GLENSIDE, Pa. - The Arcadia University softball program begins play in the MAC Freedom Tournament Saturday as the third-seed, hosting sixth-seeded DeSales in the best-of-three quarterfinal round. The Knights are in search of their second conference title in the last three seasons.

MAC FREEDOM SOFTBALL QUARTERFINALS (BEST-OF-THREE)
#3 ARCADIA (18-10, 14-6 MAC Freedom) vs. #6 DESALES (10-14, 7-11 MAC Freedom)

Games 1 & 2: May 1 | 1 p.m. | Blankley Field (Glenside, Pa.)
Game 3 (If Necessary): May 2 | 1 p.m. | McGettigan Park (Center Valley, Pa.)

Related: 2021 MAC Freedom Softball Championship Central

ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
-Arcadia enters postseason play Saturday with an 18-10 overall record and 9-5 mark at Blankley Field on the year. The Knights opened the 2021 season at home with DeSales and swept the doubleheader, although both games were not considered in-conference contests as the two sides were not originally scheduled to play each other.

-The Knights' offense was among the best in the MAC Freedom this season, leading the conference in batting average (.341) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.450) and on-base percentage (.389). The pitching staff has been equally impressive, leading the conference in team ERA (1.83), strikeouts (194), and opponents' batting average (.206). The defense has also played a large part in those figures, posting a second-ranked fielding percentage of .969.

-Megan Sooy has led the Knights' high-powered offense throughout the 2021 season, batting .469 (38-for-81) - ranking fourth in the conference - with a team-leading .511 on-base percentage. Sooy's five home runs are tied for the league lead with teammate Alexis Burge - who leads the MAC Freedom with 31 RBI. 

-Alex DeStefano has put together another impressive season out of the leadoff spot for the Knights, leading the conference with 39 hits and 13 stolen bases while ranking second in runs scored (26). Madi Costigan has been a welcome addition to the top of the Knight lineup, batting an even .400 (32-for-80) while going 9-for-10 on stolen base attempts.

-In the circle, Brenna Dolan, Juliana Presto, and Kylee Schwind have been dominant throughout the course of the spring. All three rank in the top-ten in the MAC Freedom in ERA, opponents' batting average, and strikeouts. Presto leads the conference in opponents' batting average (.165) and strikeouts (97) while coming in at second in ERA (1.22). 

ABOUT DESALES
-The Bulldogs enter the conference tournament winners of five of their last six games to finish the season with a 10-14 overall record.

-DeSales is led by Erin Redden and Alexa Marasheski offensively, who enter the weekend batting .288 and .268, respectively. The Bulldogs rank fifth in the conference in team batting average (.286) and slugging (.385).

-The Bulldog pitching staff has combined for a 3.38 team ERA this season while striking out 37 and holding opponents to a .268 average at the plate.