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Millersville

Cara Mazzucco
Kaya Wagner 2025

Softball's season winds down against No. 19 Kutztown, Shepherd

4/23/2025 7:00:00 PM

By: Wes Champlin, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

COVERAGE LINKS

Vs. #19 Kutztown (4/25):

At Shepherd (4/26):

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ABOUT THE GAMES

  • The Millersville Marauders (22–26, 6–22) have their final home date of the season on April 26 when they welcome the Kutztown Golden Bears (34–13, 18–10) to Seaber Softball Stadium before heading back on the road for their last game of the season in Shepherdstown, West Virginia against the Rams (21–18–1, 17–10–1). 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

  • After a torrid 16-3 start to the season, Millersville's fallen below the .500 mark due to an 11 game losing streak dating back to April 10. However, the Marauders have rarely been blown out in that stretch: four of those losses were by just one run and eight were by four or fewer runs. The recent struggles have knocked the Marauders out of the playoffs and mired them in eighth place in the division.
  • Despite the results of late, a lot of players have put together strong seasons. On the pitching side, sophomore transfer Mollie White has thrown to a 2.96 ERA in 54.1 innings over 26 appearances. The workhorse of the staff, Nicolina Pezzone, has taken a noticable leap; the junior leads the team in wins (nine), innings pitched (103.1), appearances (33), and is on the verge of reaching 100 strikeouts on the season (she currently has 98). Those 98 strikeouts rank ninth in the conference and she has a good chance to finish the season within the top 10.  Delaney Troxell has also put together a strong freshman campaign, pitching to a 3.75 ERA in 89.2 innings pitched while making 30 appearances.
  • In the batters box, Jocelyn Langer heads the list of Marauder standouts. Her ongoing 44 game on-base streak headlines one of the best freshman seasons in recent memory. Langer's put up a .400 average and ranks fourth in the PSAC in on base percentage at .497 while racking up the fifth most hits in the league (60) and scoring the fourth most runs (43). Her exceptional on-base mark is due to those 60 hits and the 28 walks that she's tallied, which are third in the PSAC.
  • Carly Vaughan has broken out in her second season with a .354 batting average and a .909 OPS. She's also among the conference leaders in on-base percentage thanks to a good eye (15 walks) and the record-setting 15 times that she's been plunked. Kendra Bumgardner has also put together a good final season, batting .318 with a .816 OPS. She's struck out just six times in 151 at bats in 2024 and has scored 35 runs, good for second on the team. Victoria Fuss battled injury early on but has come on strong in the second half of the season, pacing the Marauder regulars in slugging percentage (.424) and home runs (two) against conference opponents. Angelina Edwards showed power and the ability to drive in runs during her sophomore campaign while splitting time between second base and catcher. She's tops on the team and third in the PSAC in RBI with 44 and has racked up the most extra-base hits on the team (15).

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS 

  • Kutztown is led by Judy Lawes, who's in her 38th season at the helm. She's one of the most accomplished coaches in Division II, with over 1100 career wins and ranks 4th among active Division II coaches. The Golden Bears haven been a consistent threat to make the playoffs over the past half decade and this year is no different, as their 18–10 conference record has them in a tie for second in the East with Bloomsburg. Kutztown enters this game having won seven of its last 10 including a sweep of Shepherd on April 22.
  • A few big bats at the top of the lineup do much of the offensive work for Kutztown. Outfielder Emily Henn is having a breakout sophomore campaign and is batting .418, which puts her in a tie for fourth in the PSAC. She's been one of the most productive hitters in the league, pacing the conference with 69 total hits in addition to 20 stolen bases. Morgan Slomkowski brings the pop; she's one off the league lead with 10 homers this season while batitng .320 with a 1.059 OPS. However, since entering PSAC competition, Slomkowski has hit just .247 with an .844 OPS. 
  • Seniors Naya Darnowski and Brianna Stocklin have picked up the slack for the Golden Bears. That veteran duo sports averages better than .325 and OPS's north of .900 in 28 conference games this season.
  • In the circle, Haley Gravish has been their workhorse.  She's started 21 games and completed 18 of them, making it no surprise that she's second in the PSAC in innings pitched with 163.1. Gravish has compiled a 2.44 ERA over those 163+ frames and enters this doubleheader with a season record of 21–6. The Marauders fared well against the senior when they met earlier this season; Gravish tossed 10 innings between the two games and allowed seven earned runs on 11 hits and four walks. 

SCOUTING THE RAMS

  • Shepherd may not be nationally ranked like Kutztown, but the Rams still pose a significant challenge like the rest of the league. They're coming off of that sweep at the hands of the Golden Bears on April 22, which snapped a four-game winning streak over bottom dwellers Mansfield and Kutztown. They feature a pair of likely All-PSAC honorees on both sides of the ball in Madelayne Ruffner and Lauren Moore.
  • Ruffner has put together a likely All-American campaign in her second season in West Virginia. The Ram's ace is averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning (236 Ks in 122 innings) and holds a 15-2 record in her 23 appearances. Ruffner's garnered two PSAC East Pitcher of the week awards and an NFCA Pitcher of the Week for her pitching prowess and batters are hitting just .129 against her. Against the Marauders, Ruffner threw just 3.2 innings but allowed just two base runners and struck out nine.
  • While most players' statistics drop off when facing PSAC teams, Moore has been just the opposite. The senior first baseman's batting an obscene .495 in 28 games played against conference opponents with a 1.365 OPS. She's got 11 hits in her last five contests and 11 RBI. For the whole season, Moore's batting .438 (2nd in the PSAC) with a 1.181 OPS (3rd in the PSAC) and has totaled 16 doubles and seven long balls.
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