TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball has qualified for the 2019 Liberty League Tournament as the third seed and will face second seed University of Rochester in the opening round of the double-elimination competition on Thursday afternoon (2:30pm) at Kostrinsky Field in Ithaca, N.Y. The top seed and hosts from Ithaca College will face fourth seed Clarkson at noon.

Led by ninth-year head coach Amber Maisonet, the Engineers enter the weekend with a 27-9 overall record, including a 9-5 mark in Liberty League play. RPI is batting .344 as a team, with 66 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs and 225 runs scored. In the circle, the Engineers boast a 2.85 team earned run average, allowing 254 hits in 236.0 innings, striking out 133 batters an walking 50. The staff allows a .271 opponent average.

Individually, junior Veronica DeStefano is hitting a team-best .438 (56 for 128), with 10 doubles, a triple, two home runs, 38 runs scored and 24 runs batted in. She has a .460 on-base percentage and a .578 slugging percentage, stealing 21 bases in 22 tries. Freshman Jessica Torch is second at .393 (44 for 112), with a double, a triple, 29 runs and 10 RBI, compiling a .452 on-base percentage and a .429 slugging percentage, stealing a school-record 35 bases in 38 attempts. Junior Allie Hunt rounds out the top three hitters at .367 (44 for 120), with nine doubles, a home run, 22 runs and a team-high 33 RBI. She has a .409 on-base percentage and a .467 slugging percentage.

In the circle, junior Jaime Cleasby is 8-3 with a 2.33 earned run average in 16 appearances (12 starts). She has recorded team-highs in complete games (10) and shutouts (2), while allowing 70 hits in 78.0 innings, striking out 42 and walking just 15. Opponents are batting .233 off the righthander. Freshman Erika Holowka leads the Liberty League wins, posting a 13-4 mark over 22 appearances (16 starts). She has a 2.66 ERA, with eight complete games, one shutout and three saves. Surrendering 112 hits in 102.2 innings, she has struck out 81 batters and walked 16, with a .275 opponent average. Sophomore Taylor Spargo (6-2) has a 3.48 ERA in 12 games (8 starts), giving up 64 hits in 50.1 innings. 

The Engineers will be playing in their 10th consecutive Liberty League Tournament, having claimed victory in 2013 and 2017. RPI has had two tournament Most Valuable Players as Charlene Osmanski and Stephanie Caudle have taken home the honor is 2013 and 2017, respectively. 

Each team will play a single game on Thursday, followed by a winners' game on Friday morning (10am), followed by a pair of elimination games at 12:30pm and 3pm. The champioinship round begins on Saturday at 12pm, with a second contest to be played immediately following if nec. Full tournament information can be found here.