Le Moyne (12-29, 9-9 NEC) at Mercyhurst (8-27, 7-11 NEC) 
Info: Saturday, Apr. 25 | 1:00 P.M. / 3:00 P.M. | Erie, Pa. | Mercyhurst Softball Field
         Sunday, Apr. 26 | 12:00 P.M. | Erie, Pa. | Mercyhurst Softball Field
Watch: NEC Front Row (Sat, 1PM) | NEC Front Row (Sat, 3PM) | NEC Front Row (Sun)
Live Stats: https://hurstathletics.com/sidearmstats/softball   
Mercyhurst's Links: Schedule | Roster | News 

Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College softball team will travel to Mercyhurst University for a three-game NEC series on Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 28-29. The Dolphins and Lakers will meet at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at the Mercyhurst Softball Field on Saturday before finishing the series with one game at noon the following day.

Season Summary: 
Le Moyne holds a 12-29 overall record with a 9-9 mark in NEC play this season, placing them fourth in the conference standings. 

The squad opened the season at the Blue Hose Invitational with losses at the hands of Dayton (7-3) and Presbyterian (2-1) on Feb. 6 before coming out on top against Morehead State, 19-16, the following day. They closed out the weekend with a five inning 10-1 loss against Western Michigan on Feb. 8.  

From Feb. 13-14, the Dolphins traveled to compete in the Winthrop Garnet & Gold Tournament, and came away with losses against Robert Morris twice (12-4, 9-1), Winthrop (7-4), and Kent State (6-5). 

The following weekend, the team took on Bryant and Delaware twice each at the Blue Hen Invitational and came away with four losses. Bryant took down the 'Phins, 19-11, in six innings in game one and 9-0 in five innings in game two while Delaware came away with 9-3 and 8-0 victories over Le Moyne. 

To round out non-conference play, the Dolphins went 2-3 at the Longwood Spring Break Classic from Mar. 6-8. The team fell to Youngstown twice (9-0, 4-3) and the host Lancers (7-1) before finishing out the tournament with a pair of wins over Lafayette, 3-1 and 6-2.  

From Mar. 14-30, the team went 4-6, falling to LIU in three games before coming out on top, 2-1, in three-game NEC sets against New Haven, and Saint Francis. Outside of conference action, the Dolphins fell at UAlbany and Cornell on Mar. 25. 

The Dolphins opened April with a loss at Cornell on the 1st, before earning a series win at home against FDU on Apr. 3-4 and dropping 2/3 against Wagner in Syracuse last weekend. 

Last week, Le Moyne dropped both games of a non-conference doubleheader at the University at Buffalo on Wednesday before taking two out of three on the road against Stonehill over the weekend.
Most recently, the Dolphins fell in two home games against St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, Apr. 22.

Stat Leaders: 
Through 41 team games, senior infielder Audrey Benderski (Spring Lake Park, Minn./Spring Lake Park) leads all qualified 'Phins with a .975 OPS and has registered team-bests with a .558 slugging rate and .417 on-base percentage while starting in every contest. Benderski also sits atop the stat sheet with a .319 batting average while sitting tied for the team-lead with six homers, driving in a team-high 29 RBI, and recording seven doubles. She is tied for second on the squad with 21 runs scored and has reached on a team-high 17 walks. 

Freshman left fielder Kayla Dunkerley (Purcellville, Va. / Loudon Valley) sits just behind Benderski with an .877 OPS, slashing .299/.382/.495 while starting in 33 games for Le Moyne. Dunkerley has tallied 29 hits with a team-best nine doubles along with two triples and a pair of home runs. She's driven in 10 runs and crossed the plate 18 times. 

Junior right fielder Sydney Nesci (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) sits tied with Benderski for the team-high with six home runs and eight doubles while adding 16 walks. Nesci ranks second on the squad with 22 RBI while starting in all 41 games this season. 

Sophomore center fielder Maddie Martin (Carlisle, Pa. / Cumberland Valley) has gone 32-103 in the box and sits second on the squad with a .311 batting average while also starting in every team game. She has tallied four RBI, three walks, 21 runs scored, and a team-leading 13 stolen bases. 

Junior DP Arianna Exarchakis (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) sits tied for third with 19 RBI and has walked 12 times this season, adding two home runs for a .295/.364/.362 slash line. 

In the circle, sophomore Isabella Kwashek (West Deptford, N.J. / West Deptford) leads all Dolphins with a 3.80 ERA through 17 starts and another 12 relief appearances in 1114.1 innings pitched so far this season. She also leads the team in WHIP with a 1.60 mark while registering seven complete games, two shutouts, one save, and an 8-10 record. Kwashek's season ERA ranks sixth in the NEC while her seven conference victories tie her for third-best.

Series History: 
Le Moyne holds an 8-3 all-time record against Mercyhurst, dating back to the 2006 season.

The Dolphins went 6-2 against the Lakers in eight non-conference matchups from '06-18 before taking two of three at home in the teams' first NEC series in Syracuse last season.

Newcomers:
The Dolphins have brought in six freshmen this offseason, including utility players Coral Enscoe (Webster, N.Y. / Bishop Kearney) and Adrianna Laraway (Colonie, N.Y. / Colonie), catchers Camryn Shenk (Rome, N.Y. / Camden) and Elizabeth Gleghorn (West Henrietta, N.Y. / Rush-Henrietta), outfielder Kayla Dunkerley (Purcellville, Va. / Loudon Valley), and pitcher Tatum Nessman (Calgary, Alberta / National Sport School). 

NEC Outlook:
Le Moyne was selected to finish fifth in the regular season standings in the NEC preseason coaches' poll, after going 7-11 in conference play a year ago. They placed behind favorite LIU, CCSU, FDU, and Wagner while ranking ahead of Saint Francis, Stonehill, Mercyhurst, and New Haven. 

2026 NEC Weekly Award Winners & Prime Performers: 
Dolphins players have earned five NEC Weekly Awards and 15 NEC Prime Performer honors so far this season. 

Pitcher of the Week:
Isabella Kwashek (Mar. 24) 

Rookies of the Week:
Tatum Nessman (Feb. 10) 
Kayla Dunkerley (Mar. 10, Mar. 31)
Elizabeth Gleghorn (Apr. 21)

Prime Performers: 
Maddie Martin (Feb. 10) 
Shannon Gavigan (Feb. 10) 
Sydney Nesci (Feb. 17, Mar. 24) 
Cianna Benamati (Mar. 3) 
Audrey Benderski (Mar. 3, Mar. 10, Mar. 31, Apr. 7) 
Kayla Dunkerley (Mar. 10, Mar. 31) 
Adrianna Laraway (Mar. 10) 
Isabella Kwashek (Mar. 24, Apr. 21) 
Elizabeth Gleghorn (Apr. 21)

Coach Roman:
Tracey Roman was named the head coach of the Le Moyne softball program on Oct. 7, 2019 after gaining over 20 years of coaching experience as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts, head coach for the Baldwinsville Central School District, Cicero Renegades, and Sports Zone organizations, and head coach and recruiting coordinator with the UNY Revolution club program.  

Scouting the Lakers:
Mercyhurst has earned an 8-27 overall record and a 7-11 mark in NEC play so far this season. Head coach Leanne Baker has been at the helm of the program for 13 seasons.

The Lakers opened the year with a 1-8 record through two early-season tournaments hosted by Presbyterian and Hawaii from Feb. 13-28 while going winless in eight non-conference matchups against Robert Morris, Kent State, and Youngstown State since then.  

Mercyhurst has earned a 7-11 record through six conference series against Wagner, CCSU, Stonehill, Saint Francis, FDU, and New Haven in the past month.

Freshman middle infielder Gabriella DeLuca leads all hitters with a 1.013 OPS, slashing .341/.365/.648 on the season. She has added 10 doubles, six homers, 30 RBI and 14 runs scored for the Lakers.

Sophomore outfielder Braylynn Kelly has recorded a team-best .381 batting average with 14 RBI and 16 runs scored.

In the circle, DeLuca also leads all Mercyhurst pitchers with a 5.96 ERA through nine starts and 13 total appearances, going 4-4 with four complete games through 49.1 innings this season. 

The Lakers added five freshmen to their squad this season after going 5-33 overall in 2025. 

Mercyhurst was voted to finish eighth in the NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll after going 3-18 in the conference last year. 

What's Next:
Le Moyne will host Siena and Colgate in back-to-back non-conference doubleheaders next Tuesday and Wednesday, Apr. 28-29.