MERCYHURST (9-31, 8-13 NEC) at LIU (20-30, 18-3 NEC)
Saturday, May 2 – 1/3 p.m.  
Sunday, May 3 – 12 p.m.
Brooklyn, N.Y. 
TV: NEC Front Row 
 
Mercyhurst softball is set to play their final series of the year as they travel to Long Island for the first time. The Sharks are currently tied for first place with CCSU in the NEC standings. The Lakers are three games behind fourth place Le Moyne. However, they are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention due to their head-to-head record with the Dolphins. 
 
The first two games between MU and LIU will take place at 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 2. The series finale will take place at noon the following day. Viewers can find live coverage on the NEC Front Row. 
 
Past Week on the Diamond
This past Saturday, the Mercyhurst hosted Le Moyne for their final home series. In the first game, Gabriella DeLuca homered to give the team an early lead, the Dolphins came back, and then the Lakers walked them off in the bottom of the seventh. This secured a 6-5 win. The doubleheader the following day both went Le Moyne's way, but they were close games. In the final game, DeLuca recorded an RBI and held the Dolphins to just three runs. Avarie Mays hit a home run, but they lost the game, 3-2. 
 
Tuesday's doubleheader at Niagara was flexed to Monday, so the Lakers finished their extended weekend playing five games in three days. In game one, DeLuca homered again, but the Purple Eagles pulled away, 6-3. The second game featured another RBI from DeLuca and a homer from Mays, but they fell again, 3-2. 
 
16-Run Riot
The last time Mercyhurst put up 16 runs in a game was in a win vs. UPJ in 2024. They achieved that feat twice in five days vs. the likes of SFU and FDU in early April. In the SFU game, MU beat them 16-5 in game one where they tallied some impressive stat lines. In terms of NEC highs (at the time), the Lakers had 35 total bases (1st), five home runs (2nd), and 16 runs (5th). Individually, Jazlynn Sanders' two home runs were tied for the most in one game and Braylynn Kelly's four hits were second highest. The Red Flash won game two and the Lakers won game three. 
 
LIU/MU Matchup Insights
Mercyhurst is 0-3 vs. LIU all time. The first and only series between these two occurred last season, as the Lakers had just jumped to Division I. The series took place in Erie, and he first two games were close. In game one, Lauren Henrich hit a home run in a 5-2 defeat. In the second game, it was tied 1-1 before extra innings. Prior to this point, Shailene Riemedio scored the only run. The Sharks put up three unanswered runs in the top of the eighth to win the game, 4-1. Game three was one-sided, as LIU won 18-3 in five innings. Mackenzie Gillis recorded a three-run home run in this contest. 
 
DeLuca Delivers
Gabby DeLuca has made waves in her rookie season. She is among the best players in the NEC standings right now. In the circle, she holds a 5-6 record, an ERA of 5.61 (13th in NEC), and a .311 opposing batting average (ninth in NEC). Also in the conference, she is allowing the fifth-fewest hits (83), the fourth-fewest runs (57), and the ninth-fewest earned runs (50). 
 
DeLuca had an incredible performance vs. SFU in early April. She pitched a complete game with four strikeouts and two earned runs. In the same game, she hit a SAC fly and a three-run home run to secure a 4-2 win for the Lakers. A few days later, she recorded six RBIs in a 16-2 win vs. FDU. 
 
Her 35 RBIs lead the team and are currently fourth in the NEC. There are currently just six players in the NEC with an OPS above 1.000, and DeLuca is one of them (1.097). Her eight homers on the year are fifth in the conference. Additionally, her .373 batting average leads the team and is sixth in the NEC.
 
Bray K, Few K's
Kelly has been one of the most consistent hitters for Mercyhurst. In 86 at bats, the Whittaker, Michigan native has 38 total bases, 31 hits, 16 runs, 15 RBIs, a batting average of .360, an OPS of .863, and a slugging percentage of .442. She is 11 for 13 on stolen base attempts. Notably, Kelly hit a three-run blast in an 8-6 win at CCSU. This was the first home run of her career. Her batting average is tied for first on the team and tied for fifth in the entire NEC.  
 
Prime Performers
So far, Sanders (2x), DeLuca (4x), and Karlie Kasten (2x) have earned NEC weekly awards.  
 
DeLuca had a stellar weekend in S.C that began her collegiate career in style. In this tournament, the Erie native had a .333 batting average, two runs, two RBIs, three hits, and a two-run moon shot in just nine at bats. She then was named the NEC Rookie of the Week and a Prime Performer for her tremendous week vs. SFU and FDU. Most recently, she earned her third Prime Performer award for recording eight RBIs, six hits, four doubles, two runs, and two home runs in 13 at bats. In one of those games, she recorded six RBIs in a 10-5 win vs. New Haven. 
 
Sanders earned her first Prime Performer award from the Hawaii tournament. Sanders had five hits, five RBIs, and she went yard in one of the games vs. Hawaii. Her second award came after the Stonehill series, where she tallied four hits and four RBIs. This included a go-ahead three-run home run in a 5-3 win in game one. 
 
Kasten, in four games and 13 at-bats vs. RMU, had nine hits, two RBIs, two stolen bases, one double, one run, total batting average of .377. She also recorded a fielding percentage of 1.000 and made seven catches from center field. Her best game of this four-game series was in game two, where she went four-for-four. She then had a big week from the plate vs. SFU and FDU. In 24 at bats, Kasten recorded 10 hits, nine runs, and four RBIs. 
 
LIU Report Card

• The Sharks are 20-30 on the season and 18-3 in conference play. They are second in the conference behind CCSU. The two sides have the same NEC record and are separated by a narrow head-to-head record from the Blue Devils winning their series in April. 
• They actually began their season with 21-straight, nonconference losses. 
• On March 8, LIU played Bellarmine in the Cardinal Classic in Louisville. They put up two runs in the bottom of the sixth and won their first game of the season, 2-1. 
• To open conference play, the Sharks comfortably swept Le Moyne, Stonehill, and FDU in consecutive weeks. 
• They swept New Haven before losing their first conference game to Wagner, 6-0. They won the series, and then lost a thriller to Rutgers, 13-12. 
• Their biggest series was the CCSU series where they fell 7-2 and 6-0 before winning 12-4 in game three. This created the head-to-head separation in the NEC standings. 
• Most recently, LIU swept Saint Franics and beat a one-off game vs. St. Peters, 14-1. 
• Lily Hinkle leads the team with a .380 batting average and 60 hits, Nyae' Villalta leads the team with a 1.016 OPS, and Kaylee Clarkson has the most home runs (five). 
• Hinkle's batting average is fourth in the NEC and her 40 runs and 60 hits are first. 
• Villalta is one of just six batters in the NEC with an OPS above 1.000.
• In the circle, Sarah Wall (4.88) and Ava Fairbanks (4.98) both have an ERA below 5.00 and are both top-10 in the NEC. Wall has 82 strikeouts and Fairbanks has 74, both are top-five in the conference.