Saturday, May 6
Bethlehem, Pa.
12:00 PM
Lehigh University
vs
Boston U.
Photo by: Mark Seliger
Regular Season Title At Stake As Lehigh Hosts Boston University
5/4/2023 11:32:00 AM | Softball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – For Lehigh and Boston University, it all comes down to this. One series. Three games at Leadership Park. The Mountain Hawks and Terriers both enter the final weekend of the regular season at 15-0 in Patriot League play. The winner of this weekend's series will earn the Patriot League regular season championship and will host the Patriot League Tournament May 11-13.
This weekend's series will feature a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday with action both days starting at noon. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Lehigh will recognize its senior class prior to Sunday's series finale.
Since Boston University joined the Patriot League in 2013-14, only BU and Lehigh have won Patriot League titles in softball. The Mountain Hawks have won three of those eight crowns, winning at home in 2015 and 2017 and winning twice in Boston on the final day of the 2022 tournament to secure their league-leading 15th tournament title. Lehigh and Boston University have met in the championship round of the last five tournaments and have secured the top two spots in this year's field. The only question remaining is will the host site be in Bethlehem or Boston.
Lehigh enters the final weekend at 38-10 overall. The Mountain Hawks went 4-0 last week, defeating Saint Joseph's for head coach Fran Troyan's 900th career victory, and then sweeping three games at Holy Cross. First-year Lily Owens led the way, batting .600 (9-for-15) with six runs scored and seven RBIs. Owens was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week on Monday.
Owens ranks fourth on the Mountain Hawks in batting average (.321), trailing only the three seniors who will be recognized on Sunday: graduate student Carley Barjaktarovich and fourth-year seniors Josie Charles and Emily Cimino.
Charles leads Lehigh with a .426 batting average. Barjaktarovich has come on strong in recent weeks. She is up to .403 and leads Lehigh with 73 hits and 40 runs scored. Barjaktarovich is currently on a school-record 31-game hitting streak and enters the weekend five hits away from breaking Lehigh's career hits record, currently held by Julie Fernandez '12 (263). Cimino has been Lehigh's top run producer with six home runs, 15 doubles and 44 RBIs to go along with a .344 average. She recently had a 16-game hitting streak snapped.
Junior Katelyn Young and first-year Chloe Hess anchor the pitching staff. Young went 3-0 last week and is 19-5 on the season with 109 strikeouts in 150 innings. Hess leads Lehigh with a 2.00 ERA to go along with 14 wins and 113 strikeouts.
Lehigh is ranked 72nd in the latest NCAA RPI and owns five victories over teams in the top 75 of the RPI (Alabama, South Alabama, Iowa (twice) and Campbell).
Boston University comes to town with a 46-7 overall record and a 26-game winning streak. The Terriers are 52nd in the RPI and have seven top 75 RPI wins. BU's last loss was a 2-1 home defeat against Yale on March 21.
The Terriers hit .328 as a team, led by reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Kayla Roncin (.435, 7 HR, 47 RBI). Seven regulars are batting over .300 this season. Opponents hit just .195 against Boston University with the pitching staff owning a 1.55 ERA. Allison Boaz has thrown the most innings (150.1) and is 21-4 with a 1.40 ERA, while first-year Kasey Ricard has 178 strikeouts to go along with an 18-2 record and 1.74 ERA. Last week Ricard was named a top 25 finalist for the NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year award.
Boston University leads the all-time series 21-16. Lehigh won four of the six meetings last year. During the regular season, Lehigh won the final two games of a series in Boston, halting the Terriers 27-game winning streak in the process. BU won the semifinal winner's bracket game in the Patriot League Tournament before Lehigh won the two games on Saturday to claim the title.
Like Lehigh Softball on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
This weekend's series will feature a doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday with action both days starting at noon. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Lehigh will recognize its senior class prior to Sunday's series finale.
Since Boston University joined the Patriot League in 2013-14, only BU and Lehigh have won Patriot League titles in softball. The Mountain Hawks have won three of those eight crowns, winning at home in 2015 and 2017 and winning twice in Boston on the final day of the 2022 tournament to secure their league-leading 15th tournament title. Lehigh and Boston University have met in the championship round of the last five tournaments and have secured the top two spots in this year's field. The only question remaining is will the host site be in Bethlehem or Boston.
Lehigh enters the final weekend at 38-10 overall. The Mountain Hawks went 4-0 last week, defeating Saint Joseph's for head coach Fran Troyan's 900th career victory, and then sweeping three games at Holy Cross. First-year Lily Owens led the way, batting .600 (9-for-15) with six runs scored and seven RBIs. Owens was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week on Monday.
Owens ranks fourth on the Mountain Hawks in batting average (.321), trailing only the three seniors who will be recognized on Sunday: graduate student Carley Barjaktarovich and fourth-year seniors Josie Charles and Emily Cimino.
Charles leads Lehigh with a .426 batting average. Barjaktarovich has come on strong in recent weeks. She is up to .403 and leads Lehigh with 73 hits and 40 runs scored. Barjaktarovich is currently on a school-record 31-game hitting streak and enters the weekend five hits away from breaking Lehigh's career hits record, currently held by Julie Fernandez '12 (263). Cimino has been Lehigh's top run producer with six home runs, 15 doubles and 44 RBIs to go along with a .344 average. She recently had a 16-game hitting streak snapped.
Junior Katelyn Young and first-year Chloe Hess anchor the pitching staff. Young went 3-0 last week and is 19-5 on the season with 109 strikeouts in 150 innings. Hess leads Lehigh with a 2.00 ERA to go along with 14 wins and 113 strikeouts.
Lehigh is ranked 72nd in the latest NCAA RPI and owns five victories over teams in the top 75 of the RPI (Alabama, South Alabama, Iowa (twice) and Campbell).
Boston University comes to town with a 46-7 overall record and a 26-game winning streak. The Terriers are 52nd in the RPI and have seven top 75 RPI wins. BU's last loss was a 2-1 home defeat against Yale on March 21.
The Terriers hit .328 as a team, led by reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Kayla Roncin (.435, 7 HR, 47 RBI). Seven regulars are batting over .300 this season. Opponents hit just .195 against Boston University with the pitching staff owning a 1.55 ERA. Allison Boaz has thrown the most innings (150.1) and is 21-4 with a 1.40 ERA, while first-year Kasey Ricard has 178 strikeouts to go along with an 18-2 record and 1.74 ERA. Last week Ricard was named a top 25 finalist for the NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year award.
Boston University leads the all-time series 21-16. Lehigh won four of the six meetings last year. During the regular season, Lehigh won the final two games of a series in Boston, halting the Terriers 27-game winning streak in the process. BU won the semifinal winner's bracket game in the Patriot League Tournament before Lehigh won the two games on Saturday to claim the title.
Like Lehigh Softball on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
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OF
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IF
/ Softball
P
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