FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University softball team concludes the 2025 regular season with a weekend series at Canisius on Friday and Saturday, May 2-3, in Buffalo, N.Y. The first game of the three-game Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) set is slated to start at 1 p.m. on Friday before the series closes with a single game Saturday at noon. 

Game Information
Game 1: Sacred Heart at Canisius (MAAC) – Friday, May 2; 1:00 p.m. 
Game 2: Sacred Heart at Canisius (MAAC) – Friday, May 2; 3:00 p.m. 
Game 3: Sacred Heart at Canisius (MAAC) – Saturday, May 3; 12:00 p.m.
* All live video and stat links can be found on sacredheartpioneers.com 

LAST TIME OUT
On Tuesday, the Pioneers took both ends of a critical MAAC doubleheader at Merrimack, taking both contests by 2-0 final scores. A pair of strong pitching efforts led SHU, as the Pios' pitchers spread nine hits across both games and did not give up a run. Sam Kowalski tied a single-game career high with 12 strikeouts in a complete-game win in the opener before getting a save in game two. Carah Sweet won in the nightcap, allowing just two hits over 4.2 innings. Nicole Henke recorded a pair of crucial RBIs at the plate, while Charlene Davis and Morgan Teodosio contributed two doubles each. 

PLAYOFF PICTURE
Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the Pioneers solidified themselves into the eighth and final playoff spot in the MAAC standings, breaking a tie with the Warriors yesterday. At 11-11, SHU is two games clear of Merrimack for eighth with three games left. The Pios are also a game behind Rider for seventh and two games behind Canisius for sixth, with a three-game set on the horizon this weekend. Sacred Heart is eying a spot in the MAAC Tournament, as eight teams will qualify, with the top four teams getting a bye into the double-elimination format. The No. 5-8 seeds will play a single-elimination game to make it to double-elimination. The event is slated to start on Tuesday, May 6, at the No. 1 seed's home field. 
 
SCOUTING CANISIUS
The Golden Griffins are sixth in the conference heading into this weekend, coming off a pair of wins over Manhattan on Tuesday. Canisius is 13-10 in the league and 23-24 overall. The Griffs' sweep of the Jaspers halted a seven-game losing streak, with five of those being in the MAAC. Canisius has excelled at the plate this season, ranking second in the conference in scoring with 5.02 runs per game. The Griffs also rank second in batting average (.298) and slugging percentage (.477). However, Canisius has stumbled a bit in the circle, as it ranks ninth in the league with a 4.63 ERA. Freshman Tabitha von Kolen and sophomore Ella Johel pace the Griffs' offense with .387 and .386 batting averages. Johel leads the conference and is sixth in the country with seven triples while also pacing Canisius with 40 RBIs, 39 runs and 13 doubles. 

UP NEXT
After this weekend's games, SHU will know whether it will be playing in its first MAAC Tournament. The event will be hosted by the league's No. 1 seed and will begin on Tuesday, May 6, at 10 a.m.