Siena softball going to first NCAA tournament regional

LOUDONVILLE, NY (NEWS10) -- After capturing its first-ever conference championship, Siena Softball is two-stepping into the NCAA Tournament. The 2024 MAAC Champions are headed to the NCAA Austin Regional at Red & Charline McCombs Field in Austin, Texas where they will compete against #1 Texas, #23 Northwestern, and Saint Francis (PA) Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17.

The Saints heard their name called nice and early during the 2024 NCAA Softball Selection Show on ESPN2 Sunday evening as part of a special selection show party held inside the Turchi Theater on campus.

The NCAA Austin Regional will feature four teams of 64 total qualifying teams for the 2024 NCAA Softball Tournament in a double-elimination format. Siena will take on the top-ranked Longhorns on Friday, May 15 at 4 PM EST (3 PM CST), with the winner facing off against the winner of the Northwestern-Saint Francis (PA) matchup, and the loser playing in an elimination game the following day.

The Green and Gold will take the field in the state of Texas for the first time since 2013 and will face off against (at least one) nationally-ranked opponent for just the third time ever and the first time since 2015. The Saints will also be the first Siena sport to face off against a team ranked #1 nationally in head-to-head competition since Men’s Lacrosse faced top-ranked Syracuse in 2014.

At 33-20 on the season and already in sole possession of the winningest season in program history, Siena will look to become the fifth different MAAC team to win at least one national postseason contest, including the first since 2008, and the third different unique program besides Canisius and Niagara. MAAC teams are 7-60 all-time in the NCAA Regionals or Play-in Series.

Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Casey Bump, the Saints won their first-ever MAAC Championship by winning four games in four days as the No. 6 seed in the 2024 MAAC Softball Championship in Poughkeepsie, New York this past week. Following a 5-1 Opening Round win over No. 3 Rider, the team defeated No. 2 Niagara, 3-2 to advance to Friday’s winner’s bracket final, where they took down No. 4 Canisius, 8-4. The two teams met in a tense back-and-forth affair in Saturday’s MAAC Championship Game, which ended with Siena taking a 7-6 victory to secure the title. Redshirt sophomore pitcher Allisa Eimont was named the 2024 MAAC Championship MVP, while senior Isabella Pardo, senior Mikala Fletcher, junior McKenzie Swinson, and sophomore Emma Petersen were named to the MAAC All-Championship Team.

The Saints are 1-3 all-time against its fellow Austin Regional participants, with all four prior matchups coming against NEC foe Saint Francis (PA). This includes two meetings this season, with the Red Flash taking 4-1 and 4-3 wins over Siena at the CSU Kickoff back in February in South Carolina. Coincidentally, SFU is the only team in the 64-squad field that Siena faced during the regular season.

Siena Softball is the department’s second program (Men’s Golf) to capture a team conference title this season, while Siena Cross Country & Track won five individual MAAC Championships as well.