WEST CHESTER, Pa.- The West Chester University softball team (16-14) is set to return to action on Thursday afternoon at home against Felician (14-16) in its final non-conference doubleheader of the 2026 season, beginning at 1 p.m.
West Chester vs Felician
Game Details: April 9 I 1 & 3 P.M.
Location: WCU Softball Field (West Chester, Pa.)
Series: 4-0
Coverage Links: Live Stats I
Video
WCU Links: NEWS I
ROSTER I
SCHEDULE I
STATS
Felician Links: NEWS I
ROSTER I
SCHEDULE I
STATS
Last Time Out
Not including a Sunday sweep of Mansfield on March 29, West Chester went 4-4 last week, beginning its week with wins in three of four against Shippensburg and Kutztown on Monday and Tuesday before dropping three of four to Shepherd (0-2) and Bloomsburg (1-1) on Friday and Saturday to finish off the week.
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) batted .444 (12-for-27) at the plate with three home runs and a double, scoring nine runs and driving in a team-best eight more.
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) also finished the week north of .300 at .308 (8-for-26) with a home run and six RBI, while also scoring a run.
In the circle, Ciliberto was 2-2 last week with a pair of saves in seven appearances, logging 19.2 innings, allowing 24 hits, 14 runs (four earned), while striking out a staff-high 12. Ciliberto's 12 K's allowed the senior to reach the 400 strikeout milestone in her career, becoming just the second Golden Ram pitcher in school history to reach this plateau.
Maci Strechay (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) was 0-2 in the circle in five appearances and four starts, posting a 2.16 ERA, which was second-best, trailing only Ciliberto and her 1.42 ERA. Strechay allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 20 hits and three walks, while striking out nine.
Alyssa Tooley (Horsham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham) battled to a 2-0 record with a 2.33 ERA and four strikeouts against 13 hits and three walks in 12 innings as she allowed seven runs (four earned) in four appearances and three starts.
Flock Talk
Hopkins is batting a team-best .400 (40-for-100) on the year with 16 extra-base hits, including 10 doubles, five home runs, and a triple as she continues to chase the career home run record of 29. With her three home runs last week, Hopkins increased her career total to 26 and needs just three down the stretch of the 2026 season tie the record and four to break the mark, currently shared by Alyssa Herion and Kristin Smereczynski.
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) continues her outstanding season with a .363 batting average (28-for-77) with four doubles and a home run, while
Ceara O'Neal (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) and Ciliberto are tied for third at .341. O'Neal has 31 hits, including 10 for extra bases with six doubles and four home runs, while Ciliberto has 28 hits, including three doubles and a pair of home runs.
In the circle, Ciliberto is 9-7 with three complete games, one shutout, a pair of saves, and 48 strikeouts in 86 innings of work. Opponents are batting .308 against the veteran, who has made 23 appearances and 10 starts in 2026. In her rookie season, Strechay is 2-6 with a 2.81 ERA and a .271 batting average against with a pair of complete games, four saves, and 33 strikeouts in 64.2 innings of work. Tooley is 5-1 with a 3.28 ERA and a .249 batting average against, but has issued a staff-high 28 walks against 30 strikeouts in 47 innings of work.
Officials Appreciation Week
Thursday is a part of Division II Officials Appreciation Week in conjunction with the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and the Division II Athletic Directors Association, as programs around the Nation take time pregame throughout this week to say thank you to our dedicated and hard-working sports officials that make games possible.
Last of Its Kind
Thursday's doubleheader is the Golden Rams final non-conference doubleheader of the year, as the Golden Rams will face Felician in a make-up doubleheader originally scheduled for early March.
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 2018, West Chester is 4-0 against Felician, including a 6-1 victory in Melbourne, Florida, last March behind a stellar complete-game effort in the circle from
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon). Thursday's doubleheader is believed to be the first on-campus clash between the Golden Rams and Falcons with all four previous meetings coming in neutral-site matchups in Florida or Myrtle Beach.
Scouting Felician
Felician enters play on Thursday at 14-16 overall on a three-game losing streak after a split at Wilmington and a sweep at the hands of Caldwell earlier this week. Felician opened its season against a PSAC East foe in Kutztown in North Carolina, in early February, playing to a split with the Golden Bears, winning game one 6-4 before falling in the second meeting by a 4-3 final.
Kimberly Torres is batting a team-best .429 (42-for-98) with 11 doubles and five home runs, driving in 25 runs, while scoring 16 more. Karina De La Vega is second on the team, batting .398 (35-for-88) with nine doubles, five triples, and two home runs, scoring 20 runs and driving in 20 more. Mikayla Brown is the third and final Falcon batting north of .300 on the year at .321 (26-for-81) with six doubles, one triple, and one home run, scoring 11 runs, while driving in nine more.
In the circle, Jocelyn Moody is 8-4 with a 3.98 ERA in 84.1 innings of work, including five complete games and a save. Moody has struck out 44 batters this year and holds opponents to a .307 batting average against. Kelsey Vitalis is 1-6 with a 5.79 ERA and a .341 batting average against with 21 strikeouts in 52 innings of work, including four complete games. Kylie Dressel is 3-3 with a 2.89 ERA and a .350 batting average against with 13 strikeouts in 26.2 innings, including a complete game and a save in 11 appearances.
Up Next
West Chester will be back in action on Saturday at Lock Haven, beginning at 1 p.m., before visiting East Stroudsburg on Tuesday for another 1 p.m. doubleheader with the Warriors.
