TROY, N.Y. – For the first time since 2018, the No. 24 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) softball team will play host to the 2023 Liberty League Softball Championship, being held at Doris Robison Field from May 11-13. The top-seeded Engineers are slated to face the winner of Thursday morning's 10 a.m. play-in game between No. 4 Union and No. 5 Clarkson immediately following the game at approximately 12:30 p.m.
 
The Engineers finished the regular season with a 31-7 overall record, with a near-perfect 13-1 record in Liberty League play.
 
RPI enters the tournament having won six of their last seven games – with their lone loss coming against the University of Rochester. The Engineers longest winning streak of the season came at 16 games, falling short of the program record 19 wins (2006).
 
The top-seeded Engineers have been strong on both sides of the ball, led by a strong pitching staff consisting of graduate student Erika Holowka, and seniors Alexis Cooke and Brooke Sroczinski. Offensively, graduate student Erin Askins and freshman Callista Adorno have done the heavy lifting in the lineup. The RPI offense averaged 6.3 runs per game, while the pitching staff only allowed 2.5 earned runs per game.
 
Cooke (Newton, NJ Kittatinny Regional) is a big part of the success in the circle, having not allowed an earned run throughout Liberty League play for an 0.00 ERA. Cooke has impressed throughout the season, putting up a team-best 2.85 ERA over 20 appearances. Cooke collected 14 wins, as her league ERA and win total puts her in the conversation for the league's Pitcher of the Year.
 
Askins does the same on the offensive side, providing a .448 batting average from the leadoff spot in the Engineers lineup. Her batting average ranks second among all Liberty League batters, while she sits top five in almost every offensive category. She is tied for first in triples (5), second in on-base percentage (.546), runs scored (43), total bases (73), walks (23), third in slugging percentage (.629), fifth in stolen bases (18), and sixth in doubles (11). Her clutch two-out, two-strike hit against Clarkson to keep the Engineers win streak going is a highlight of her season.
 
Also in the running for the league's Rookie of the Year, Adorno ranks among the league best in many categories. Her .398 average ranks second among players regularly in the starting lineup, while her four home runs are tied for second in the league. Adorno and teammate Alex Ledger rank top five in the Liberty League in RBI's, with Adorno bringing in 32 this season. She also leads the league in hit by pitches by a wide margin, reaching base 13 times after being hit by a pitch.
 
Holowka and Sroczinski round out the top part of the pitching staff, with Holowka collecting 13 just behind Cooke. Sroczinski leads all pitchers in the league with 10 total saves, while all three are in the top 11 pitchers in ERA. All three are also top 10 in the league in hits surrendered. Sroczinski currently holds a batting average against of .228, which ranks fifth among all pitchers in the league.
 
RPI, which is coached by Amber Maisonet, looks to reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2017. The Engineers have reached 30 wins for just the second time in program history, coming in second so far to the 2006 RPI team that finished with 35 wins.
 
The five-team tournament will come to a conclusion on Saturday, with the championship game slated for a 12 p.m. start. The winner of the tournament will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Softball Championship.