4/29/26

SCRANTON, Pa. – A historic regular season is one thing, but Lackawanna College softball will reset its focus and effort on another prize this coming weekend, as the Falcons prepare to compete in the Region XIX Division II Softball tournament on Friday, May 1^st, and Saturday, May 2^nd at Mercer County CC in West Windsor Twp., NJ.
 
The Falcons (40-13) will be the three-seed, and are set to take on second-seeded Delaware Tech CC (26-12) at 12:00pm ET on Friday at Mercer County CC's softball field. The game is the second of four games scheduled for the first day of the tournament, with the schedule looking like this:
 
Friday 5/1
Game 1: (1) Mercer County CC [39-5] vs. (4) Salem CC [28-18], 10:00am ET
Game 2: (2) Delaware Tech CC [26-12] vs. (3) Lackawanna College [40-13], 12:00pm ET
Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 2:00pm ET
Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 4:00pm ET
 
Day two of the double-elimination has a possible-three games on tap, with the goal to crown a Region XIX DII champion:
 
Saturday 5/2
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser, 10:00am ET
Game 6: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 12:00pm ET
Game 7 (If Necessary): Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 2:00pm ET
 
The Region XIX champion can be crowned at 12:00pm ET if the team that is unbeaten is the winner. If that team suffers its first loss in Game 6, there will be a winner-take-all Game 7 immediately following, which will crown the region champion.
 
Both the eventual Region XIX DII champion, as well as the runner-up, will advance to the Atlantic A and B District playoff round the next weekend, hosted by the champion and runner-up from Region 10.
 
#1 Mercer County CC (39-5, 20-4) vs. #4 Salem CC (28-18, 14-10)
Mercer County will take on Salem CC in the first game of the day on Friday at 10:00am ET. The Mustangs, the top-seed and defending region champions, swept Salem twice this year, winning by twin scores of 8-0 back on April 4^th at home, and then taking 8-4 and 7-6 decisions on the road at Salem back on April 16^th.
 
Mercer has been consistently one of the top teams in all of Region XIX over the years, winning four region championships and making six NJCAA Division II World Series appearances in the last 25 years, four coming since 2007. The Mustangs are the defending champs from last season, turning back a run from Delaware Tech out of the elimination bracket to win the "if" game for the championship, then sweeping Cleveland CC to make the national tournament, where they'd pick up a first-round victory before bowing out.
 
The 2026 Mustangs are one win shy of a fourth-straight season with 40+ wins, the best four-year stretch in program history. This year's team averaged over ten runs per contest and hits .388, while compiling a 1.017 OPS. The Mustangs have 129 extra-base knocks, including 24 triples, which is eighth out of all the NJCAA Division II squads. Mercer is tenth in the country in runs scored (450), and is one of three Region XIX DII squads inside the top ten.
 
As a staff, Mercer is the top team in all of Region XIX and seventh in the country in ERA at 2.23. The Mustangs have 13 shutouts, eighth in the country. Defensively, the Mustangs have 65 errors and a .938 fielding percentage.
 
Salem, meanwhile, enters as the four-seed for the third-straight season. The Mighty Oaks returned to varsity play before the 2023 season, having been dormant as a program dating back to 2014. After falling in the play-in series to Lackawanna in 2023, the Oaks made the tournament as the four-seed in 2024 and upset top-seed Mercer to open the weekend. The Oaks fell to Delaware Tech CC and dropped to the elimination bracket, where they almost pulled another stunner over Mercer, before bowing out at 10-8. They won 31 games that season, a stunning turnaround from the year before. Last year, the Oaks were once again the four-seed, but fell 10-4 to top-seed Delaware Tech in the first game, before losing 9-0 to Lackawanna College in the elimination game later that afternoon. The Oaks have won eight-in-a-row coming into the weekend.
 
Salem is 28-18 this season, leading the region in home runs (34) and walks (304), while posting impressive offensive numbers. The Oaks are second in the region in extra-base knocks (145), runs (538), and RBIs (429), while leading the region in on-base percentage (.523).
 
As a pitching staff, the Oaks have a 5.26 ERA, allowing 245 runs, 189 earned, in 251.2 innings, giving up 318 hits. They have 227 strikeouts, averaging just over six strikeouts per seven innings, with 149 walks.
 
These are the projected lineups for each team heading into Friday's contest. Please note, these are not predictions, nor are they finalized, and they are subject to change:
 
Mercer
(1) – Ammonie Wertz, C (.448 BA, 45 runs, 9 doubles, 31 RBIs)
(2) – Anna Acevedo, CF (.423 BA, 67 runs, 35 BBs, 7 doubles, 26 SBs)
(3) – Stella Logan, SS (.540 BA, 1.591 OPS, 73 runs, 23 doubles, 10 HRs, 88 RBIs)
(4) – Karisa Krawiec, 2B (.419 BA, 48 runs, 61 RBIs)
(5) – Jozalyn Sheipe-Warthen, P/OF (.392 BA, 59 runs, 3 HRs, 44 RBIs)
(6) – Jamie Kozarski, OF (.392 BA, 39 runs, 24 RBIs)
(7) – Bella Cornish-Didonato, 1B (.380 BA, 43 runs, 14 doubles, 30 RBIs)
(8) – Ashlee Haywood, P/OF (.240 BA, 26 runs, 26 RBIs)
(9) – Priscilla Guthrie, 3B (.282 BA, 36 runs, 27 RBIs)
 
Salem CC
(1) – Jalyn Rambally, OF (.372 BA, 70 runs, 15 doubles, 36 SBs)
(2) – Jocelyn Melendez, 2B (.256 BA, 34 runs, 27 BBs)
(3) – Lilly Peverelle, SS (.489 BA, 76 runs, 8 HRs, 60 RBIs, 1.377 OPS)
(4) – Jaylene Aguirre, 3B (.437 BA, 56 runs, 11 HRs, 68 RBIs, 1.372 OPS)
(5) – Savannah Palverento, DH (.398 BA, 32 runs, 43 RBIs)
(6) – Emme Witter, OF (.393 BA, 46 runs, 7 HRs, 49 RBIs, .688 SLG)
(7) – Tiana Wilson, C (.267 BA, 24 runs, 20 RBIs)
(8) – Chantelle Haskie, OF (.275 BA, 19 runs, 12 RBIs)
(9) – Bella Rappa, 1B (.447 BA, 32 runs, 43 RBIs)
 
Mercer's Stella Logan is one of the top players in all the country, sitting inside the top 20 in several categories nationally. Her .540 batting average is eighth across NJCAA DII, and she's second in the country in RBIs (88) and triples (10). Logan is seventh in doubles (23), and ninth in total bases (154) and slugging (1.027). In 44 games, Logan has 27 multi-hit appearances. She had a season-best seven RBIs against Bucks County back on March 16^th, going 4-for-4 with a double and a triple in an 11-2 victory. Logan had a stretch from April 14^th to April 23^rd where she hit seven home runs in eleven games. Against Salem this year, she is 6-for-14 (.429) with three RBIs, two doubles, and one home run. She also has seven runs scored and two stolen bases. Logan is also a strong middle infielder for the Mustangs, defensively.
 
For Salem, Lilly Peverelle leads the region with 76 runs scored, tied for tenth nationally, and is inside the top ten regionally with a .489 batting average. She's fifth in the region with 17 doubles and third in home runs (8). Her 60 RBIs are fifth. She has 22 games with multiple hits. In the series against Raritan to end the regular season, she had a combined 13 RBIs, three home runs, and eight runs scored in the sweep. She has hit four home runs in her last three games. She has struggled against Mercer, posting just one hit in eight at-bats, according to the statistics.
 
Pitching-wise, Mercer is set with a solid two-pronged attack in Jozalyn Sheipe-Warthen and Ashlee Haywood. Sheipe-Warthen has a 1.82 ERA in 21 appearances, going 18-3. She has 99 strikeouts in 123.1 innings, giving up 56 runs, 32 earned, on 108 hits. Haywood has a 2.69 ERA and a 19-2 record, striking out 107 batters in 127.2 innings this year. Haywood has given up 79 runs, 49 earned, on 129 hits. In the April 4^th doubleheader, Sheipe-Warthen and Haywood combined to allow just four hits in eleven innings, striking out a combined ten batters in the scoreless sweep over Salem. On April 16^th, things were a little tighter, with Sheipe-Warthen pitching around eight walks and giving up four runs, one earned, in the 8-4 win in game one. Haywood struck out eight in game two, but gave up six runs, all earned, on eight hits in a game Mercer rallied to win with four runs in the final two innings.
 
Jordyn Busch is the main pitcher for Salem CC this year, going 12-8 with a 5.14 ERA in 24 appearances. Busch has thrown 109 innings this year, striking out 116 and giving up 109 runs, 80 earned, on 116 hits. She has also walked 97 batters, however. She is 0-2 against Salem this season, giving up a combined 12 runs, eight earned, in 6.2 innings of action. The other pitcher for the Oaks is Raegan Wilson, who is 11-6 in 22 games with a 5.82 ERA. Wilson has given up 84 runs, 71 earned, in 85.1 innings, striking out 49 and walking 24 on 130 hits. Wilson won her last start, allowing three runs in four innings of the 36-6 win against Raritan Valley CC. She is 0-1 in two appearances against Mercer, giving up a combined ten runs, five earned, on 12 hits in 9.1 innings pitched.
 
Mercer's head coach is Ryan Zegarski, now in his 22^nd season at the helm. Coach Zegarski has a staggering 682 wins in his career, coaching the Mustangs to four World Series appearances, five GSAC Championships, and four Region XIX titles. He's a four-time Region XIX Coach of the Year. Zegarski is a Mercer grad, playing baseball for the then-Vikings and winning the Region XIX and Northeast District championships, on the way to an appearance in the NJCAA DII World Series. He went on to play at Richard Stockton University, earning a bachelor's degree in Anthropology with a minor in Sociology.
 
Salem's skipper is Angel Rodriguez, now in his fourth season in charge. Rodriguez helped revive the previously dormant Mighty Oaks softball program, going from 16 wins in his first season to a 31-14 record in 2024, helping the Oaks reach the Region XIX DII playoffs, where they upset top seed Mercer County CC in the first round, before eventually bowing out of the tournament. Rodriguez came to Salem after spending time at Gloucester City HS from 2018 through 2020, where he also served as a volunteer baseball coach in 2021. He was hired at Salem in April of 2022. Rodriguez had been the head coach of the ASA Gloucester Lady Brawlers travel softball program, developing young athletes from 14U through 18U levels. He is a graduate of Rowan University, and has a 94-75 record in his time at Salem CC.
 
#2 Delaware Tech CC (26-12, 19-5) vs. #3 Lackawanna College (40-13, 19-5)
In game two, the second-seed Delaware Tech will take on third-seed Lackawanna College at 12:00pm ET. Del Tech, a national qualifier from a year ago, holds a 3-1 edge over Lackawanna College from the regular season, splitting with the Falcons in Scranton on April 4^th, and then sweeping Lackawanna College in the doubleheader on April 18^th in Georgetown, DE.
 
Del Tech entered last year's tournament as a four-time defending region champion, having won the title from 2021 through 2024, which included winning the '23 and '24 titles on the road at Mercer County CC. DTCC made the national tournament three years in a row ('21, '22, '23) in that run, but fell at Bryant & Stratton (VA) in 2024 in a three-game series. Last year, Del Tech fell to Mercer in the Region XIX DII final, but then bounced back to defeat Louisburg in two games to win the Atlantic B district and qualify for the World Series, where they'd drop a pair of games.
 
Del Tech's 2026 has been up-and-down, by their usual lofty standards. DTCC went 19-5 in region play and still finished second, but suffered 12 losses in the regular season, a little higher than they're used to. Del Tech enters the tourney playing well, winners in nine of their last ten games. DTCC is one of the best hitting teams in the nation, with a .400 collective batting average, tenth in the country and tops in Region XIX DII. Del Tech has great plate discipline, with only 97 strikeouts, tied for seventh in the country, and drawing 177 walks (20^th in the country) in just 38 games.
 
The DTCC pitching staff has been solid, holding a 4.15 team ERA this season. DTCC has 190 strikeouts to 73 walks in 219.1 innings, giving up 177 runs, 130 earned, on 267 hits. Defensively, DTCC has a .937 fielding percentage, with 60 errors this season.
 
Lackawanna College enters as the third-seed for the third-straight year in the Region XIX DII playoffs. The Falcons have just one Region XIX DII championship in the last 15 years, coming in the 2017 season. The Falcons are three-time region champs, winning a pair of titles in 2001 and 2002, in addition to the 2017 championship. Lackawanna has been snake-bitten in previous ventures into the region tournament, making the second day only once, last year, in their last five tries. Against Delaware Tech, it's been even more bleak, as Lackawanna is 0-7 against DTCC in the region playoffs. Last year, after losing to Delaware Tech to open the day, the Falcons bounced back with a win against Salem in the elimination contest to get to Saturday, where Delaware Tech eliminated the Falcons. The Falcons have won eight-games in a row entering the tournament.
 
This year's team is amongst the best, record-wise, in school history, as the Falcons have won 40 games for the first time, ever, in program history. The Falcons are one of the most prolific offenses in the country, scoring 559 runs in 53 games, third in the entire country. They're eleventh in batting average (.389), fifth in total hits (570), fourth in RBIs (486), fifth in OBP (.499), first in HBPs (61), and seventh in doubles (116).
 
In the pitching circle, the Falcons have a 2.66 ERA, 16^th in the country, allowing 172 runs, 119 earned, on 298 hits in 313.2 innings pitched. The Falcons have 346 strikeouts as a staff, sixth in the country, and boast a 7.72 strikeouts per seven innings rate. Defensively, Lackawanna has a .951 fielding percentage and has committed 64 errors, but the Falcons have turned 12 double plays, eighth in the country.
 
The projected lineups for each side are below:
 
Delaware Tech
(1) – Baylee Lynch, OF (.452 BA, 56 runs, 9 doubles, 26 RBIs, 25 BBs)
(2) – Cheyenne Silves, 2B (.396 BA, 49 runs, 8 doubles, 20 RBIs)
(3) – Kalli Chelton, 3B (.455 BA, 52 runs, 14 doubles, 53 RBIs)
(4) – Madison Fox, C (.463 BA, 30 runs, 9 doubles, 44 RBIs)
(5) – Maggie Hubbard, OF (.452 BA, 15 doubles, 8 triples, 37 RBIs, 1.323 OPS)
(6) – Madison Myers, 1B (.415 BA, 40 runs, 7 doubles, 34 RBIs)
(7) – Abby Marsh, P (.362 BA, 35 runs, 5 triples, 28 RBIs)
(8) – Hatteras Ghrist, SS (.349 BA, 28 runs, 5 doubles, 21 BBs, 21 RBIs)
(9) – Gabby Pepper, OF (.282 BA, 20 runs, 5 doubles, 16 RBIs)
 
Lackawanna College
(1) – Ayahna Fleisher, SS (.551 BA, 74 runs, 18 doubles, 59 RBIs, 20 SBs, 1.450 OPS)
(2) – Kyleah Edwards, DP (.413 BA, 54 runs, 7 doubles, 37 RBIs, 21 BBs)
(3) – Riley Knott, OF (.467 BA, 53 runs, 16 doubles, 79 RBIs, 23 BBs, 1.282 OPS)
(4) – Laniah Tasker, C (.405 BA, 45 runs, 14 doubles, 45 RBIs, 24 BBs)
(5) – Mackenzie Adolfson, 3B (.402 BA, 48 runs, 20 doubles, 39 RBIs, 24 BBs, 1.179 OPS)
(6) – Gracie Sokol, 1B (.385 BA, 39 runs, 8 doubles, 28 RBIs)
(7) – Mia Scalese, OF (.387 BA, 31 runs, 5 doubles, 41 RBIs)
(8) – Madison Pirolli, OF (.287 BA, 32 runs, 6 doubles, 18 RBIs)
(9) – Haleigh Mazol, 2B (.336 BA, 36 runs, 5 doubles, 33 RBIs)
 
While Kalli Chelton and Maggie Hubbard certainly drive the offense in terms of production at the plate, first-year outfielder Baylee Lynch is an outstanding table-setter for Delaware Tech. Lynch is hitting .452 this season, leading the team in runs (56). She's first in walks (25) and in OBP (.550), and holds a 1.202 OPS this year. She has 21 multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 8-for-14 (.571 BA) in four games against Lackawanna College, scoring a pair of runs and picking up four RBIs. Lynch is also a dynamic defender, covering a lot of ground in center field. Chelton leads Del Tech with 53 RBIs this year, and Hubbard is an extra-bases machine, posting a team-best 15 doubles, eight triples, and three homers, along with her 1.323 OPS.
 
The Falcons' hopes rest on the production from the top of their lineup, particularly from Ayahna Fleisher (Duncannon, PA). The first-year player is fifth in the country with a .551 batting average this season, accumulating 86 total hits, tied for fourth in the country across all Division II. She's top 15 in runs scored (74), and she leads the Falcons in OPS (1.450), OBP (.617), slugging (.833), and stolen bases (20). She has 27 multi-hit games this season, and she enters the tournament on a 28-game hitting streak. Fleisher went 7-for-15 (.467) with three doubles, five runs, and an RBI in four games against Del Tech this year. Ayahna is also a solid short stop, helping shore up the middle infield for the Falcons. Elsewhere, Riley Knott (Clarks Summit, PA) has 79 RBIs this season, fourth in the country, and she's tied with Fleisher for the team-high with six home runs. Mackenzie Adolfson (Throop, PA) leads the Falcons with 20 doubles this year, and is third on the team with five home runs.
 
In the circle, Del Tech has a strong #1 in Abby Marsh, who is 12-1 on the season with a pair of saves and a 1.73 ERA. Marsh has been stellar, giving up just 21 runs, 18 earned, in 72.2 innings pitched, striking out 116 batters and walking only 16. She has a strong 11.17 strikeouts per seven innings ratio. Marsh has five games with double-digit strikeouts this year, twice punching out 12 batters in one game. Marsh has two wins in two appearances against Lackawanna, allowing five hits and one unearned run while striking out nine in a 4-1 win at home on April 18^th, and allowing four runs on seven hits in a 5-4 win on April 4^th. Brooke Widdoes is the #2 for Del Tech, going 9-5 in 23 appearances with a 4.99 ERA. Widdoes has the most innings thrown (94) and has given up 94 runs, 67 earned, on 143 hits. She has 46 strikeouts this year. She's 1-1 against Lackawanna this year, losing in early April before winning in eight innings at home.
 
Lackawanna has two mainstays at its disposal for pitching, plus a third in reserve. First-year lefty Mekenzie Revere (Ansonia, CT) has a 3.02 ERA and a 15-6 overall mark this season. Revere leads the staff in innings pitched (111.1), allowing 72 runs, 48 earned, on 96 hits. She has struck out a team-best 139 batters, 27^th in the country and tops in Region XIX. She has also walked 79 batters. Revere has five games with ten or more strikeouts, posting a season-best 15 against the Finger Lakes. She's 1-1 against Delaware Tech, winning the early-April encounter at home with seven innings and eight strikeouts, but then losing two weeks later on the road, going six innings and striking out only a pair. Fleisher is the other main pitcher, posting a 2.92 ERA and a 9-7 record this year in 20 appearances. Fleisher has 107 strikeouts in 100.2 innings, giving up 54 runs, 42 earned, on 109 hits. Fleisher has struck out double-digit batters four times, twice fanning eleven batters. She's 0-2 against del Tech this year, allowing five runs, three earned, and striking out six in the early-April loss, and going 7.2 innings in an extra-innings defeat on the road two weeks later, striking out ten while giving up four runs, just two earned. Mia Scalese (Moscow, PA) also has some experience throwing for the Falcons, boasting a 9-0 record in 14 appearances with a 2.38 ERA. Scalese has 63 strikeouts in 56 innings, giving up 28 runs, 19 earned, on 57 hits.
 
Delaware Tech's head coach is Guy Wilkins, now in his 12^th season in charge. Wilkins has 232 wins in his career at Delaware Tech, taking the team to the NJCAA World Series four times in the last five years, and winning four-straight championships in region play from 2021 through 2024. Wilkins has built DTCC into a regional powerhouse, and he's been a fixture on the softball circuit in Delaware for a long while, coaching the Delaware Diamonds travel team for ten years prior to coming to DTCC. He's a Delaware State grad, where he played baseball, and he spent time coaching both HS baseball and college, serving as an assistant coach with Del Tech's baseball team for a number of years before taking over the softball program.
 
Lackawanna is led by coach Jeff Pittsman, now in his 15^th season in charge of the program. Coach "Pitt" has amassed 333 wins in his career at Lackawanna College, the most all-time in program history. Pittsman started as an assistant coach with the Lackawanna program before taking over in 2012, inheriting a team that was struggling with roster numbers and enthusiasm. After taking his licks in season one, Pittsman oversaw a major overhaul with the Falcons, winning 13 games in his second season, and making the region playoffs in his fifth season with 25 wins. The next year, the Falcons won their first region championship since 2002, taking the 2017 title. In 2019, Pittsman's Falcons won 34 games, the first time his team had over 30 wins. In 2024, the Falcons eclipsed that mark with 35 wins, and this past season, the Falcons broke the previous 36-win record held by the 2001 team with its 40-win season. Pittsman played a season of college baseball at PSU Scranton, before transferring to Penn State University Park and Mansfield University.
 
The 2026 Region XIX DII Softball Tournament
WHEN: Friday, May 1^st and Saturday, May 2^nd
WHERE: Mercer County CC (1200 Old Trenton Rd., West Windsor Township, NJ, 08550)
WATCH: Mercer County CC Hudl Page (Free to watch, viewers need to create a Hudl account to view)
WHO: (1) Mercer County CC, (2) Delaware Tech CC, (3) Lackawanna College, (4) Salem CC
 
Tournament Schedule (Double Elimination):
Game 1: (1) Mercer County CC vs. (4) Salem CC (5/1/26, 10AM)
Game 2: (2) Delaware Tech CC vs. (3) Lackawanna (5/1/26, 12PM)
Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser (5/1/26, 2PM)
Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner (5/1/26, 4PM)
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser (5/2/26, 10AM)
Game 6: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner (5/2/26, 12PM)
Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (5/2/26, 2PM) *IF NECESSARY*
 
What's At Stake:
Besides a Region XIX DII championship, teams are also competing for spots in the Atlantic A and Atlantic B District championship games. Both the region champion and the region runner-up will advance to those championship series contests, to be held next weekend (Friday 5/8 and Saturday 5/9) at the champion and runner-up from Region 10. The Region XIX champion will face the Region 10 runner-up for the Atlantic A title in a best-of-three, and the Region XIX runner-up will face the Region 10 champion for the Atlantic B crown, also best-of-three. The winner from each district will punch its ticket for the NJCAA Division II Softball World Series tournament, happening Tuesday, May 19^th through Sunday, May 24^th, in Spartanburg, South Carolina.