No. 4 Bulldogs open NEC Tournament against No. 1 Blackbirds, Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Brooklyn

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - After failing to reach the postseason in 2015, the Bryant University softball team returns to the Northeast Conference Tournament as the No. 4 seed, as it begins play against the host and top-seeded LIU Brooklyn on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

GAME NOTES

THE SERIES
This post-season matchup marks the 17th meeting between the Bulldogs (12-34, 9-7 NEC) and Blackbirds (27-24, 14-4) with the series dead even at eight wins apiece. This year the two teams split games in Smithfield, as LIU took game one, 4-1, before Bryant won game two, 5-1. In their last NEC Tournament matchup the rankings were switched, as top-seeded Bryant hosted No. 4 LIU in Smithfield in 2014, winning their first game, 7-4, before clashing again in the title game, where Bryant topped the Blackbirds, 5-3, to win its first-ever NEC Championship.

SCOUTING THE FIELD
The hosts finished the regular season on a 14-game winning streak, 12 of which came against NEC competitors, including sweeps over everyone but Bryant and Saint Francis U. Whitney West leads the Blackbirds with a .371 batting average, 66 hits and five triples, while Celinna Cosio bats .357 with a team-high eight home runs, 37 RBI and a .593 slugging percentage this season. Erynn Sobierski was a force in the circle, finishing 17-16 on the year, including three shutouts, recording the league's second most strikeouts (129) with a 3.20 ERA. 

Saint Francis U. earned the second seed in the tournament after finishing 33-22 overall and 13-3 in the NEC. The Red Flash split games this season with Central Connecticut, Robert Morris and LIU Brooklyn, while sweeping the Bulldogs in back-to-back games in five innings in Loretto. The Red Flash tied the NCAA Division I record with five homers in the first inning against the Bulldogs, while setting an NEC record this season with seven dingers this season. Saint Francis U. is led by Cheyenne McKee's .338 batting average, while the team hits .298. Four of the league's top five home run hitters are occupied by the Red Flash, including Jordan Seneca's 18 to sit second in the NEC. The Red Flash broke the Northeast Conference single-season home run record with Seneca's homer in the first game, which totaled the team's seventh of the game and 56th of the season, breaking the record set by Bryant in 2015.

The Colonials (20-31, 10-6) occupy the third spot in the tournament after dropping both in the doubleheader at LIU Brooklyn and splitting games at Sacred Heart, with Mount St. Mary's, Saint Francis and Central Connecticut. Robert Morris handed the Bulldogs two-straight losses in Moon Township, including a 4-3 finish in eight innings. Jordan Gurganus tops RMU's charts, batting .351, while notching 60 hits and four triples. The Colonials bat .257 as a unit, placing them seventh in the league, while Gurganus' average situates her fifth in the conference. Kaitlin Ellzy went .500 (12-12) in the circle this season, finishing regular season play with a team-best 2.96 ERA to place her fifth in the NEC. The freshman recorded 98 of the team's 170 strikeouts in 156 innings of work.

TOURNAMENT TIME
After winning the NEC Championship in 2014 and then missing the conference tournament last season, the Bulldogs return to post season play under third-year head coach Shayne Lotito. In her first year, Lotito led the Bulldogs to 32-22 overall finish and 13-3 conference tally, helping the Black and Gold to their first-ever regular season championship. Bryant went on to win the league title, solidifying a place in the NCAA Tournament, where the team fell to No. 4 Oklahoma, 14-4, and Hofstra, 10-6.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP
The Bulldogs struggled to start the season, going 0-20 before finding their first win at NC State, 8-5, on March 20th. Once entering NEC contests, the Black and Gold settled into more consistent and dominant play, putting together six-straight wins through the end of April and start of May, including a weekend sweep over Central Connecticut and Fairleigh Dickinson in which senior Elle Madsen won all six games on the mound. Madsen also led the Bulldogs at the dish, finishing with a .318 average, 41 hits, eight doubles, three home runs and a .450 slugging percentage. Classmate Hayley Bottino also tallied eight doubles on the year, while junior Taylor Burger hit three long balls. Freshman Kaleigh Goulart came into her own during the season, totaling two homers in her freshman campaign, including a two-run blast in the 3-2 victory over CCSU on April 30th. Sophomore Maritza Martinez led the Bulldogs with 186 putouts at first this seaon, while classmate Robyn Ukegawa seconded her with 119 from behind home plate.

ON THE MOUND
In addition to veteran pitchers Elle Madsen and Hayley Bottino, the Bulldogs have utilized sophomore Logan Paul, redshirt freshman Brandi Burgin and true freshman Colby Norris. Madsen has seen the most time in the circle, pitching just over 119 innings, while recording a staff-best 3.11 ERA, 77 strikeouts and 4.52 strikeouts per game, helping the senior captain to a 7-11 regular season mark on the mound. Norris trailed with 96.1 innings logged, as she recorded a 5.30 ERA, while throwing 59 strikeouts in her 2-12 finish. Bottino finished 2-5, Burgin 1-4 and Paul 0-1 in her six appearances. Madsen also led the unit throughout NEC action, finishing with a 1.98 ERA, while the staff averaged 3.15.

MAD SKILL
Senior Elle Madsen capped off her career by continuously leading the Bulldogs, batting .318 with a 3.11 overall ERA. In conference play, the captain elevated her play, averaging .420 with the bat and 1.98 in the circle, helping Madsen finish third amongst league pitchers. After posting 96 strikeouts last season, Madsen has added 77, totaling 373 career strikeouts, which places her fourth in program history. The Colorado native also ranks second all-time with 53 wins in the circle, just three wins away from tying the record. The senior won six-straight contests on the mound, including the weekend sweep over Central Connecticut and Fairleigh Dickinson. Madsen is a force at plate, sending a team-high three over the fence, including two in conference play, while also topping the Bulldogs with eight doubles and a .450 slugging percentage.

ONE RUN
The Bulldogs played 16 games decided by one run, 10 of which resulted in losses. The Black and Gold were handed three one-run losses at the Citrus Classic alone, including two in which they attained the first lead. Bryant had a one- run edge through the fifth inning, before giving up two runs to North Florida, losing, 8-7, in their 2016 season opener. East Carolina took a 1-0 edge over the Bulldogs in the top of the fourth, ultimately holding Bryant scoreless through all seven innings, allowing the Bulldogs only one hit in the game. After five innings of play, the Black and Gold led Syracuse, 2-0, before the Orange scored the tying runs in the top of the sixth. Both defenses held strong, forcing extra innings, where Syracuse capitalized to drive in the game-winner in the top of the eighth. The Orange were able to hold onto the lead, handing Bryant their third one-run deficit of the weekend, 3-2. The trend carried into conference action as the Bulldogs split with the Pioneers, losing by one, before winning by a single score. In a highly competitive doubleheader at Robert Morris, the Colonials dealt Bryant back-to-back one-run losses, including the 4-3 final in eight innings where a two-out double to right center plated the hosts' game-winning score from second.

BAT-TINO
Senior Haley Bottino continued to be a versatile player for the Bulldogs, seeing time on the mound, at first and third base. Bottino finished the regular season with a .270 batting average, a team-high .407 on base percentage and Bryant's second highest .427 slugging percentage, which ranks her 10th all-time. The senior also held the top spot with eight doubles, while cranking go-ahead home runs in Bryant's wins over Central Connecticut and Fairleigh Dickinson. In the circle, Bottino finished with a 7.00 ERA, 5.11 in league, throwing 14 strikeouts in her 17 appearances. Bottino recorded a career-high 10 putouts twice this season, while recording the team's third most with 107.

IN-AND-OUT BURGER
Junior Taylor Burger sits alongside senior Elle Madsen with three home runs this season, drilling two out of the park in the Bulldogs' 5-1 win over LIU Brooklyn. The junior also ranked tied for first with 14 RBI and one triple this year. Burger bats .241 with a .286 on-base percentage and Bryant's second-best slugging percentage (.427).

GOU-LASH
Just as hearty as the traditional Hungarian dish, Kaleigh Goulart stepped into the starting role for the Bulldogs in her rookie season, becoming a reliant force at bat. The freshman finished with a team-high 14 RBI, while hammering two over the fence this season, including the two-run homer in the 3-2 win over Central Connecticut. Goulart averaged .233 overall and .250 against league opponents. In the field, primarily at second base, Goulart recorded 65 putouts and 47 assists with only four errors in her debut season.

THE VACCUMM
Sophomore Rachel Monroe returned this season at shortstop, wrangling in countless ground balls to finish with a team-high 111 assists and 78 putouts. Monroe finished with a .959 fielding percentage overall, accounting for eight errors, while recording only two errors in conference play to total a .975 fielding percentage against league opponents.