WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- Most teams still alive at this late point in the season are riding hot streaks, without which they would most likely not still be alive.

Third-seeded Eastern Connecticut State University (43-5) and sixth-seeded Trine University (32-11) from Angola, IN – who square off Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Division III national softball tournament at Salem, VA -- are no exception.

And while the teams began on the opposite ends of the winning spectrum at the beginning of the season, they have ended up at the same place – contending for a national championship.

The Warriors won their first four and 13 of their first 14 games, in the process returning from their Florida spring trip with a perfect 8-0 record for the first time ever. Trine, on the other hand, opened the season facing five of the top seven teams in the country at the NFCA Leadoff Classic and lost its first seven games of the year. The Thunder played their first 17 games on the road, but managed to steady the ship (8-9 record) by the time it opened at home in early April. Trine eventually reeled off 11 straight victories to move six games over .500 by mid-April, and is 32-4 since its 0-7 start, bringing a 17-game winning streak into Thursday's national tournament opener.

For its part, Eastern carried a 22-game winning streak into the second round of the Union, NJ Regional before losing for the first time since early April and has won 27 of its last 28.

A pair of sophomore right-handed pitchers -- Adrienne Rosey of Trine and Alexis Michon (Montville) -- could likely oppose one another Thursday in the fourth of four first-round games on the first day of the nationals. In Eastern's 6-3 regular-season win over Trine at the Leadoff Classic on March 6, Rosey did not pitch while Michon pitched the final two innings, striking out four without allowing a hit.

The two ace pitchers were both named their respective conference's Pitchers-of-the-Year and to their respective all-region teams as first-team selections. With a 23-1 record and 0.93 ERA, Michon went on to first-team NFCA All-America honors when that team was announced Tuesday. Michon and Rosey both rank among the national Top 10 in ERA and least hits allowed per seven innings. Michon is also in the Top 10 in wins and Rosey additionally in shutouts and strikeout-to walk ratio.

In addition to being sophomore aces, the two pitchers have another thing in common: both of these headline pitchers enjoy the benefit of depth on their respective staffs. Eastern, incredibly, features three Little East Conference Pitchers-of-the-Year on its staff. Senior Morgan Bolduk (Vernon) -- a 2019 All-America who almost single-handedly pitched the Warriors to the 2019 national tournament -- follows Michon with a 12-2 record and 0.74 ERA (fifth-best in the nation). Junior Alyssa Vilchez (Brampton, ON) is 4-0 with four saves and a 1.13 ERA and senior Carley Stoker (Sandy Creek, NY) is 4-2 with a 2.97 ERA. Michon is this year's LEC Pitcher-of-the-Year. Bolduk attained that honor in 2019 and Stoker, who has moved into the starting left field spot in this year's post season, was awarded that honor last year in her first season transferring from the Division I level. The 5-foot-9 inch Rosey (14-7, 0.99 ERA) gets help from fellow starter Anna Koeppl and reliever Lauren Clausen. Koeppl is 9-3 with a 2.49 ERA and Clausen is 5-0 with a 1.31 ERA. The pair have evenly split 128 innings behind Rosey's staff-leading 113.

The top four hitters in the veteran Eastern lineup – seven in all -- are seniors or graduate students. Seniors Julia SanGiovanni (East Haven) and Brooke Matyasovsky (Orange) were among the team's four All-America selections this year. They were joined on the first team by Michon and on the second team by graduate student Cassie Woods (Mystic), with Matyasovsky (first team) and Woods (second team) repeating those honors from a year ago.

Four players on this year's team – SanGiovanni, Matyasovsky, senior rightfielder Alexis Tyrrell (Torrington) and Bolduk were in the starting lineup in 2019 when Eastern lost twice by a run at the national tournament at Tyler, TX.

As a team, Eastern ranks among the national Top 10 in eight categories, Trine in five. The Warriors share the national lead with a program-record 22 shutouts and are third in fielding (.977), ERA (1.15) and hits (438). Trine's 18 shutouts rank in a tie for fifth nationally. The Thunder are also second in walks (174) and tied for sixth in fielding (.974).

The Warriors have set numerous individual and team records this year, with several others in danger of falling before the season ends. Woods, Matyasovsky and SanGiovanni hold down three of the top four spots in the order and have combined to average 63 hits, 103 total bases, 42 RBI and 39 runs. Woods is the national leader in hits (71) and Matyasovsky is second (by one) with 129 total bases. Surrounded by veterans, first-year shortstop Maggie Rubeck (East Hampton) has a .983 fielding average on 116 chances and first-year pinch-runner Maggie Baker (Hudson, MA) has stolen 27 consecutive bases (four short of the record).

Trine features seven All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) players, including Pitcher-of-the-Year Rosey and Player-of-the-Year Ellie Trine, a lefty-hitting junior centerfielder and leadoff hitter. Koeppl and Clausen were both second-team All-MIAA picks.

Rosey (first team) and Trine's Trine (second team) were named to the NFCA All-Region VII team, with Rosey being named Most Outstanding Player of the regionals and Most Outstanding Pitcher of the Super Regionals. Freshman second baseman Emma Beyer was selected Most Outstanding Player of the Super Regional after driving in three runs with a home run and sacrifice fly and scoring two runs in an opening 6-2 Super Regional win over Case Western Reserve. Rosey pitched a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and no walks in the opener against Case Western and saved the second game after Koeppl limited CWRU to three hits over the first four innings in the second game.

Eastern head coach Diana Pepin, who won her 500^th game this spring, is wrapping up her 21^st season in 2022, having led the Warriors to four national tournaments and seven Little East tournament titles in the last 12 seasons. As a player, she was a member of the most recent of the program's five national championship teams in 1990.

Nineteenth-year head coach Donnie Danklefsen has led the Thunder to 13 straight regional tournament appearances and to five regional and four Super Regional titles. Trine is 2-6 in three national tournament appearances. Like Eastern, Trine won two games in the 2019 national tournament at Tyler, TX, and shared third place with the Warriors.