Softball Claims Top-Two Seed in CCC Tournament; Will Host Opening Round Saturday

QUINCY, Mass.- For the first time in program history, the Eastern Nazarene College softball team has earned a top-two seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament. The Lions will host opening-round action April 28 at Mitchell/McCoy Field.

BASICS:
Date: 04/28/18
Location: Mitchell/McCoy Field | Quincy, Mass.
Game Times: Western New England vs. Curry/Nichols – 3pm | Eastern Nazarene vs. Winner – 30 minutes after completion.

FOLLOW THE ACTION:
Live Stats | Live Video | CCC Interactive Bracket

HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Eastern Nazarene posted the program's best-ever league record with a 13-5 mark to capture the No. 2 seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament. Western New England earned the No. 3 seed while Curry and Nichols will face off in the #6 vs. #7 play-in game.

CCC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
The Lions have qualified for the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament for the 10th time in program history. Eastern Nazarene is returning to the postseason for the first time since 2016. The Lions' last CCC Tournament appearance saw Eastern Nazarene edge Nichols 7-4 in 10 innings on a walk-off homer by Lauren Clements. The Lions went on to the double-elimination phase of the CCC Tournament and fell to Salve Regina and Roger Williams.

26 WINS LATER:
Eastern Nazarene has won a program-record 26 wins this season, marking the first-ever 20-victory season in program history. The Lions strung together a season-long 10-win winning-streak earlier in the year with victories over Curry, Wentworth, Nichols, Lasell, and Gordon. Eastern Nazarene sports a 7-1 record at home and a 14-4 mark in road contests this season.

BOMB SQUAD:
Eastern Nazarene paces the Commonwealth Coast Conference with 22 home runs this spring. Lauren Clements leads the league with eight homers while Lauren Weidler has belted six this season. Seven different Lions have gone yard this year as Dominique Santos, Kori Bow, Rebecca Ashman, Kayleen Garrick, and Elisabeth Schaffer have all knocked one out of the park.

"K"THXBYE:
Sophomore pitcher Elisabeth Schaffer ranks third nationally with 187 strikeouts this year. She also ranks ninth in NCAA Division III with 10.2 strikeouts-per-seven-innings. Schaffer has racked up 327 career strikeouts in 46 games played.

BISHOP BECOMES ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH:
Third-year head coach Dani Bishop became the program's all-time winningest coach on April 17, 2018 with a pair of victories at Brandeis. Bishop passed Joseph Cotton who compiled a record of 53-69-1 in seven seasons with the Crusaders from 1987-93. Entering the weekend, Bishop owns a career record of 63-53.