Coming off a sweep at home to reach .500 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play, the Stony Brook softball team is set to hit the road with hopes of overtaking its opponent in the standings.

The Seawovles (16-13, 6-6 CAA) will travel to New Jersey this weekend to take on the Monmouth Hawks (13-21, 6-5 CAA). The series will kick off on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at noon and it will wrap up the next day with another noon start time. 

With the Hawks leading Stony Brook by half a game in the standings, the series will prove to be a tightly contested battle, especially at the plate, as both teams possess solid offenses. The Seawolves dominated Monmouth last season, sweeping their three-game series and outscoring it 15-5.

The Seawolves hold the upper-hand offensively, ranking fourth in the conference in batting average (.254) and third in on-base percentage (.341). Stony Brook also ranks third in the CAA with a .375 slugging percentage and are tied for third with 16 home runs. 

Leading the charge is left fielder Catherine Anne Kupinski, whose career year has put her on a short list of candidates for CAA Player of the Year. The senior places in the conference’s top 10 in most offensive categories, as she ranks fifth with a 1.012 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS). Kupinski’s five long balls are tied for the fifth most in the CAA and her 20 runs batted in (RBI) are ninth. Along with her power and run production, Kupinski sports a .341 batting average.

Shortstop Kyra McFarland has been an on-base machine for Stony Brook, reaching at a .404 clip thus far. Her .379 batting average leads the team and ranks fourth in the CAA. She is third among all Seawolves with a .421 slugging percentage and .825 OPS. Once she is on base, McFarland poses a speed threat, as her six stolen bases lead the squad.

Batting in the three-hole is right fielder Alyssa Costello, who has been hot after a slow start to the season. She ranks third on Stony Brook with a .284 batting average. Costello’s three triples this season are tied for tops in the CAA and she is in a four-way tie for the team lead with four doubles. She has also stolen three bases without being caught and collected 13 RBIs.

Second baseman Naiah Ackerman has turned her season around after a slow start, tallying a hit in six of her last eight games. She has also packed a punch at the plate with four doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs this year. 

Catcher Emily Reinstein has been solid at the dish as well. She is slashing .260 with two doubles, a homer and nine RBIs.

Supplying power from the bottom of the lineup is first baseman Corinne Badger. Despite nursing various injuries over the first half of the season, Badger has accumulated 14 RBIs and ranks second on the team with four home runs, which places her in a tie for the seventh most in the conference. The graduate student displays good plate discipline, as she has drawn 14 walks and been hit by six pitches. Despite her .420 on-base percentage and .899 OPS, Badger is hitting just .188. 

Designated player Julianna Sanzone has struggled to find consistency, batting just .194. However, she has been a run producer, notching three home runs and the second-most RBIs (15) on the team.

Center fielder Alicia Orosco is the team’s primary leadoff hitter but has struggled this year, as she is slashing just .235. Nonetheless, Orosco ranks fourth on the Seawolves with 20 hits and places second with four stolen bases.

Stony Brook’s offense figures to have a big weekend, as Monmouth’s pitching staff ranks ninth in the CAA with a 4.46 earned run average (ERA). 

Despite their overall struggles, ace starting pitcher Billie Kerwood has compiled a strong season for the Hawks. Tied for second in the league with 104 ⅓ innings pitched, Kerwood has pitched to a 3.56 ERA. She has averaged nearly a strikeout per frame with 104 total punchouts and holds hitters to a .275 batting average against. 

Behind Kerwood, pitchers Ana Rodriguez and Olivia Lewis have struggled to uphold their end of the bargain. Rodriguez has gotten the higher volume, pitching in 47 ⅓ innings to a 5.47 ERA. While getting less time in the circle, Lewis has had marginally better results, yielding 4.92 runs per seven innings.

If the Seawolves can get past Kerwood, they should have no problem this weekend, as Monmouth’s staff lacks depth. On the flip side, Stony Brook has seen their pitching staff — which is headed by ace starting pitcher Mia Haynes — improve throughout the season. It currently ranks seventh in the CAA with a 3.83 team ERA. 

After starting slow for a second-straight year, Haynes has caught fire of late. Her renaissance has included hurling a seven-inning shutout over Towson, during which she struck out 10 Tigers. This season, Haynes leads the Seawolves with 74 ⅓ innings while pitching to a 3.67 ERA. She also leads the team with 61 strikeouts over those innings, which is good for 5.74 strikeouts per seven innings. Haynes has held opposing hitters to the lowest batting average of any Stony Brook starter at .264.

Behind Haynes are pitchers Gabrielle Maday and Ashton Melaas. Primarily as a starter, Maday has logged 61 innings this season while posting a 4.13 ERA and team-best 1.39 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP). For the most part, Melaas has taken the circle in relief this season and she has thrown well. Despite posting a lackluster 1.79 WHIP and allowing a .306 batting average across 48 ⅓ innings, her 3.62 ERA leads the team. 

Despite ranking seventh in the CAA in batting average (.249), the Hawks do not provide much offensive firepower, sitting 10th in the conference with just eight home runs. Nonetheless, their top-three hitters all hold averages over .320.

Left fielder Dani Dabroski leads the team with a .327 batting average. As the team’s primary leadoff hitter, she has scored a team-best 25 runs and pilfered 14 bags. Those 14 steals are tied for the most in the CAA and she is tied for third in runs scored.

Utility player Savannah Simons has been a jack-of-all-trades for Monmouth. While listed as a catcher, Simons has handled most of the third base duties for the Hawks this year while hitting .324. She is tied for second on the team with six doubles, which has contributed to a team-best .819 OPS. 

Shortstop Mackenzie Bloss mans short most of the time for Monmouth and has done well in the three-hole throughout the year. Hitting at a .324 clip, Bloss leads the team in RBIs (22) and total bases (44) while remaining perfect on her five stolen base attempts. 

Their best power threat is catcher Abby Warner, whose four round-trippers lead the Hawks and make up half of their team home run output for the season. She has also tallied six doubles and 17 RBIs.

Rounding out the starting lineup are center fielder Lexi Castaneda, right fielder Tessa Thompson and second baseman Bri Lawson. Though all three have struggled to find offensive consistency, they have had their moments. Castaneda has swiped five bases, Thompson leads the team with seven doubles and Lawson has driven in the third-most runs (13) on the team.

Despite being away from University Field, the Seawolves have been road warriors this season, posting a 9-2 record away from their stomping ground. 

Stony Brook will have its chance to jump Monmouth in the standings and reinsert itself into the CAA’s top-six, potentially putting the team in a good position to secure a playoff spot down the line.