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TOWSON, Md. – Seeking its fifth consecutive Colonial Athletic Association Tournament appearance, Towson University (25-27, 8-10 CAA) will conclude the regular season on Friday and Saturday with a three-game series against conference rival James Madison University. The series begins with a doubleheader on Friday at 3 p.m. in Harrisonburg, Va.
Andrea Stevenson, who led the Tiger offense with two hits and a run batted in against Delaware State, is now hitting .292. Stevenson has been impressive since moving into the lead-off spot in the lineup. Since being inserted in the role on April 11, the first baseman has four multi-hit games and is batting .294.
Stevenson is one of a number of seniors playing pivotal roles down the stretch for the Tigers. Outfielders Brianna Jones and Erika Stasch continue to produce in the middle of the order and second baseman Haley Stueckler continues to impress with her work ethic and steady play in the field.
Stasch, one of the leading hitters in the CAA with seven home runs and 37 runs batted in, is hitting .324 this season and ranks third in the CAA with 89 total bases.
Jones has set career-highs with five home runs and 28 runs batted in while hitting at a .288 clip.
Stueckler has been a durable performer at second base and has displayed excellent range in the field. At the plate, her 15 walks ranks third on the team.
Junior pitcher Katie Lingmai has been the Tigers’ pitching ace. She has already set a single-season strikeout record for the Tigers, fanning 185 batters in 176.1 innings pitched. Earlier this season, Lingmai became the school’s leader in career strikeouts and now has 506. She is the only player in school history with more than 500 strikeouts.
James Madison (26-24, 12-5 CAA) has already earned a spot in the CAA Tournament and will be either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed pending the outcome of the weekend’s results. The Dukes most recently won two of three games at Georgia State over the weekend to position themselves at 12-5 in the CAA, just a game above the Panthers, who are 11-6.
At 8-10 in the conference, Towson can clinch the final CAA Tournament spot by winning two of three games against the Dukes or by having Delaware take two of three games against Drexel among a myriad of scenarios.
Coach Lisa Costello could also reach a career milestone. She enters the weekend needing two more wins for 500 career victories.
