Softball Prepares for Seattle NCAA Regional

Regional Central | Watch | Listen | Live Stats

Bronx, N.Y. – The 2019 Atlantic 10 Co-Champion Fordham softball team (29-24, 16-6 A-10) have advanced to a seventh consecutive NCAA Regional and begin play against #2/2 Washington (45-7, 20-4 Pac-12) on Friday night at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN3.  
 
For all pertinent information related to the entire weekend, see the 'Regional Central' link above. In addition to the ESPN broadcast, fans can also listen to a stream of the game via WFUVSports.org with Emmanuel Berbari.
 
Inouye Named A-10 Coach of the Year, Aughinbaugh Named Pitcher of the Year
First-year head coach Melissa Inouye was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year by her peers for leading the Rams to their sixth-ever regular season title with a 16-6 league record and a 29-24 overall record. Aughinbaugh continued her career trajectory going from All-Rookie to Second Team selection to being named the conference's Pitcher of the Year and a First Team member this season. In addition to them, senior Jordy Storm was named to the First Team, as well, Maria Trivelpiece earned Second Team distinction and All-Academic honors, and freshmen Makenzie McGrath and Sarah Taffet were named to the All-Rookie squad. All of the awards were career firsts for the respective players. Read more about it here.  
 
Storm, Aughinbaugh Earn NFCA All-Region Accolades
More awards for the pair of upperclassmen as Jordy Storm was named Mid-Atlantic Second Team All-Region and Madie Aughinbaugh earned Third Team honors for a third straight year. Read more about their awards here.
 
Last Time Out
Fordham secured its seventh consecutive Atlantic 10 championship and NCAA berth in somewhat unfortunate circumstances this past weekend in Amherst. Inclement weather pushed Friday's third game, which pitted Fordham and Saint Joseph's in a rematch from Thursday's loss, back to Saturday morning. Teams are no longer allowed to play three games in one day and when Fordham defeated the Hawks and then the third-seeded Colonials, who had to that point remained the lone undefeated team, the winner-takes-all finale was set for Sunday at noon. Again the weather played a role and washed out the entire day. Fordham and George Washington were named co-champions and the Rams advanced to Regionals for a ninth time. Both teams were upset with the situation, wishing instead to earn the title on the field and celebrate traditionally instead of on a bus.
 
The Rams fell, 3-1, to Saint Joseph's in their first game, sending them to the elimination bracket and having to fight to defend their crown. Fordham started off well, with Molly Roark doubling home Chelsea Skrepenak, but Ashley Ventura kept the Rams off the board the rest of the way while the Hawks chipped away with an RBI infield single in the fourth and a pair of runs in the seventh to steal the contest. That set up a meeting between the top two seeds in Friday's first elimination game. It was all Fordham from the jump, though, as the Rams began their two-day tear through the tournament. Fordham scored twice in each of the first two innings, with Jordy Storm's two-out, two-run single on a full count proving to be all the support Madie Aughinbaugh would need as the team coasted to an 8-2 win, eliminating the hosts in the process.
 
The following day, Aughinbaugh cruised through five scoreless innings while the offense got revenge against Venture, scoring five runs off the senior with the most damage coming in a four-run fifth frame. Aughinbaugh helped her own cause with an RBI single to center to score Skrepenak in the first inning. Storm delivered the big blow of the fifth with a two-run triple before Roark drove her in with a single and Kylie Michael delivered a RBI fielder's choice with the bases loaded. Although the Hawks scored two in the sixth, Fordham responded with five runs in the bottom of the frame to end the game, 10-2. Skrepenak tripled in Deanna Burbridge before Roark blasted a two-run home run. Maria Trivelpiece doubled in Aughinbaugh and Julia Martine drove her in with a single.
               
George Washington, who hadn't played in a full day, jumped on Aughinbaugh for a pair of runs in the first as the senior battled some control issues, walking in a run with the bases loaded and an RBI single. Aughinbaugh settled down after that, though, and held the Colonials off the board the rest of the way. Trivelpiece came through with a clutch two-out RBI single to cut the deficit in half in the first and smart baserunning by Aughinbaugh after reaching on a bunt single, seeing second base unoccupied and taking off, forcing a throw to second and allowing Gigi Speer, who was pinch-running for Roark, to score and tie the game. Roark had the big blow of the contest with her second two-run home run of the day to put Fordham ahead for good.
 
Four Rams Named to A-10 All-Championship Team, Aughinbaugh Named MOP
Aughinbaugh rightfully earned her second conseutive Most Outstanding Player honors by leading the Championship in both hitting and pitching. The junior went the distance in all four of her starts, recording a 3-1 record and a 2.07 ERA. At the plate, Aughinbaugh slashed .692/.714/1.000 with a tournament-high nine hits in 13 at-bats. The Port Tobacco, Md. native drove in five teammates, scoring twice, and hitting a home run and a double, while notching one walk and stolen base, as well. Also repeating as a member of the team was Chelsea Skrepenak, who scored nine times in four games, four more than the next player, and hit .571 with eight hits and a walk, also stealing three bases. Joining the two were two more seniors - Molly Roark and Jordy Storm. Roark powered the Rams ahead with three doubles, two home runs, and a tournament-high seven RBIs, slugging 1.154 over three days. Storm hit .333 and drove in five runs.
 
Series Histories
Washington - The two schools met just once before, at the 2011 Cathedral City Classic on February 24 of that year. The Huskies, ranked #7/9 in the country at the time, won, 2-0.
 
Mississippi State - The Bulldogs hold a 2-1 record since 2008. Then ranked 21st in the country, State defeated Fordham, 6-5, in eight innings in Starkville and, 8-0, in 2013 on neutral ground. Two years ago, however, the Rams defeated the Bulldogs, 9-3, in an elimination game at the Salt Lake City Regional. Madie Aughinbaugh got the win in that game, dancing around 13 hits and a walk to allow just three runs, two earned, over seven frames. The Bulldogs scored once in the first and twice in the sixth to stave off a run-rule loss. Chelsea Skrepenak's RBI single in the third proved to be the difference in the game. She finished 2-for-4, while Aughinbaugh went 1-for-3 with a walk, RBI, and run scored. None of the three Mississippi State pitchers Fordham faced in that game are still with the team.
 
Seattle - The two schools met for the first time earlier this season as the Redhawks won, 11-3, in five innings. Aughinbaugh struggled to start the contest, allowing six first-inning runs before leaving after the second inning, giving way to Makenzie McGrath, who allowed four runs over two innings. Aughinbaugh got the Rams on the board with a fourth-inning solo home run and both Maria Trivelpiece and Rachel Hubertus drove in a run later in the inning. The Rams saw Carley Nance, who leads the team with a 17-8 record and 1.97 ERA, and Andie Larkins, who is 13-3 with a 2.57 ERA.
 
NCAA Ranks
Nationally, the Rams rank 24^th in average (.312), 45^th with 5.36 runs per game, 45^th with a .470 slugging percentage, 48^th with 0.98 home runs per game, 78^th with a .370 on-base percentage, and 94^th with a 1.90 strikeout-to-walk ratio. On the players side, Molly Roark's 0.30 home runs per game sits 37^th nationally, while her 16 total home runs rank 33^rd. She is also 77^th with 0.94 RBIs per contest. Madie Aughinbaugh's typically stingy performances have led to a 1.41 walks per seven innings rate, ranked 51^st overall, while her 3.48 strikeout/walk ratio ranks 78^th. She's also 105^th with 139 strikeouts and at the plate is one of the tougher outs for opposing pitchers, ranked 122^nd overall with a strikeout every 15.7 at-bats. With nine runs scored over four games last weekend, Chelsea Skrepenak moved from 106^th to 43^rd in the country with 0.96 runs scored per game.
 
Program Ranks
The Rams' hot-hitting ways over the last month-plus have vaulted them atop the single-season record book for batting average, currently besting the 2017 squad by .002 with a .312 cumulative average. Fordham is currently fifth with a .372 on-base percentage and fourth with a .470 slugging percentage, as well. Junior tri-captain Madie Aughinbaugh continues her climb up the all-time pitching ranks. With four starts during the A-10 Championship the Port Tobacco, Md. native has moved into a tie for third all-time with 51 wins, third with 50 complete games, sixth with 103 appearances, fifth with 325 strikeouts, and seventh with a career 2.53 ERA, while remaining in fifth with 495.1 innings pitched and fifth with 78 starts. Chelsea Skrepenak is now up to seventh all-time with 142 runs scored and solo seventh with 37 career stolen bases, moving past Jamie Chastain ('03) and Allison Twarowski ('08). Molly Roark's two two-run blasts put her in a tie for third in a single season with 16 round-trippers on the season. Check out the softball record book HERE.
 
Reaching .500
When former head coach Bridget Orchard inherited the Fordham softball team, the program had 178 wins over 17 seasons. After a 14-win opening campaign, Orchard's Rams won at least 32 games every year for 16 season and continued to inch towards an overall .500 record as a program. Orchard departed for Villanova last year, though, with the win percentage at .497. Under Melissa Inouye the Rams have flirted with it but didn't reach the plateau until last Saturday's win over George Washington. Fordham's record is currently 831-832-4 since 1985.
 
Aughinbaugh Named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week
The junior has four Pitcher of the Week honors to her name in her career but she earned her first Player of the Week award with a terrific two-way performance. Read about her week here.
 
Four More Weekly Honors
Aughinbaugh also earned A-10 Pitcher of the Week honors earlier this season, while three others earned their first career Player of the Week accolades with excellent weeks – Rachel Hubertus, Jordy Storm, and, most recently, Kylie Michael. Click
 
Fordham Picked to Finish Second in Preseason Coaches' Poll
For the first time in seven years, the Rams were not been predicted by the league's coaches to finish atop the A-10 standings. Instead, Fordham was picked to finish in a tie with Dayton for second. Read more about the annul preseason poll here.
 
Fordham Softball Archived Stories
Read up on Fordham's offseason turnover, season previews, game previews and recaps. Read all of the team's archived stories from this season and beyond, here.
 
Fordham Quick Facts
You can find this season's full schedule, roster, and quick facts, plus last year's season statistics, all here.
 
Up Next
Like the A-10 Championship, NCAA Regionals are double elimination. The winners of Friday's contests will face off in the first game of the day on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, while the losers will meet immediately afterwards. The third game on Saturday will be between the loser of the former and the winner of the latter.
 
Continue to keep up to date with the program on social media: @FordhamSoftball on Twitter and Instagram, and here at FordhamSports.com!