The Sacred Heart University softball team will finish its 2025 regular season with a three-game series against Canisius on Friday and Saturday, May 2-3, in Buffalo, New York. The first game is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m., followed by a second game at 3 p.m., and the final game will take place on Saturday at noon.
This weekend’s series is important as it determines Sacred Heart’s position in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) playoff standings. The Pioneers currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot after winning both games of a doubleheader against Merrimack earlier this week. In those games, Sacred Heart pitchers allowed no runs and only nine hits combined. Sam Kowalski matched her single-game career high with 12 strikeouts in the opener and earned a save in the second game. Carah Sweet secured the win in the nightcap by allowing just two hits over nearly five innings. Nicole Henke contributed two key RBIs, while Charlene Davis and Morgan Teodosio each hit two doubles.
With an 11-11 conference record, Sacred Heart is two games ahead of Merrimack for eighth place, one game behind Rider for seventh, and two games behind Canisius for sixth. Eight teams qualify for the MAAC Tournament; seeds five through eight must play a single-elimination round before advancing to double elimination. The tournament begins Tuesday, May 6, at the home field of the top seed.
Canisius enters this weekend ranked sixth in the conference after sweeping Manhattan to break a seven-game losing streak. The Golden Griffins have a league record of 13-10 and an overall record of 23-24. They are strong offensively, ranking second in scoring (5.02 runs per game), batting average (.298), and slugging percentage (.477) within the conference but rank ninth in pitching with a team earned run average of 4.63. Freshman Tabitha von Kolen and sophomore Ella Johel lead Canisius hitters with averages above .380; Johel also leads the conference with seven triples and has driven in 40 runs.
After this weekend’s games conclude, Sacred Heart will learn if it has qualified for its first MAAC Tournament appearance.
