The Hofstra University softball team’s quest to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023 begins on Thursday, May 7. The Pride earned the first seed in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) North Division, finishing the regular season with a 21-3 CAA record, earning a first-round bye. The Pride ran away with the North, as the second-best teams in the division, Drexel University and Stony Brook University, finished with an 11-13 record.
With the new postseason format, the top two teams in terms of conference record from both the North and South divisions automatically qualify for the CAA Tournament. The fifth and sixth seeds are picked based on the highest conference winning percentage, excluding the top two seeds in each division. The CAA Tournament is a double-elimination bracket, which allows a team to lose a game and still have a chance to be crowned CAA Champions.
UNC-Wilmington earned the second seed with an 18-6 CAA record. The Seahawks have the best hitter in the conference, Cassidy Relay, who is hitting at a .448 clip, and the best pitcher, Camille Hamilton, who is pitching to a sub-two ERA.
Campbell University, the third seed in tournament, was the only conference series loss the Pride suffered this season. The Fighting Camels finished the season with an 18-6 conference record but placed third due to the tiebreaker rules. Campbell has the best team batting average, at .327. The Camels freshman ace, Katelyn Hubley, has been spectacular in the circle this season, pitching to a 2.16 ERA. Hubley earned two wins against Hofstra this season, including a shutout.
Stony Brook earned the fourth seed thanks to a walk-off from Malorie Hill in the regular season finale against Drexel. The Seawolves and Dragons both finished the regular season with the same conference record, but the Seawolves won the series over Drexel, earning them a spot in the tournament. The Pride swept the Seawolves 6-0 this season.
The College of Charleston enters as the fifth seed after a 14-10 regular season campaign. The Cougars have two hot bats, Bronwyn Conroy and Leela Langston, who are hitting .381 and .382, respectively.
The South Division will send four schools to the tournament. Their final bid is the sixth-seeded Elon University, who won the CAA Tournament just last season. The Phoenix are .500 in CAA play, and as a team, hit .257 this regular season. Ana Dew ranks third in the CAA in innings pitched and has been a reliable arm all season for Elon, tossing to a 2.87 ERA.
The first-seeded Pride put on their best regular season since entering the CAA in 2002, under first-year head coach Susan Cassidy-Lyke. Hofstra can be expected to rely on the best one-two pitching punch in the conference – Emma Falen and Madison Steppe. Offensively, the Pride has been sound all season, with a one through nine who can explode at any opportunity. Lily Yepez has been integral in the Pride’s lineup, batting .412. Power isn’t a problem for the Pride either. Alanna Morse ranks second in the CAA in home runs this season with nine, and Ryleigh Smith is tied for ninth with seven. The long ball can certainly have an impact in the Pride’s tournament run, as they have launched 40 on the year.
As the Pride looks to earn their 14th CAA championship, their first opponent will be the winner of Stony Brook vs. Charleston on Thursday, May 7.
