DUDLEY, Mass. (5/8/24) – The No. 3 Nichols College softball team will enter the next phase of the 2024 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament this Thursday, May 9th, where they will face off against top-seeded host Endicott College.
How They Got Here: On day one of the tournament, the Bison split a pair of games beginning with a 10-inning walk-off win over Suffolk University, 7-6, before falling in a nail biter to No. 2 Western New England, 2-1. Endicott, on the other side of the bracket, fell to No. Wentworth Institute of Technology by a score of 5-2. Nichols enters Friday's matchup with a 23-19 overall record, while Endicott enters at 24-13. The Gulls were the winners of both games of the 2024 season series by scores of 7-0, and 4-1.
Who to Watch: Junior infielder Erin Gour is one of Nichols' offensive leaders going into Friday, with a team-best .320 batting average on 40 hits, alongside 28 RBI and 26 runs scored. Gour has homered five times throughout her 42 games played and has doubled 12 times. Sophomore Allie Silliman, an All-CCC Second Team honoree this season, is tied for the team-lead in hits with classmate Ava Slavinsky (42), and also owns the second highest batting average for the Bison (.311). Junior Chloe Steiniger leads the team with 30 RBI this season and ranks third in hits (35) with 10 doubles, one triple and four homers.
Inside the circle, junior Chelsea Indyk and sophomore Olivia Pedro have led the Bison on the defensive side, with Indyk owning an ERA of 2.45 and Pedro with an average of 2.91 this season. The two pitchers have combined for 14 complete games, five shutouts, five saves, and 129 strikeouts. As a combined unit, the Bison currently hold a team batting average of .254, as compared to Endicott's .276 average.
For Endicott, pitching has been their biggest strength this season with a combined 2.17 ERA. Leading the Gulls in the circle is Jaylin Cuoto, who ranks third in the CCC in total strikeouts (97) alongside an 11-6 overall record, including 10 complete games and three shutouts. Also in the mix is freshman Kristen Beebe, who has gone 8-5 overall with five complete games, four shut outs and a 1.83 ERA.
Junior infielder Chloe Shapleigh leads the offensive charge as the owner of a team-leading .340 batting average, along with a stat line of 34 hits, including eight home runs, 28 RBI and 23 runs scored.
Game time is set for 2:00 PM at the Endicott College Softball Complex in Beverly, Massachusetts. Links to live coverage can be found on the softball schedule page, while an updated tournament bracket is available for viewing here.
