Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Softball team begins its quest for its first conference crown since 2018 when it opens play in the 2022 Skyline Conference Championship on Tuesday afternoon. The third seeded Knights host the sixth seeded Panthers from Old Westbury at 3:00 p.m. with Live Stats ad Video available.
 
At A Glance: Mount Saint Mary enters the conference championship with a 19-16 overall record and as the third seed after completing the conference slate 15-3. The Knights closed the regular season winners of four of their last six, sweeping Old Westbury and Sarah Lawrence before dropping two at Farmingdale State on Sunday.
 
Mount Saint Mary features three players hitting better than .300 on the season, led by a .339 mark from Alicia Killeen (Nesconset, N.Y.). Killeen leads the team in hits with 38, including five doubles and a triple, to go along with 24 runs, which is tied for the team lead. Killeen has driven in 20 runs for the Knights and holds a .377 on-base percentage out of the leadoff spot.
 
Olivia Ferara (Middletown, N.Y.) is hitting .327 for the Mount, following closely for second on the team with 36 base hits while matching Killeen for the team lead in runs with 24. Ferara is tied for the team lead in doubles with six and has drawn 14 walks leading to a .403 on-base percentage.
 
Jenna Cedeno (Staten Island, N.Y.) has put together a strong rookie season for the Knights, hitting .310 to date, producing 27 hits, including four doubles and a home run. Cedeno has drawn a team-high 17 walks, leading to a .431 on-base percentage, and has driven in 16 for the Knights.
 
Laura Dentato (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and Samantha Bendig (Tampa, Fla.) are tied for the team lead in RBI with 22 with Dentato hitting .287 on the season and Bendig .284. Each player has connected on a team-high four home runs with Bendig tied with Ferara for the team lead in doubles with six. Dentato has scored 21 runs and laced three doubles.

The pitching staff is anchored by Bridget Morris (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and Christen Hansen (Cypress, Calif.) who have combined for 18 of the team's 19 victories. Hansen holds a 10-3 record and a 2.13 earned run average, while Morris holds an 8-8 record. Morris leads the team with 92.0 innings pitched and 97 strikeouts, while Hansen has worked a career-high 76.0 innings, striking out 41 and allowing opponents just a .215 batting average.
 
Scouting Old Westbury: The Panthers make a return trip to Newburgh on Tuesday with a 9-21 overall record and a 9-9 mark against conference rivals. Old Westbury dropped four of its final six regular season games, including two to the Knights on April 29.
 
Alaina Reilly leads the offense with a .327 batting average in 55 at-bats. She has laced four doubles and driven in eight runs. Madison Danin, Shannon Myles and Rosanna Cuttone lead the team with nine RBI apiece with Natalie Intrieri pacing the Panthers with 14 runs scored.
 
Gianna DiLillo has won a team-high five games in the circle and is working to a 4.25 earned run average over 56.0 innings. Christina Hassett has won four games for the Panthers and worked 56.0 innings while striking out a team-high 39.
 
Recent History: The long-time Skyline Conference rivals have met 27 times since the start of the 2008 season with the Mount holding a 22-5 record. Including its sweep of the Panthers on April 29, Mount Saint Mary has won 15 straight games against Old Westbury and has not lost to the Panthers since game one of a doubleheader on April 6, 2014.
 
Skyline Conference Championship History: Mount Saint Mary has qualified for the conference championship for the ninth straight season in 2022. Mount Saint Mary claimed the conference crown in three straight years from 2016-18 and has won four times overall, also winning the title in 2001.
 
What's At Stake: The winner of Tuesday's contest will advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament to be held at top seed Farmingdale State. The winner of the Mount Saint Mary and Old Westbury game will take on second seeded Manhattanville on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., while the winner of the St. Joseph's-L.I. and St. Joseph's-Brooklyn Opening Round game will take on the Rams at 4:00 p.m.