Bunten pitches Canisius into the NCAA Tournament
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Gilroy-native Andrea Bunten led the Canisius College softball squad to earning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in school history.
The junior right-hander was named the most valuable player of the MAAC’s end-of-the-season tournament, notching three Golden Griffin wins to secure the conference championship.
Bunten, who broke Canisius’s career strike-out record and single-game whiffs record with 17 Ks in one game, was on the hill for the Griffs’ 7-3 championship victory over Rider. Canisius, which topped Rider 5-3 in the first meeting, also beat Fairfield by a 5-2 spread.
The former Gilroy High ace hurler was one of four teammates named to the MAAC Tournament team.
In the 64-team NCAA Tournament, Canisius, which finished with a 23-28 overall record, received the No. 8 seed and will play in Ann Arbor, Michigan on May 20-23.
Michigan (50-10) was the top seed in the pool; Tennessee (53-14) was No. 2; Oregon State (40-26) was No. 3; Notre Dame (48-18) was No. 4; DePaul (29-29-1) was No. 5; Bowling Green (34-28) was No. 6; and Illinois-Chicago (38-21) was No. 7.
Eight teams compete at regional sites in a double-elimination tournament. The regional winners advance to the Women’s College World Series (WCWS), an eight-team, double-elimination tournament. The WCWS will be conducted May 27-31 at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
