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Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College softball team will open the 2022 season at the ECU Pirate Clash, hosted by East Carolina University, this weekend.
The ECU Pirate Clash
Wagner will take on Colgate in the season-opener on Friday, before taking on Rutgers on Friday and Saturday. Wagner will play consecutive games against ECU on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning to close out the tournament.
The Returners
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach
Lindsey Ubrun, six Seahawks who played in 20 or more games last season return this season, including last year's Northeast Conference (NEC) All-Rookie Team selection
Keaghan Ward and last year's leading pitcher
Eve Harvey.
Ward, a mainstay at second base in her first year at Grymes Hill, concluded the year with a .333 average, 18 RBIs, four doubles, and one home run, while leading all first-year Seahawks in every major statistical category.
In 2021, Harvey led the Seahawks with six wins in the pitching circle while pitching a team-high 109.2 innings and leading the team in every major statistical category, including a 2.87 ERA on the season.
The 2021 season marked the first time since 2017 that Wagner has had at least three players on All-NEC teams, as Wagner will look to replace All-NEC selections
Zoe Bender and
Amelia Van Orman.
Wagner's senior class is comprised of Harvey,
Penelope Russ,
Kayla Hooks,
Nora Conway,
Mackenzie Vogler,
Makenzie Miller,
Natalie Del Ponte, and
Breanna Thompson.
The Newcomers
Wagner's 2022 roster will feature four newcomers in catcher
Madi Silber, pitcher
Katheryn Hastings, as well as infielders
Justine Carranza and
Kate Wolf.
Season-Opener Magic
The last time Wagner competed at the ECU Pirate Clash, the Green and White opened the season in style with a 1-0 victory over Big 10 member Purdue in the Seahawks' season opener in 2019.
Amelia Van Orman earned the start in the circle and turned in a gem, allowing just four hits while giving up one walk and striking out one batter in a complete game victory.
The Staff
Coach Ubrun added a new member to the coaching staff for the 2022 season in
Amanda Beltran.
A native of Orange County, California, Beltran was an accomplished catcher at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. A four-year starter for the Mocs under coach Frank Reed, Beltran started in all fifty-four contests during the 2019 season in which the Mocs finished with a 37-17 record and won the Southern Conference Championship. In the championship game against the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Beltran hit a grand slam in the first inning. During her senior season in 2019, she batted .309 while setting career highs in home runs (12), RBIs (43), hits (47), and runs (20).
The Schedule
Following this weekend's action Wagner will play in tournaments at Hampton and Norfolk State (2/25 - 2/27), as well as UC Santa Barbara in California (3/4 - 3/6) in February and March.
The Seahawks' first game back in New York will take place on March 9 at Fordham.
Northeast Conference (NEC) play will start on March 26, when the Seahawks travel to Mount St. Mary's, followed by Wagner's home opener against Saint Peter's on March 29.
All NEC matchups will follow a new three-game format, with a doubleheader on day one and a single game on day two of the series.
