 13-game undefeated streak in 2011. In conference play, the team had a 12-game undefeated stretch that was also good for a new record.
 
MILESTONE MOMENTS
With the game two win at Binghamton on April 13, Lovina Capria set a new Division I program record for a pitcher, breaking a record she first set last year with 11 victories. Kaysee Talcik then spun two strikeouts at Stony Brook on April 28 to become just the fourth pitcher in school history to reach 300 career strikeouts and the first to do so at the Division I level.
 
NATIONAL NEWS
Courtney Cashman finished the regular season ranked first in the nation with a .520 batting average. She is also second with a .626 on-base percentage and eighth with an .890 slugging percentage.
 
WALK IT OUT
With a pair of walks in the first game of a doubleheader at Boston University on April 14, Courtney Cashman became the program's new all-time, single-season record holder with 32 free passes. She is now up to 38 for the year, leading the way for the conference and putting her 11th in the nation, as well. Additionally, her five walks at UConn on March 27 was also a new single-game program record.
 
PLAYING THE LONG GAME
The River Hawks' 41 home runs in 2019 is the most for the team since 2012. The squad put together a record six-game streak with at least one homer from March 19-31. Maria Moccio personally boasted a three-game home run stretch during that time, including the second walk-off long ball of her career against Maine (3.30). Courtney Cashman, who already totals a career-high 10 dingers and her first career grand slam this season (at Yale, 3.19), is currently second on the program's all-time career record list (22).
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT
The win at Bryant on April 3 marked the River Hawks' third extra-innings victory in a seven-day span. The team is now 15-10 in extras at the Division I level.
 
COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH
Maria Moccio roped two, game-winning hits in extra innings in just three days. She first propelled the River Hawks to an exciting, 8-7 victory in nine innings at UConn on March 27 with a RBI single to left field before sealing the walk off with a two-run blast in the bottom of the eighth against Maine on March 30.
 
CLOSE CALLS
The River Hawks have been within striking distance in the vast majority of their games this season, as nine of the team's 18 losses have been decided by two runs or less. Of those contests, three went to extra innings.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Casey Harding became the fourth River Hawk to earn America East Player of the Week honors this season on April 16 with three home runs in a 5-0 week. Maria Moccio earned her first career Player of the Week nod on April 2 following a walk-off home run against Maine (3.30). Courtney Cashman has been named Player of the Week three times this season, most recently on March 26 after going 7-for-7 with her first career grand slam in the doubleheader at Yale (3.19). Sydney Barker was tabbed the Player of the Week, while sophomore Lovina Capria garnered a Pitcher of the Week nod to open the season, as both helped the River Hawks earn a pair of victories at the River City Leadoff hosted by Jacksonville from Feb. 8-10.
 
AROUND THE LEAGUE
The River Hawks' offense is second in the rankings for doubles (61), home runs (41), RBI (189), total bases (533) and slugging percentage (.432). Individually, Courtney Cashman leads the league in four offensive categories.
 
OTHER NOTABLES
Brianna West logged her first career home run to give the River Hawks a 9-0 walkoff in five innings against Hartford (4.24) … Melany Sheldon singled in a pair of runs to give the River Hawks the comeback win in walk-off fashion against UMBC (4.19) … Olivia Labbe logged her first career home run against Maine (3.30) … Courtney Cashman set a season high with four RBI against Iona (3.15) … Melany Sheldon logged a personal-best three hits against Iona (3.15) … Kaylie See registered her first career win against Northern Kentucky (3.12) … Kaysee Talcik recorded her first shutout of the season against UNLV (3.8) … Courtney Cashman matched a career high with four hits against Marshall (2.22) … freshman Tori Mueller logged her first career multi-hit game with three singles against Georgia Tech (2.9) … Lovina Capria logged a season-high seven strikeouts at Jacksonville (2.8).