Just three wins shy of setting the program record in consecutive wins, the Stony Brook softball team will look to continue its dominance of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).

Having won each of their last 13 games, the Seawolves (26-13, 12-6 CAA) will welcome the Drexel Dragons (13-20, 8-9 CAA) this weekend. First pitch from University Field is slated for 3 p.m. on Friday before a pair of 1 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. 

Stony Brook’s identity is its extremely high-powered offense as it ranks third in the CAA with a .286 batting average. The offense runs through its stars as it contains three players inside the conference’s top-10 list in on-base plus slugging percentage. 

The team’s biggest threat at the plate is left fielder Catherine Anne Kupinski. In her senior season, she has put herself in the running for CAA Player of the Year by hitting .388 with seven home runs. Her 1.122 OPS ranks second in the conference but she leads with 35 runs batted in (RBI). 

Setting the table is shortstop Kyra McFarland, who leads the league with a .419 batting average. After not having an extra base hit for much of the season, McFarland has exploded in recent weeks, tallying five doubles, a triple and two home runs. This newfound power surge with a .441 on-base percentage, has McFarland in tenth place in the CAA with a .960 OPS. She also leads the conference with 56 hits. 

Batting out of the cleanup spot is reigning CAA Player of the Week Corinne Badger. A catcher by trade — however playing mostly first base this year — Badger has slugged six home runs and driven in 27 runs. Despite spending much of the season below the Mendoza line, Badger has been hot of late, culminating in a .260 batting average and 1.039.

The Seawolves may have found a diamond in the rough in the middle infield as second baseman Naiah Ackerman has had a huge sophomore season. Ackerman is tied for ninth place with four home runs while posting an .852 OPS. 

Leading things off is center fielder Alicia Orosco who has rebounded after a bad start. The California native has hit at a .287 clip while being an asset on the bases with six swipes. Right fielder Alyssa Costello’s season has followed a similar trajectory. Despite holding a .294 batting average, she is yet to homer but has chipped in six doubles and three triples. 

Designated player Julianna Sanzone is one of Stony Brook’s better run producers, having drilled four home runs. She is tied with Ackerman with 22 RBIs which is tied for third team-wide. 

The Dragon’s pitching staff will have their hands full this weekend as they have shown inconsistencies throughout the year, en route to seventh place in ERA (3.96).

They are led by lefty starter Lindsay Nelson who has been a workhorse at the top of the rotation. In 101 ⅓ innings this year, Nelson has pitched to a 3.38 ERA while striking out 90 hitters. She is seventh in the conference in strikeouts and eighth in innings pitched.

Behind her, Drexel relegates the rest of its innings to Allison Hoppe and Natalie Allred. Hoppe has gotten a higher volume of innings (68 ⅓) and pitched to moderate success with a 4.20 ERA. Allred has only thrown 45 ⅓ frames and holds a 4.94 ERA. Nonetheless, she has been stingier on hitters with a .257 batting average against (BAA) and strikes out 4.79 hitters per seven innings (K/7). 

Similarly, the Dragon’s offense has been middle of the pack with a .255 batting average which is sixth in the CAA. Despite the rather pedestrian contact numbers, they have hit for good power as their 22 home runs are the fourth-most in the league. 

They are led by center fielder Grace Abbonizio who figures to give McFarland a run for her money at the top of the batting charts. Abbonizio is hitting .396 entering this weekend’s play with a .955 OPS. Her 36 hits are the most of any Drexel player.

Batting behind Abbonizio is left fielder Izzy Alamillo. While lacking power, Alamillo has hit at a .289 rate and poses a threat on the bases with a team-leading six stolen bases. 

The Dragon’s best power option is shortstop Jackie Masone who leads the team with five long balls. Despite hitting just .250, Masone has tallied 15 extra base hits to eclipse the 1.000 OPS plateau at 1.020. 

Designated player Mia Garza has been doing much of the cleanup duties for Drexel as she has hit .286. She does not profile as the prototypical four-hitter as her OPS is just .734, mainly due to just five extra base hits this year. 

Conversely, the Dragon’s biggest run producer has been hitting closer to the bottom of the order in second baseman Kalea Calugay. While she has only hit .250, Calugay has bashed three home runs and driven in a team-high 23 runs. 

Lindsey Hunt figures to do most of the work behind the plate this weekend as she has started 31 of the team’s 33 games thus far with little offensive success. A defensive-minded backstop, Hunt has hit just .215 this year but has knocked the second-most doubles of any Dragon with six. 

They will have a difficult weekend as the Seawolves possess one of the better pitching staffs in the CAA. Their 3.21 ERA ranks fourth best and they have tossed the third-most shutouts of any team with eight.

Their dominance in the circle starts from the top as ace starting pitcher Mia Haynes has turned in a second-consecutive strong season. While pitching the fifth most innings in the conference (112), Haynes has registered a 2.88 ERA which is eighth-best. She also has 96 strikeouts which put her in sole possession of sixth place and has held hitters to a .235 BAA.

Getting starts after Haynes is lefty Gabrielle Maday. In her first year at Stony Brook, she has been a stalwart in the rotation, pitching to a 3.76 ERA in 76 ⅓ innings pitched. The southpaw has shown good command of the strike zone, handing out the fewest free passes on the team at 18.

Finally, Ashton Melaas has been a rock out of head coach Megan Bryant’s bullpen this season. Across 55 ⅓ innings, Melaas has thrown up a 3.16 ERA and tallied the second-most saves in the CAA with three. However, she has gotten hit hard at times as her BAA is an unimpressive .289 while giving up a team-high 15 doubles. 

With three games set for this weekend, the Seawolves have put themselves in a great position to create some school history while climbing the ranks of the CAA with just three weeks left to play.