ECAC Announcement | R-N Schedule | R-N Stats
 
DANBURY, Conn. (May 9, 2016) – The Rutgers University-Newark softball team earned the third seed in the upcoming Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Championship, it was announced Monday afternoon.
 
The Scarlet Raiders will take a record of 21-19 into the tournament which begins Saturday at top-seeded Stockton University. New York University is the second seed, the Scarlet Raiders are third and Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham is No. 4.
 
The tournament will be double elimination, with the Scarlet Raiders battling NYU to open the action (12 p.m.), and FDU and Stockton meeting in the other opening round game (10 a.m.). The two losers will meet in the first elimination contest (game three) at 2 p.m. and the two winners will then battle in the final slated Saturday contest at 4 p.m. Sunday's game times are still TBA.
 
Complete Bracket/Schedule
 
R-N will be making its first appearance in the ECAC's after setting a new program wins record in the team's first year under Head Coach Kristen Hunt. After starting the season 1-6, Rutgers-Newark played excellent softball down the stretch, earning the most New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) wins in Scarlet Raider history (seven) and going 20-13 over their final 33 games.
 
ECAC Metro Softball Championship Seeding
1. Stockton University (31-11)
2. New York University (23-15)
3. Rutgers University-Newark (21-19)
4. Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham (19-15)
 
Rutgers-Newark boasts one All-NJAC pick in sophomore P/3B Kelly Yusko and a number of other big-time contributors. Yusko leads the team with a .417 batting average as six Raiders are hitting .294 or better in Yusko, freshman Samantha Hoffman (.345), freshman Liesel Johnson (.328), sophomore Kayla Gallo (.298), senior Kelsey Lucas (.296) and sophomore Morgan Walizer (.294). Gallo, Yusko, Lucas and Johnson have all driven in 24 or more runs, with Lucas (five), Yusko (three), Gallo (two) and Walizer (one) all going deep for the Scarlet Raiders.
 
Yusko won 15 games in the circle during the regular season for Newark, with Walizer earning the other six triumphs as the pair combined for six shutouts, 263.2 innings pitched, 137 strikeouts and a better than 2-to-1 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
 
"We are excited for a chance to play in the postseason and are very happy with our selection to the ECAC Tournament," said Hunt. "As a program we haven't played in the postseason in a long time and haven't ever played in the ECAC's before, so this opportunity speaks to the hard work and commitment of the team, and to the upward trajectory of Rutgers-Newark softball as a program."
 
Fans should visit www.rutgersnewarkathletics.com later this week for more information and live links regarding the 2016 ECAC Metro/Upstate Softball Championship at Stockton University.