NJAC Softball Championship preview: how does each team stack up?

It is once again that time of year, the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) softball playoffs are upon us. The postseason began yesterday, Tuesday, April 29. Both the Stockton Ospreys and Ramapo Roadrunners won their first-round matchups to advance and face the Rowan Profs and The College of New Jersey Lions (TCNJ), respectively. Let’s take a look at the six teams vying for the NJAC softball crown.

Rowan Profs

The Profs are the No. 1 seed in the conference and are coming off the most dominant regular season in program history, finishing 39-1 overall and 17-1 in conference play. Their record includes the best start and longest undefeated streak to begin a season in team history. The key to their success has been dominance on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, the Profs have the most lethal top of the batting order in the NJAC. The trio of Liz McCaffery, McKenzie Melvin, and Payton MacNair can give Rowan a first-inning lead in a matter of minutes. All three rank in the top six in the NJAC in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and runs scored.

They’re not the only ones who cause problems for opposing pitchers. Cleanup hitter Abigail Pawlowski has kept pace with the top trio. Despite not having a top-10 average in the NJAC, she ranks third in on-base percentage. She has an incredible 35 walks, 15 more than any other player in the conference. The second most? Her teammate Breanna Bryant, with 20.

The lineup gets even deeper when you factor in Aly Reim, who has been one of the most clutch hitters with runners in scoring position all season. She leads the NJAC with 36 RBIs.

As good as the Profs’ lineup is, the two-headed pitching monster of Rylee Lutz and Emily McCutcheon may be even better.

The duo holds the two best ERAs in the conference, both under 1.00. Lutz owns a 0.71 ERA, while McCutcheon holds a 0.87.

Not only are they first and second in the NJAC, but they rank seventh and eighth nationally in ERA.

The team will look to win back-to-back NJAC conference titles for the first time since 2001 and 2002.

“It is one of the hardest things to do in our sport,” Head coach Kim Wilson said. “Our conference is one of the best in the country. Day in and day out, it is a dogfight. The tournament is not designed to make it easy for the one seed or two seed, and that is why it does not happen often.”

TCNJ Lions

The Lions are the No. 2 seed in the postseason and are, alongside Stockton, perhaps the second-most balanced team remaining.

Their pitching ranks fourth in ERA across the NJAC. Standout pitcher Maya Knasiak holds a 2.01 ERA.

Similarly, the offense is ranked fourth in batting average, this balance on both sides is a big part of why they went 15-3 in NJAC play.

TCNJ is also the only team to defeat the Profs in the regular season. The Lions scored the most runs against Rowan with five and allowed the second fewest with just two.

The big question for TCNJ is whether they can replicate the success they had in that regular season win over Rowan.

For Rowan, they’ll be ready the next time the teams cross paths.

“I think more than anything, you have to play good teams to end up winning the tournament,” Wilson said. “They were able to beat us. I think it was a necessary loss in our season. We look forward to playing them whenever we do.”

Ramapo Roadrunners

The third-seeded Roadrunners are not as well balanced compared to Stockton and TCNJ, but what they do have is really strong pitching.

Marissa DiPaolo and Kassy Stefanski have combined for 24 of the team’s 29 wins this season. Opposing hitters are batting just .197 against DiPaolo. In a one-game playoff, most teams won’t want to face her.

Despite having the second-best ERA in the NJAC, the Profs were still able to do damage against Ramapo pitching, scoring six and five runs, respectively. The Profs wanted to send a message after their only loss of the season.

Offensively, Ramapo has struggled. They have not scored more than three runs against the other top-three NJAC teams. They’ll need Hannah Hensier to step up and deliver big hits. She certainly has the capability, with a team-high .939 OPS and one home run.

Ramapo will now face the Lions, a team they split with earlier this season. The winner will likely meet Rowan before the championship. The key to beating Ramapo is getting to their stellar pitching early.

“I thought our kids made them come into the strike zone, and when they were there, we were able to take care of the ball,” Wilson said. “We got really good pitching in both games and played better defense. We put the ball in play, moved on them, and ran, those sorts of things.”

Stockton Ospreys

The four-seeded Stockton Ospreys are a tough draw for the Profs in the second round. Statistically, they may be the second-most balanced team in the NJAC after Rowan.

Their offensive approach differs from Rowan’s. While Rowan relies on gap-to-gap power, Stockton brings more over-the-wall power. They lead the NJAC with 27 home runs, the next closest team has 14.

A major reason for that gap is Emma Coldsnow and Caitlin Cetrulo, who have eight and seven home runs, respectively, first and second in the NJAC. The team isn’t top-heavy either; four other starters have gone deep as well.

The key player to Stockton’s offense is Aubrey Jeffers, who has the third-best batting average and the best on-base percentage in the NJAC. Jeffers provides crucial balance to a power-heavy lineup.

Despite strong offensive numbers, Stockton did not score a single run against Lutz or McCutcheon this season.

The pitching duo of Mia Marone and Nerina Tramp holds the third and fourth-best ERAs in the NJAC. Tramp, in particular, has given Rowan trouble in the past, allowing just one run in her last two outings against the Profs. If Stockton is going to make a deep run, Tramp will be the key.

“I think she moves the ball around well,” Wilson said. “She’s able to nibble at the zone. When she’s on, she’s just a great pitcher.”

Kean Cougars

The Kean Cougars lost their first-round matchup to Stockton and now stand on the brink of elimination.

They do not stand out in any major statistical category. They rank eighth in batting average and sixth in ERA. There are two reasons why they earned the No. 5 seed.

First, they beat the teams they were supposed to. Against the five teams ranked below them, Kean holds a 9-1 record.

Second, they’ve benefited from timely hitting, they rank fourth in RBIs.

Kean has struggled against teams above them, going 1-8 against the top four. Their lone win came against TCNJ.

Despite their struggles, they did challenge Rowan in the regular season, holding a three-run lead going into the sixth inning before the Profs stormed back.

“We’re a very different team than we were the last time we played them,” Wilson said. “We had 40 mile-an-hour winds that day. We hit the ball well, but their left fielder made some outstanding catches. That was also a game where we were down three in the sixth and came back. We’ve faced adversity this season. It’s not like we’ve been running through teams, and that’s helped us grow.”

Montclair State Red Hawks

The Montclair State Red Hawks are the other team who have lost so far in the playoffs.

Despite being the sixth seed, the Red Hawks could be the dark horse of the postseason.

Liz Mullin is their best hitter, boasting the sixth-best batting average in the NJAC. The team also has power; Jarla Vasquez and Sophia Alonso hold slugging percentages of .565 and .537, respectively.

This offense is one of only two in the NJAC to have success against McCutcheon, scoring four runs off her. The other team? TCNJ.

What separates TCNJ from Montclair is slightly better pitching. But in a one-game setting, anything can happen with a strong starter. Bella Bucy fits that mold, with a 1.06 ERA.

Montclair’s biggest edge is its speed. They lead the NJAC in steals with 96; the next closest team is Stockton, with 84.

“Yesterday, they played Ramapo and held them scoreless into the sixth inning, then lost 5-0,” Wilson said. “They’re a team with speed. If they get on base, they can hurt you. They can pressure your defense with a few hitters who are solid, while their pitching and defense can hold it. They’re a team that could knock people off.”

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