Brockport, NY- The Brockport softball team will make its long-awaited return to action to begin SUNYAC play this weekend. The Golden Eagles will matchup against Oneonta in doubleheader on Friday, April 7^th, starting at 3 pm before going to battle New Paltz for a pair of games on Saturday at 12pm.
 
Last Time Out: The Golden Eagles' last matchup came at the conclusion of the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic, which resulted in a 6-2 loss to New York University.
NYU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first and never looked back as the Brockport offense was unable to respond. Sophomore Fiona Gibiser produced a solid outing in the circle, going all seven innings on 109 pitches and allowing just one earned run in a losing effort. RF Emma DeJesus was the lone Golden Eagle with multiple hits in the contest. The Green and Gold moved to 3-9 overall following the trip to Florida.
 
Standout Freshman: 2B Riley Barrett has made an instant impact for the Golden Eagles to begin the 2023 season. The Syracuse native has been Brockport's most constant offensive threat, holding the team leads in batting average (.429), hits (15), OB% (.474), and OPS (.903), among others. Barrett has also recorded three games with 3 hits, coming against Pitt-Bradford, West Conn, and Rutgers-Newark. The team's leadoff batter has also scored eight runs and stolen five bases which are both second for the Green and Gold.
 
Pitching Highlights: Sophmore Fiona Gibiser has emerged as the workhorse of the Brockport rotation. Gibiser leads the Golden Eagles in innings pitched (40.2) over double the innings of the next closest Golden Eagle and has gone the distance in 5 of her first 6 starts. Junior Roseland Stroh has also been sharp in limited action to begin the season, holding opposing batters to just a .171 batting average and striking out 6 across 10.1 innings of work.
 
Threats in the Lineup: Kellie Gentile has been a staple in the heart of the batting order so far this year and is the only player to start in all 12 games. Gentile is currently hitting .368 and leads the team with nine RBIs, 10 runs scored, and is 9-for-9 on stolen bases. Jodie Burdick is second on the team with eight RBIs and is batting .333. Amanda Blakely has an outstanding .409 average at the plate and leads the team with a .480 on base percentage. Emma DeJesus has 10 hits and a .385 average, while Olivia Hayden is batting .324 on the way to 11 hits so far.
 
Scouting Oneonta: The Red Dragons hold a record of 6-11-1 and most recently took down RPI on the road 5-3 in six innings. Oneonta has been led by senior Marissa Nagel who currently ranks first on the team in RBIs (10), total bases (26), and hits (17). In the last meeting between these two teams, Brockport split a doubleheader, losing the first game 9-2 before rebounding with a 6-5 win.   

Scouting New Paltz: The New Paltz Hawks enter the weekend at 9-9 overall, as they open conference play on Friday against Geneseo. The squad is looking to bounce back after losing four in a row against non-conference opponents. #17 Jillian Shelbourne leads New Paltz with a .471 average, while #3 Jackie Rometo is batting .453 with team-highs in hits (29) and RBIs (14). New Paltz swept Brockport in the doubleheader last season, with wins of 9-1 and 5-1.
 
Up next: Following a busy week of action, the Golden Eagles will take on the Yellowjackets of the University of Rochester on Wednesday, April 12^th. This non-conference doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 3pm.