EDISON, NJ (May 10, 2022) – The 2022 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Softball Championship is set to be played this week from Wednesday, May 11 through Saturday, May 14, at Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, NY, hosted by Canisius College. All games during the championship air live on ESPN+. The six-team, double elimination championship field features top-seed and host Canisius, No. 2 Fairfield University, No. 3 Siena College, No. 4 Rider University, No. 5 Marist College, and No. 6 Iona College.
 
The most decorated program in MAAC history, the Canisius College Golden Griffins secured its MAAC-leading ninth Regular Season Championship, dating back to the 1999 season – its first since 2015 – on Monday following the conclusion of the 2022 campaign. The Griffs, who were picked sixth in the preseason coaches’ poll, went 16-4 in conference play and closed out the regular season with a 29-16 overall record. The 16 league wins were the most in a single season in Canisius program history (excluding the conference-only 2021 year). The Griffs earn an opening round bye and will begin their pursuit for MAAC title number 13 on Thursday, May 12. The team’s 12 MAAC tournament crowns lead the conference and are double the amount of the next closest team.
 
The Fairfield Stags also earned an opening round bye. The Stags completed the 2022 season 15-5 in MAAC games and 25-20 overall. The Stags enter the postseason as the hottest unit in the conference, winners of 11 straight games and 19 out of their final 20 contests to close out the regular season. Fairfield will be seeking its fourth tournament title this year, last hoisting the trophy twice in three years following 2015 and 2017. The Stags have a track record of postseason success, making for the championship final six times since 2011 and 12 times total.
 
No. 3 Siena (28-21, 14-6 MAAC) vs. No. 6 Iona (21-24, 10-10 MAAC)
Demske Sports Complex | BUFFALO, NY | 11:00 AM | ESPN+
 
The championship opens up on Wednesday at 11 a.m. with No. 3 Siena and No. 6 Iona. The Saints secured their fifth consecutive postseason berth by winning the final 10 games of the season and are a top-three seed in the field for the fourth time since 2017. Siena is seeking its first tournament championship in program history. The Gaels finished the regular season with a 10-10 MAAC record, also clinching a spot in the championship field for the fifth straight season dating back to 2017. Iona has been the second-most successful program in conference history behind Canisius, winning six MAAC tournaments, which included a run of three straight and four in five years from 2010 through 2014. The last time the two met in the MAAC tournament was in 2015 during an elimination game which was won 2-1 by Siena. When the two teams met this season on April 15 in Loudonville, NY, they split their doubleheader with Siena taking game one (7-6, 12 innings) and Iona taking game two (4-1).
 
No. 4 Rider (28-23-1, 11-9 MAAC) vs. No. 5 Marist (24-28, 11-9 MAAC)
Demske Sports Complex | BUFFALO, NY | 1:30 PM | ESPN+
 
At 1:30 p.m., No. 4 Rider and No. 5 Marist will clash. Both Rider and Marist finished the regular season with identical 11-9 conference marks, but the Broncs swept the Red Foxes on May 1, winning, 3-2 and 5-3 to earn the tiebreaker and higher seed. Rider clinched a spot in the playoffs for the second consecutive year, winning three out of its last four games of the season. The Broncs are in search of their second ever MAAC tournament crown, having won once in 2003. Marist is in the field of six for the sixth straight season since 2016. A three-time tournament champion (2006, 2013, and 2016), the Red Foxes have appeared in the championship title game seven times since the new millennium, most recently playing in the 2019 final.
 
The championship will resume on Thursday, May 12 with the top-two squads taking the field for the first time. No. 2 Fairfield will face the winner of Siena and Iona at 11 a.m. and No. 1 Canisius will take on the winner of Rider and Marist at 1:30 p.m.
 
Tickets for the 2022 MAAC Softball Championship can be purchased through HomeTown Ticketing at the gate or by visiting maacsports.com.
 
For all championship information regarding the 2022 Softball Championship, visit maacsports.com.
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
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