ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - In the midst of its best season in program history and on the heels of winning its first-ever MAC Commonwealth Tournament Championship, Eastern Softball will begin its inaugural NCAA Tournament run at Salisbury. The Eagles will take on the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets in its first-ever NCAA Tournament contest.

Both teams finished with 30-plus wins at the conclusion of their respective regular seasons and conference tournaments. The Eagles' 30-6 record is their best in the program's history. Eastern, with the right arm of Danika Barthol and timely offense, swept through the MAC Commonwealth Tournament at Penn Park in Philadelphia, giving up just one run in three tournament games.

Barthol, who is putting together one of the most dominant pitching seasons in Eastern Softball history, struck out 30 batters and allowed just 10 total baserunners in a 5-0 win over Alvernia in the quarterfinals, a 4-0 victory over Messiah in the semifinals, and a 5-1 triumph over York in the championship contest. Her performance in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament Championship was her best to date as she struck out eight and recorded a no-hitter against the Spartans. She earned MAC Commonwealth Championship MVP honors for her efforts.

Barthol, who hails from Emmaus, currently holds a 16-2 record in 20 appearances and 19 starts, which includes 13 complete games and five shutouts. In 113 innings pitched, the first-year has allowed just 50 hits and eight earned runs while striking out 138 batters. Her 138 punch outs are the second-most in a single season in program history, while her 16 wins are the most all-time in a single campaign. Furthermore, her 0.50 ERA ranks first in all of NCAA Division III softball, while her 0.62 WHIP ranks second. Barthol earned Player-of-the-Year, Rookie-of-the-Year, and First-Team All-MAC Commonwealth honors from the conference last week.

Eastern is hitting close to .300 as a team, using a combination of young talent and a group of established veterans to find steady success. First-year outfielder Ainsley O'Donnell is hitting .363 with a team-leading 41 hits and nine doubles, while sophomore Sydney Ostolaza is batting at a .333 clip with a team-leading seven home runs and 28 RBIs. Junior Tori Hook currently has 39 hits and nine doubles, including the game-winning, two-run double to clinch Eastern's doubleheader sweep of Messiah in the regular season. Eight Eagles are currently batting .300 or better. O'Donnell, Hook, Ostolaza, Alyssa Binczak, Kelci Cost, and Kacie Noonan each earned All-MAC Commonwealth recognition.

Over their conference tournament run, the Eagles' offense came up with clutch hits time and time again.  Against Alvernia, the Eagles scored three runs in the third inning and two in the fourth to take a lead they would not relinquish. Hook, Ostolaza, O'Donnell, and Mackenzie Laub each recorded RBI singles, while Binczak scored Eastern's fifth and final run on a sacrifice fly.

In their second-round contest against Messiah, the Eagles again used early offense to take control as Laub hit a sacrifice fly and Ostolaza crushed a two-run shot to left field. Binczak again plated the insurance run on an RBI single in the third inning.

Ostolaza provided the spark the Eagles needed in the championship game against York. After the Spartans took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, the sophomore hit her seventh home run over the left-center field wall to tie the contest before the Eagles used a four-run third inning to essentially clinch the victory. Laub hit an RBI infield single to put the Eagles ahead for good, and a bases-clearing double from Hook put the finishing touches on an exciting and historic weekend.

Behind an offense that hit a collective .337 and a strong pitching staff headlined by junior Grace Ellis, the Yellow Jackets ended their regular season and conference tournament with a 31-5-2 record and a 20-2 mark in ODAC play. Junior Amanda Lanyon leads RMC with a .441 average and 60 hits, including 15 doubles, while graduate infielder Riley Baughan is currently hitting .376 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs. In all, nine Yellow Jacket hitters are hitting .300 or better this season.

In 23 appearances, Ellis hold an astonishing 18-1 record, which includes 16 complete games and eight shutouts. She currently boasts a 1.14 ERA and has recorded 176 strikeouts with just 15 walks. Baughan, who also pitches for the Yellow Jackets, is 13-4 on the season with a 2.20 ERA and 91 strikeouts. The Yellow Jackets are 2-0 all-time against Eastern, winning a pair of games back in 2017.

Eastern and Randolph-Macon will square off at 2:30 pm on Thursday, May 16.