WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The No. 6 nationally-ranked Eastern Connecticut State University softball team faces Brandeis University Friday at 2 p.m. in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA Division III Tournament in the six-team Bangor, ME Regional hosted by Husson University this weekend at O'Keefe Field.

In Friday's first game, top-seeded Husson University (27-1) hosts sixth-seeded Endicott College (19-2) at 10 a.m., with second-seeded Babson College (15-1) facing fifth-seeded Tufts University (17-5) at noon, and fourth-seeded Eastern (30-2)

meeting third-seeded Brandeis (13-1) in Game 3.

A first-round win in the double-elimination tournament moves Eastern into a winners' bracket game Saturday at noon against the winner of the Babson-Tufts game. With a first-round loss, the Warriors face elimination and would play Saturday at 10 a.m. against the winner of the Husson-Endicott game. The tournament final is scheduled for Sunday.

A total of 48 teams were named to the 2021 NCAA field, with eight regional tournaments of six teams each being conducted this week. In addition to 41 automatic bids, six teams were selected on an at-large basis from automatic-qualifying conferences and one was chosen as a Pool B entrant for institutions which are independent or who play in a conference that does not receive an automatic berth.

The eight-team, double-elimination national tournament is scheduled May 27-June 1 at Moyer Park at Salem, VA.

Eastern and Brandeis are meeting for the seventh time – the Warriors leading the series, 5-1 – but for only the second time in NCAA tournament play. In 2010, Eastern posted a 7-0 victory over the Judges in the third round of the New England Regional Tournament at Wellesley College en route to four straight tournament wins and a national tournament berth.

Brandeis filled the only Pool B slot available. The Judges carried an undefeated record into the sixth inning of their regular-season finale before Tufts scored six runs as the teams split a May 2 doubleheader at Medford, MA. Eastern and Brandeis did not play any common opponents this year.

Brandeis features four NFCA All-New England Region players on its roster in first-team junior pitcher Sydney Goldman and first-team freshman third baseman Haley Nash, second-team senior centerfielder Melissa Rothenberg and third-team freshman utility/pitcher Alex Cohen. In the third round of the 2019 NCAA Ithaca, NY Regional, Goldman pitched a complete-game three-hitter for second-seeded Brandeis over Penn State-Berks, but the championship round was cancelled due to rain as top-seeded Ithaca advanced.

Brandeis is appearing in the NCAA tournament for the third time (second straight). Tufts is making its 19^th appearance (third straight), Endicott its 12^th (second straight), Husson its tenth (third straight), and Babson its fifth (first since 2017).

In NCAA regional play, Eastern is 2-1 all-time against both Husson and Tufts, defeating the Jumbos twice on their home field in the 2019 regional to advance to the Super Regional.

In the last NCAA New England Regional poll released prior to conference play, Husson was first, Brandeis second, Babson third, Tufts fourth, Eastern fifth and Endicott 12^th. Eastern is the only team in the regional ranked in the Top 25, although Tufts received votes in the most recent poll.

Second-seeded Eastern (30-2) won its sixth Little East Conference championship in 11 years Saturday by sweeping top seed University of Southern Maine at Gorham, ME, 8-4, 7-0 to earn the conference's automatic bid. The Warriors opened in LEC tournament play earlier in the week by winning their pod at home with a 3-1 win over third-seeded Plymouth State University and a 4-2 victory over sixth-seeded Keene State College. Southern Maine was named to the NCAA tournament as an at-large selection.

The Keene victory gave Eastern its second-best start after 30 games in program history, one game off the pace of the 2012 team which won a record 44 games against three losses and reached the regional championship game.
 

A former four-time NCAA national champion, Eastern won 30 games in a season for the 15^th time this year and is competing in the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in the last 13 years (excluding 2020), winning regional crowns in 2010 and 2011 and 2019 and advancing to national tournaments.  In their first season competing in a Super Regional, the Warriors swept Rowan University and went on to a national third-place finish in 2019.

 Eastern features six NFCA first-team All-New England Region players and one second-teamer and the Little East Player-of-the-Year in junior first baseman/pitcher Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange) and LEC Pitcher-of-the-Year in first-year junior right-handed transfer Carley Stoker (Sandy Creek, NY).

Joining that duo as first-team all-region players are senior captain and catcher Megan Hodgdon (Cheshire), junior first baseman Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven), senior rightfielder Alexis Tyrrell (Torrington) and graduate centerfielder Cassie Woods (Mystic). Junior third baseman Carolyn Biel (Wallingford) was a third-team all-region pick.

As a team, Eastern has set a program record with 39 home runs and is one shy of the doubles record of 85. The Warriors are third nationally in batting average (.411), tied for sixth in home runs and seventh in runs per game (8.88). Matyasovsky is tied for eighth nationally in home runs (13) and sixth in slugging (.953) and Woods is tenth nationally in on-base percentage (.620). Stoker (15-0) has the second-most wins in Division III among unbeaten pitchers.

Sophomore utility player Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, Ont.) was named MVP of the Little East Tournament after missing the first half of the season rehabilitating her knee following ACL surgery. In her third career pitching appearance (first start), the right-hander shut out Southern Maine on four hits in the title game for her first career win. As a DP, Vilchez also had four hits and two sacrifice bunts in the tournament.

In two starts against USM after coming off the bench in both pod games, junior leftfielder Laura Zenk (Hermon, ME) had five hits, three RBI and scored twice batting ninth in the order– tying the program record with two triples in the 8-4 win over Southern Maine. Matyasovsky and Tyrrell had five hits in four LEC tournament games, Tyrrell doubling three times and tripling. Stoker was 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in 14 innings and Matyasovsky had a win and save in seven innings of relief.

Batting leadoff, Woods had reached base in her first 22 games and had a 18-game hitting streak before going 0-for-4 in the first game against but responded with two hits and two RBI in the championship game. SanGiovanni had reached in 21 straight games during the season and Tyrrell 17 straight with an 11-game hitting streak.
 
Woods is batting .551 with 43 runs and eight stolen bases; Tyrrell .481 with 50 hits, 41 runs, 33 RBI, 78 total bases and 19 stolen bases; SanGiovanni .474 with 55 total bases and a career-record 29 hit-by-pitch; Matyasovsky .462 with 101 total bases, 13 doubles, 44 RBI and a .953 slugging percentage; and Stoker .368 with 72 total bases, 41 RBI and team-high 15 walks.
 
With Goldman (7-0, 0.64 ERA, 74 strikeouts in 44 innings) and Cohen (3-1, 1.27 in 22 innings), Brandeis has a 0.79 staff ERA with 108 strikeouts and only 20 walks in 89 innings. Cohen leads the team with a .426 batting average on 39 at-bats, while Nash is batting .342 with five home runs and Rothenberg .341 with three home runs. The Judges are batting .313 with 45 extra-base hits.
 
In addition to a 15-0 record and two saves and a 2.24 ERA, Stoker has struck out 103 batters in 103 1/3 innings with 12 complete games in 17 starts and six shutouts; Matyasovsky is 14-2 with a 1.95 ERA in 86 1/3 innings over 19 appearances
 
Matyasovsky brings 99 career hits into the tournament while Woods has 97 collegiate hits, which include 54 in three seasons at Keene State.
 
   
Seeds

1. Husson U. (27-1); 2. Babson College (15-1); 3. Brandeis U. (13-1); 4. EASTERN CONN. (30-2); 5. Tufts U. (17-5); 6. Endicott College (19-2).

 
Friday, May 21
 
Game 1: Husson U. vs. Endicott College, 10 a.m.
Game 2: Babson College vs. Tufts U., noon
Game 3: EASTERN CONN. vs. Brandeis U., 2 p.m.
 
Saturday, May 22

Game 4:  Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 10 a.m.
Game 5:  Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, noon
Game 6:  Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 4 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 23
 
TBA