WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University softball team (15-11, 7-3) is set to return to action this weekend for a pair of important PSAC East doubleheaders against Shepherd (10-12, 5-4) at home on Friday before visiting PSAC East leader Bloomsburg (15-5, 6-2) for an important doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Bloomsburg. Both doubleheaders are set to begin at 1 p.m.
West Chester vs Shepherd
Game Details: April 3 I 1 & 3 P.M.
Location: WCU Softball Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 27-19 (Since 2008)
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West Chester at Bloomsburg
Game Details: April 4 I 1 & 3 P.M.
Location: Jan M. Hutchinson Field (Bloomsburg, Pa.)
Series: 25-29 (Since 2004)
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Last Time Out
West Chester completed a six-game, three-day gauntlet with a record of 5-1, including sweeps of Mansfield and nationally-ranked foe Shippensburg before playing to a split at Kutztown on Tuesday afternoon. West Chester won two of its five games in five innings with a 12-1 win in the nightcap at Mansfield on Sunday before a 10-2 win at home against Shippensburg on Monday. West Chester outscored its opponents 41-17 during this stretch, led by
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin), who was 10-for-19 (.526) at the plate with a team-high 11 runs scored and eight RBI with three home runs and a double as part of her 10 hits.
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) also batted north of .400 on the week, batting .421 (8-for-19) with five RBI and a pair of runs scored, including a grand slam against Shippensburg on Monday afternoon.
In the circle, Ciliberto pitched a staff-high 17.1 innings in the six-game stretch with five appearances, all in relief, as she finished the week with a record of 2-1 with two saves and a 2.42 ERA with 11 strikeouts.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) went 1-0 in four starts with one complete game and a save in 14.2 innings. The freshman posted a staff-best 1.43 ERA and fanned 10 over the course of these six games.
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) went 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA and four strikeouts in 8.1 innings over the course of two starts.
Flock Talk
With her outstanding start to the week, Hopkins is now batting a team-best .409 (36-for-88) on the year with 14 extra-base hits, including nine doubles, four home runs, and a triple with 29 runs and 17 RBI. The senior captain has a team-best 1.165 OPS with a .670 slugging percentage and a .495 on-base percentage.
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) continues her breakout senior season, batting .391 (25-for-64) with 18 runs and 15 RBI with four doubles and a home run against Lock Haven to her credit.
Ceara O'Neal (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert), Ciliberto, and
Tess Kearney (Hatboro, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) are all batting north of .300 entering April at .388, .362, and .321, respectively. O'Neal is tied with Hopkins for the team lead in home runs with four after hitting three in a week earlier in March against Jefferson and Lock Haven.
In the circle, Ciliberto is a staff-best 8-6 with three complete games, two saves, and a shutout in 77.1 innings with 20 appearances (nine starts) in 2026. Ciliberto has struck out 40 batters this season and has a 3.17 ERA and a .305 batting average against, allowing 99 hits in those 77.1 innings of work. Strechay is 2-4 with a complete-game and a team-best four saves in 51.0 innings of work with 16 appearances and a staff-high 11 starts. The rookie has a team-best 2.88 ERA and a .277 batting average against with 28 strikeouts in her 51.0 innings of action. Tooley is 5-1 with a save and a 3.39 ERA in 43.1 innings of work. The sophomore holds opponents to a .244 batting average against, but has issued 26 walks along with 30 strikeouts and has a WHIP of 1.48 as the calendar turns to April.
Gauntlet Complete
West Chester entered this stretch at .500 in PSAC East play after dropping a pair of games to Millersville on March 24, and went 5-1, including 3-1 in games away from West Chester, to improve to 15-11 overall and 7-3 in league action as the calendar turns to April.
Scoring Early
West Chester is 7-2 when scoring in the first inning and 7-3 when scoring first, outscoring its opponents 26-11 in the first inning and 51-25 in the first two innings of games this season. West Chester is also 12-3 when leading after four and 10-2 when ahead after five complete.
Get it Done
West Chester has not fared well in extra-inning games this season, going 0-4, and has been outscored 19-8 from the seventh inning on. The Golden Rams most recent heartbreaking loss came at Kutztown on Tuesday afternoon as the team fell by a 4-3 final in 10 innings.
Series History
Since 2008, West Chester is 27-19 against Shepherd, including wins in three of four meetings a year ago to halt a three-game losing streak to the Rams. Last spring, West Chester dropped the first meeting to Shepherd by a 9-1 final in six innings before bouncing back with a 4-2 win in the nightcap and sweeping the Rams in West Chester with 3-1 and 9-0 victories in late April. West Chester has not lost to Shepherd in West Chester since April 2024 and has not been swept by the Rams at home since April 3, 2021, when the Rams left South Campus with a pair of 11-6 and 9-8 victories.
Since 2004, West Chester is 25-29 against Bloomsburg, including a 5-4 loss in the regular-season finale last April, which eventually led to the Golden Rams missing the PSAC Tournament but still qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. This setback was West Chester's first loss to Bloomsburg since a 4-3 loss in Bloomsburg in April 2024, as the team carried a four-game winning streak into the season finale with the Huskies. West Chester has not dropped two or more in a row to Bloomsburg since a four-game skid that began in April 2008 and continued until April 2010. After a 9-1 loss in April 2010, West Chester did not face Bloomsburg again until April 2013, when West Chester halted the losing streak with 4-3 and 5-4 victories over the Huskies.
Scouting Shepherd
Shepherd enters the weekend at 10-11 overall and 5-4 in league action, riding a four-game winning streak, which includes sweeps of Lock Haven (8-0, 3-1) and Mansfield (7-0, 10-2) before back-to-back doubleheaders with Pitt-Johnstown and Slippery Rock scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday were postponed. The Rams are 5-1 in traditional road games and 2-4 in neutral-site games, entering play on Friday at 7-5 in games played away from Shepherdstown.
Offensively, Haylee Hartman and Cate Russian are first and second on the team offensively, batting .446 (25-for-56) and .364 (24-for-66), respectively. Hartman has two triples, a double, and a home run as part of her 25 hits and has scored 11 runs, while driving in seven more. Russian has eight doubles and a home run to her name and has scored 15 runs, while driving in 12 more, both of which are best on the team. Brenna Collis is first on the team in home runs with three and enters the weekend batting .299 (20-for-67).
In the circle, Madelayne Ruffner is 4-5 with two saves and six complete games in 63.2 innings of work over the course of 13 appearances and eight starts. Ruffner has fanned 112 batters already this season and holds opponents to just a .150 batting average against with a 1.54 ERA. Natalee Harvey is 4-3 on the year with a pair of complete games in 41.1 innings of work over 12 appearances and nine starts. Harvey has a 2.20 ERA and a .214 batting average against with 32 strikeouts after transferring to Shepherd from Kutztown for the 2026 season.
Scouting Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg enters the weekend at 15-5 overall, and 6-2 in league play, ahead of a doubleheader at East Stroudsburg on Friday afternoon before hosting the Golden Rams on Saturday. Bloomsburg enters after a sweep of Millersville (8-0 (5), 10-6) on Monday to bounce back from a home sweep at the hands of Kutztown (8-3, 9-1 (5)) on Sunday in its first games since a March 21 road sweep of Shippensburg.
Alizabeth Schuler is batting a team-best .435 (20-for-46) with 17 RBI and 12 runs scored with four doubles, two home runs, and a triple. Allie Wenrich continues to be the leading power threat for Bloomsburg with eight home runs on the season for a team-best 27 RBI and 20 runs scored with a .379 (22-for-58) batting average. Sarah Yamrick is second on the team in batting average at .393 (24-for-61) with 15 runs scored and six RBI.
In the circle, Yamrick is 7-2 with a 2.65 ERA and a .189 batting average against with seven complete games and a pair of shutouts in 10 starts. Yamrick has fanned 80 batters in 63.1 innings of work, while Josie Straigis is 6-3 with five complete games in 10 starts and a 4.88 ERA in 51.2 innings of work. Straigis has 16 strikeouts against 20 walks and 64 hits as she enters April with a 1.63 WHIP and a .296 batting average against.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on April 9 for its non-league finale against Felician before visiting Lock Haven on April 11 and East Stroudsburg on April 14. The Golden Rams visit to Lock Haven will be the Golden Rams first repeat PSAC East opponent of the year, while the matchup at ESU on 4/14 will be the official end of the first half of East play for WCU.
