DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
No. 1 UConn
Blue Demons Face UConn in BIG EAST Championship Opener
5/11/2022 10:15:00 PM | SOFTBALL
DePaul begins quest for sixth BIG EAST tournament crown
CHICAGO — DePaul will begin its quest for its sixth BIG EAST Softball Tournament title on Thursday, May 12 when the No. 4 Blue Demons take on top-seeded UConn at 11 a.m. at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Ill.
Fans can catch the action on Friday live on FloSoftball before coverage moves to FS2 on Friday and Saturday. Live stats will be available and can be accessed on the DePaul schedule page.
DePaul enters the postseason after amassing a 28-22 overall record and a 16-8 mark in conference play to earn their 16th-straight bid to the BIG EAST Conference championship. The Blue Demons have won seven of their last nine and claimed five of seven conference series in 2022 including a trio of sweeps.
The Blue Demons lead the conference in almost every offensive category across league games including batting average (.305), runs (171), hits (211), extra-base hits (98), RBI (163) and walks (99). DePaul has put together a dangerous lineup 1-9 including six All-BIG EAST performers as announced by the league office on Wednesday.
Kate Polucha and Maranda Gutierrez earned the fourth All-BIG EAST recognition of their storied careers while Brooke Johnson landed on an all-league team for the second-consecutive season. Sarah Lehman, Tori Meyer and Anna Wohlers were tabbed all-conference for the first time in their careers. DePaul's six All-BIG EAST selections were the most of any team in the conference.
Gutierrez earned Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in four years. Since the league added the award to its postseason honors in the 2018 season, Gutierrez has won the leagues top honor on three occasions.
DePaul joins Connecticut, Butler, and Villanova in the field chasing the 2022 conference title. The same four teams competed for the 2021 league crown with Villanova capturing their first tournament title in league history. The Blue Demons went 3-6 against the field in the regular season, grabbing a game from Butler before being swept by Connecticut and taking two games handily from the reigning champion Wildcats.
The Huskies are coming off one of their best seasons in program history after claiming the BIG EAST regular season title for the first time since 1997. Briana Marcelino leads the way for Connecticut with a .366 average, 41 RBI and nine home runs. Fellow senior Reese Guevarra holds a .336 batting average and has 31 RBI and has scored 33 runs. The Huskies pitching staff is led by freshman Elise Sokolsky who went 12-1 in BIG EAST action. Marybeth Olson and Meghan O'Neil provide depth to the bullpen as Connecticut owned a 1.99 ERA in conference games, good for second in the league. Laura Valentino is in her third season as UConn Head Coach.
The Blue Demons are 19-11 in BIG EAST Tournament games and have captured five titles in 2008, 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Five titles ranks third all-time behind Connecticut's seven and Notre Dame's six. DePaul is 8-2 in games played at the Ballpark in Rosemont after the Blue Demons played host to the conference tournament from 2014-2019 before 2021 was hosted in Storrs, Conn. Last time in the village, DePaul used a massive late-game comeback to take down 11-10 Villanova and claim its third-straight title.
Tracie Adix-Zins, in her fourth season at the helm of her alma mater, is 96-61 overall and 2-2 in conference tournament action. The 2007 All-American will be making her third appearance in the postseason as a coach after the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
The champion of the league tournament earns the BIG EAST's automatic berth to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Blue Demons have appeared in the NCAA postseason on 21 occasions and have advanced to four Women's College World Series.
