Championship Central
Championship Bracket
 
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The Hartford softball team begins the quest for its first-ever America East Softball Championship on Wednesday. The fifth-seeded Hawks begin postseason action with a first-round game against No. 4 UMBC on Wednesday, May 8, at 11 a.m.
 
For the first time in program history, Hartford was selected to serve as the host team for the entire 2019 America East Championship. 
 
The six-team, double-elimination tournament will feature a winner's bracket and a loser's bracket, with the sole survivor from each side advancing to the title game on Saturday, May 11 at 12 p.m. If necessary, the second game will be played at 2:30 p.m.
 
FIRST PITCH

• Hartford punched its ticket to the 2019 America East Championship by defeating UMBC, 6-3, last Saturday in Baltimore
• The Hawks are coming off their most successful regular-season slate since 2013, posting 20 victories while finishing 6-12 in conference play
• Sophomore Danielle Rocheleau had a record-breaking campaign, breaking the Hawks' single-season records in hits (66), RBI (35) and total bases (97)
• She ranks second in the America East with a .426 batting average, while her 66 hits are tied for first
• Classmate Nicolette Barranger has also re-written the record book, tallying a program-best seven triples this season to rank first in the conference
• Freshman Julianna Kocenski has been Hartford's top pitcher, as she leads the team with 82 strikeouts in 179.2 innings

 
HAWKS IN THE POSTSEASON

• The Hawks are making their first trip to the conference tournament since 2017
• In four postseason appearances, Hartford is 4-9, with its last win coming in the first game of the 2017 America East Championship against No. 3 Stony Brook
• The Hawks and Retrievers meet for the fourth time in the postseason, with UMBC winning all three games
• Against other qualifying teams, Hartford is 0-1 against Binghamton, 1-1 against UAlbany, 1-2 against Stony Brook 

 
CONFERENCE WRAP

• Rocheleau led the Hawks in conference play, batting .316 with 18 hits, eight runs and eight RBI
• Posting a 6-12 record in America East play, Hartford had its most successful conference slate since 2013, when the team went 10-8
• During the regular season, the Hawks won two conference series, going 2-1 against both Binghamton and Maine, while also posting wins Stony Brook, UMBC