Jersey Blues Women’s Softball Team Finishes 3rd In The Nation

The Brookdale Jersey Blues Women’s Softball Team finished their season 3rd in the nation, with an overall 33-12 record, including National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XIX and Garden State Athletic Conference championship titles!

Here is a summary of the championship title runs.

To earn the prestigious title of the NJCAA Division III Region XIX North Atlantic A District Championship, the Jersey Blues defeated Lehigh Carbon Community College Cougars (PA), 3-2 and 10-6. Head Coach Bo Scannapieco was named Region XIX Coach of the Year, and freshman pitcher Gianna Praet was named Tournament MVP.

To be named the 2022 Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Champions, the Blues finished the regular season with a 12-2 conference record and a 30-10 overall record. They tied with Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ)-Gloucester Roadrunners, who also finished their regular season 12-2 in the conference. But since the Jersey Blues topped the Lehigh Carbon Community College Cougars (PA), winning the Region XIX Championship title to advance to the NJCAA tournament, the Blues had the edge they needed. The Roadrunners faced the conference affiliate member Middlesex College in the Region XIX finals and lost the three-game series, which locked in Brookdale as the GSAC Champs!

In Syracuse, NY, at the NJCAA DIII National Championship Tournament, in the first game, the #5 seeded Jersey Blues took down the #4 seeded Herkimer Generals of Herkimer, NY, 1-0. Brookdale then faced the #1 seed, Rock Valley College Golden Eagles, of Rockford, IL. In the intense match-up, Brookdale fell, 2-1. Freshman catcher Zoey Hagan scored the Jersey Blues’ only run.

In the third round, the Jersey Blues took the #7 seeded St. Cloud Technical Community College Cyclones of Minnesota by storm with a 6-2 win in the elimination game. In their push to victory, the 6th inning brought back-to-back homers from freshman winning pitcher Gianna Praet and freshman shortstop Nicolette Pavlik. Gianna Praet earned her keep in the circle, throwing all seven innings with one earned run and five strikeouts. Praet swung 3-4, adding two RBIs for the Blues. RBI clinch hits came from 2-3 Nicolette Pavlik, freshman third baseman Zoey Hagan, freshman center fielder Amaya Marrero, and freshman second baseman Julia Canal. Freshman catcher, Alyssa Sigler, went 3-4 and added a stolen base to help advance Brookdale.

With the win, Brookdale then played the #3 seed North Dakota State College of Science Wildcats in the fourth-round elimination game. The Brookdale Blues unleashed in the 1st inning of the championship elimination round with four runs to set the game’s tone, beating the North Dakota State College of Science Wildcats, 8-4. Freshman shortstop/third baseman, Nicolette Pavlik, batted 1-2 for a homer, freshman third baseman/catcher Zoey Hagan batted 2-4, including two doubles for an RBI, and freshman right fielder/first baseman, Charlotte Piper, was 2-3 with an RBI and a stolen base. In addition, Jersey Blues’ second baseman, Julia Canal, came through with a sacrifice fly, and freshman winning pitcher Gianna Praet upped her overall record to 18-5.

The Jersey Blues then advanced to the semifinals to meet #2 seeded SUNY Corning Community College Red Barons of Steuben County, NY. After a long evening of weather interruptions, the Brookdale Blues lost a tough late-night game 20-4. As the Blues played the game prior against the Wildcats, the Red Barons quickly flew out of the gate with a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Not until the 5th inning did the Red Barons erupt with 13 unanswered runs to defeat the Blues. Freshman shortstop, Gianna Praet, pulled in a two-RBI hit, freshman right fielder/third baseman Amaya Marrero batted in a double for an RBI, and freshman third baseman, Nicolette Pavlik, added an RBI hit. Freshman first baseman, Charlotte Piper, assisted with her sac fly in the tough loss.

Number 1 seed Rock Valley College Golden Eagles of Rockford, IL, won their 8th consecutive Division III title. And Brookdale had a fantastic run in their 18th appearance of the National NJCAA Division III Softball Championship Tournament, the most of all time.