2021 Patriot League Tournament Participants
#1 Boston University (33-2, 21-1 PL)
#2 Lehigh (16-14, 14-8 PL)
#3 Colgate (15-13-1, 13-9-1 PL)
#4 Army West Point (16-15, 12-10 PL)

Thursday, May 13
G1: #4 Army at #1 BU, 12 p.m.
G2: #2 Lehigh vs. #3 Colgate, 2:30 p.m.
Friday, May 14
G3: G1 winner vs. G2 winner, 11 a.m.
G4: G1 loser vs. G2 loser, 1:30 p.m.
G5: G3 loser vs. G4 winner, 4 p.m.
Saturday, May 15
G6: G3 winner vs. G5 winner, 12 p.m.
G7: If necessary
 
BU Softball Field (Boston, Mass.)

Watch: ESPN+ | International Stream
Listen: TSRN (BU games only)
Live Stats: GoTerriers.com
Twitter: @BUGameDay | @TerrierSoftball
Rosters: BU | Army | Colgate | Lehigh
Schedule: BU | Army | Colgate | Lehigh
Stats: BU | Army | Colgate | Lehigh 

BOSTON – Riding a 15-game win streak, the top-seeded and two-time defending Patriot League tournament champion Boston University softball team will open its title defense at home against fourth-seeded Army West Point with first pitch slated for . No. 2 Lehigh and No. 3 Colgate will follow at in the three-day double-elimination event.

The Terriers had a historic regular season in which it posted a program record-breaking .943 winning percentage with a 33-2 record, including 10-0 mark in games decided by one run, and will try to make even more history by capturing a third straight tournament crown for the first time ever. They are 14-2 all-time in the PL tournament with four 3-0 sweeps (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019) and a 2-2 result in 2017 that saw BU drop a pair of one-run decisions in the championship round on the road.

BU has won its last nine tournament games at home with 3-0 PL sweeps in 2018 and 2019 following a 3-0 sweep in the 2012 America East tournament. In their last chance to win a third consecutive title, the Terriers came up just short at home in 2011 with a 2-2 record but bounced back in 2012 to return to the NCAAs. Due to the 2020 tournament being canceled by the pandemic, the Terriers will be in a unique situation this go-round with half the squad having never competed in postseason action. 

Guided by sixth-year head coach Ashley Waters, BU entered the last weekend of the regular season as just one of seven programs to rank in the top 20 in both batting average and earned run average (ERA). Having only been shut out once this season and held to one or two runs a combined four times, the Terriers are currently hitting .322 with a 88-27 advantage in extra-base hits. Senior Jen Horita (.443), sophomore Caitlin Coker (.431) and junior Nicole Amodio (.410) are all hitting over .400 with junior Emily Gant close behind at .390. 

In the circle, DuBois will bring plenty of experience, as she was named to the All-Tournament team in both 2018 and 2019. She's currently 22-0 with a 0.69 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 131.0 innings of work with opponents batting .156. Gant (5-2, 1.06 ERA) earned All-Tournament accolades in 2019 as well for her efforts in the championship game at the plate and in the circle. She's tallied 45 strikeouts in 46.1 innings this year while holding opponents to .172. Sophomores Allison Boaz (5-0, 1.94 ERA) and Lizzy Avery (1-0, 2.33 ERA) have combined for 46 strikeouts in 51.2 innings while helping BU finish the regular season with 16 shutouts.

BU went 21-1 in conference play this year but knows reaching the NCAAs will be a challenging task. Though it went 3-1 against Army, BU was outscored 10-9 through the first three games before the game four 8-0(5) win. The Terriers also had two one-run wins against Colgate, including a thrilling 5-4 extra-inning affair that saw freshman Kayla Roncin hit a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the seventh, and earned a 1-0 win at Lehigh as part of a DH sweep.

The Terriers are 5-0 all-time against Army in the PL tournament with a 3-2 opening round win in 2016 and 8-0(5) victory in 2018. The Black Knights went 12-10 in conference play, including most recently a 2-2 split at Holy Cross, and owns two notable non-conference wins at current 36-8 Fordham. Army is batting .268 while holding teams to .252. Angelina Bebek is hitting .344 with a team-high 22 runs scored, while Ally Snelling (.322) and Megan Muffett (.293) have combined for 11 homers and 42 RBIs. In the circle, Jolie Duong (9-2, 2.44 ERA) has earned three shutouts and a save, while Allcyn Grete (6-8, 3.19 ERA) owns 110 strikeouts in 90.1 innings.

Lehigh is the only team to have beaten BU in the PL tournament back in 2017 (2x) and had its chances in 2019 as well, dropping a 2-1 contest in the semifinal and then a 14-7 decision in the title game after being four outs away from forcing a rematch for the automatic NCAA berth. Lehigh went 14-8 in conference play this season and is riding an eight-game win streak. The Mountain Hawks are batting .313 with Carley Barjaktarovich leading the way .440, while Jaelynn Chesson (.415) owns 16 doubles, eight homers and 50 RBIs. Gabriella Nori (7-5, 2.16 ERA) is holding batters to .221 average, while Katelyn Young (8-7, 3.83 ERA) is holding teams to .258. 

BU has only met Colgate once in the tournament, a 3-0 victory to open the 2019 tournament. The Raiders went 13-9-1 in conference play with a 1-1-1 record at Bucknell over the weekend. As a team, Colgate is hitting .293 with a 76-49 advantage in extra-base hits. Morgan Farrah (.354) owns seven homers and 26 RBIs, while Adrienne Nardone (.387) and Steph Jacoby (.325) all have at least four homers apiece. In the circle, Bailey Misken (6-6, 2.34 ERA) and Bella Crow (7-5, 3.88 ERA) have combined for five shutouts and 117 combined strikeouts in 160 innings of work.

The winner of the tournament will learn its NCAA regional destination during the selection show on Sunday (May 16) at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.