Le Moyne (7-13) vs. Central Connecticut State (4-13) - NEC
Info: Saturday, Mar. 15 (1:00 PM / 3:00 PM) & Sunday, Mar. 16 (12:00 PM) | New Britain, Conn. | CCSU Softball Field
Video: NEC Front Row (Sunday game)
Live Stats: https://lemoynedolphins.com/sports/softball/schedule
Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College softball team will travel to New Britain, Conn. to take on Central Connecticut State (4-13) in their first NEC series of the season this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Mar. 15-16. The Dolphins will meet the Blue Devils in a doubleheader on Saturday with 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. start times before wrapping up the slate with another game on Sunday at noon.
Series History:
Central Connecticut State holds a 3-0 advantage all-time against Le Moyne, with their season series last year marking the first meetings between the programs.
In their inaugural season in Division I and the NEC in 2024, the Dolphins fell to CCSU in their home-opening series by scores of 6-0, 14-10, and 12-2 in late March. Through the three game set, current senior Alyssa Dybacz (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) went 4-9 with two walks and a pair of runs scored while junior Audrey Benderski (Spring Lake Park, Minn./Spring Lake Park) registered a 4-7 weekend with one double, two walks, one RBI and one run scored.
Dolphins' Season:
Le Moyne sits with a 7-13 record after four roadtrips to begin the season before NEC play begins. The team traveled to North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Maryland to take part in weekend tournaments throughout February and the beginning of March.
The team kicked off the year going 0-5 on Opening Weekend, falling to Syracuse, Queens University of Charlotte, and UNCW twice from Friday-Sunday, Feb. 7-9 before going 2-3 in the Winthrop Garnet & Gold Tournament Friday-Sunday, Feb. 21-23, earning both of their first two victories of the year on Saturday, Feb. 22 against Brown and Youngstown State.
The Dolphins then traveled to UTSA, where they fell to Houston, 5-2, and UTSA, 8-7, in close matchups on Friday, Feb. 28 before dropping back-to-back matchups to Boise State on Saturday, Mar. 1 before closing out the weekend with a 5-2 loss in their second game against the host Roadrunners.
Most recently, the squad went a perfect 5-0 at the Mount St. Mary's Tournament this past weekend in a series of matchups against the Mount and Morgan State Bears. Le Moyne grabbed 4-0 and 10-6 victories over Mount St. Mary's in a doubleheader on Friday, Mar. 7 and a 5-1 win over Morgan State the following day. The squad wrapped up the trip with a commanding 14-3 win over the Mount and another victory over the Bears, 7-4.
During the recent tournament in Emmitsburg, Md., sophomore outfielder Sydney Nesci (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) led the way on offense for the 'Phins, slashing .500/.550/.667 in 18 at-bats while starting in all five games. She added three doubles, two walks, eight RBI, and five runs scored en route to an NEC Player of the Week honor. Nesci leads the Dolphins with 15 RBI and has slashed .274/.318/.387 while starting in all 20 team games this season.
Sophomore P/DP Arianna Exarchakis (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) was named an NEC Prime Performer after recording a .476/.476/571 line in five starts, going 10-21 with two doubles, three RBI, and a pair of runs scored. Exarchakis is second on the squad with a .333 batting average and 18 hits this season, and is tied with senior utility player Dominique Rinaldi (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) with a team-high eight walks through 19 games played.
Also starting in all five games was Dybacz who hit .421 with a .429 on-base percentage and .526 slugging rate. She went 8-19 at the plate with a pair of doubles, while driving in four runs and crossing the plate five times for the 'Phins. Dybacz leads the squad with a .367 batting average, 22 hits, six doubles, and 31 total bases while adding a .443 on-base rate and .517 slugging percentage through all 20 games this season.
Freshman corner infielder Cianna Benamati (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) hit .412 with a .444 on-base percentage while slugging .647 in five starts. Benamati tallied one homer, one double, four RBI, and four runs scored while walking once during the tournament. Through 19 appearances in 2025, she leads the squad with a .986 OPS, slashing .283/.377/.609 with a team-leading four homeruns.
In the pitching circle, freshman Nevaeh Ross (Friendship, NY./Friendship) went 3-0 in two starts and one relief appearance through the team's most recent tournament, taking home the NEC Rookie of the Week award. Ross threw 19.0 innings including two complete games and one shutout, allowing seven runs (four earned) on 17 hits and six walks while striking out 18 for a 1.47 ERA. Ross has a 4-5 season record with a 4.42 ERA and 39 strikeouts through 57.0 innings in eight starts and 14 total appearances this year.
Freshman Isabella Kwashek (West Deptford, N.J.West Deptford) also shined in the circle, starting three games, one complete, totaling 14.2 innings. Kwashek rounded out the weekend with a 2-0 record and 2.86 ERA, allowing seven runs (six earned) on 16 hits and three walks while striking out 11. She has a 3-4 record with a 4.91 ERA and 22 strikeouts through 41.1 innings in eight starts and eight relief appearances in 2025.
A Look at the Blue Devils:
CCSU sits with a 4-13 record after kicking off the season with seven straight losses in February. The Blue Devils fell twice to UNCW and dropped a pair against Charleston Southern on Friday and Saturday, Mar. 14-15 before losing in a mid-week matchup, 12-2, against Yale on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
The squad dropped both ends of a doubleheader against Iona on Friday, Feb. 28 before picking up their first win of the season, 2-1, against the Gaels the following day. CCSU finished out their four-game set against Iona with another loss before splitting a two-game series with Rider on Tuesday, Mar. 4.
Last weekend, the Blue Devils went 1-4 with two losses each against Sacred Heart and Yale before rounding out the weekend with a 6-2 victory over Maine. In their most recent game this past Tuesday, Mar. 11, CCSU took down Fairfield, 5-4, after jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning and just holding off the Stags' rally in the final frame.
Junior infielder Skylar Warn has slashed .340/.392/.702 in all 17 games this season, leading the Blue Devils in batting average and slugging percentage. Warn has hit 16-47 with six doubles, three walks, one triple, three homers, 10 RBI, and six runs scored this season.
Senior infielder KC Machado has also played in all 17 team games for CCSU, hitting .235/.328/.569 with a team-high four home runs, seven walks, eight RBI and six runs scored in 2025.
Sophomore C/UTL Regan Vunak leads the Blue Devils with a .469 on-base percentage, going 8-34 at the plate with a team-leading 14 walks, four steals, and nine runs scored in 15 appearances this season.
In the circle, senior Alina Varga leads CCSU with a 4.06 ERA in 48.1 innings pitched, allowing 40 runs (28 earned) on 49 hits in eight appearances so far this year.
Sophomore Liz Hamilton sits atop the roster tied with Varga with two pitching wins, possessing a 2-3 record with a 5.12 ERA in 41.0 innings in 2025. Hamilton has allowed 35 runs (30 earned) on 56 hits in four starts and eight total appearances.
What's Next:
Le Moyne will hit the road again and travel to Loretto, Pa. to take on conference rival Saint Francis in another three game set on Saturday and Sunday, Mar. 22-23.
