Buffalo State (20-18/10-8) enters this week's six-team double-elimination SUNYAC Championships at Cortland as the No. 4 seed and will open play on Thursday at 1 p.m. against No. 3 Geneseo.
The Bengals faced a trying season in 2012, coping with the passing of head coach Sandy Hollander on April 2, but have banded together down the stretch, and despite some inconsistent performances, have shown they could be a team to reckon with in the tournament format.
A year ago, Buffalo State entered the championships as the No. 5 seed with a 15-19 overall record, but rose to the occasion and advanced to the conference title game for the third time in four years. The Bengals are in search of the program's fifth SUNYAC Championship, winning in 1984, 1996, 2000 and 2009.
This year's Bengals feature a high-octane offense that is hitting .302 as a team and averaging 5.6 runs-per-game. Senior short stop
Kyrstin Lekki (N. Tonawanda/Niagara-Wheatfield) leads the team in nearly every offensive category, hitting .461 with eight home runs, 39 RBIs and a school record 20 doubles. Freshman
Taylor Swiatek (East Aurora/Orchard Park) has made the most of her starting role at second base, committing just one error on 89 chances and posting a .339 batting average. Junior
Breanna Fenski (Cheektowaga/Maryvale) has also hit for average and power, connecting at a .327 clip with 14 extra-base hits, including five home runs.
Aleesha Williams (Cheektowaga/Pioneer) and
Lindsay Goff (Patterson/Brewster) have also been key contributors at the plate, hitting .307 and .300 respectively. In the circle, Buffalo State has been led by freshman
Maddie Coneys (Clifton Park/Catholic Central) who has posted 12 wins in 21 appearances with 65 strikeouts.
With a win in the opening game, interim head coach
Marie Curran and the Bengals would advance to face the winner of #2 Plattsburgh/#5Brockport on Friday at 11 a.m. With a loss to Geneseo, Buffalo State would play the winner of #1 Cortland/#6 Oswego on Friday at 9 a.m.
For complete tournament information, including links to internet radio and live stats, visit:
http://www.cortlandreddragons.com/2012SUNYACSoftball
