BEVERLY, Mass. — The No. 1 Endicott College Gulls will host No. 2 Roger Williams University with the Conference of New England (CNE) Championship on the line on Sunday.
First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m, with an if-necessary game to follow later in the afternoon should Endicott hand the Hawks their first loss of the tournament in the double-elimination format.
The championship showdown features the tournament's top two seeds, as second-seeded Roger Williams enters at 26-13 overall while top-seeded Endicott sits at 24-13.
Roger Williams enters the title round unbeaten in postseason play after continuing one of its strongest stretches of the season. The Hawks opened the tournament with a victory over No. 3 Johnson & Wales before advancing to Friday's winners' bracket semifinal against Endicott. There, RWU earned a tightly contested 2-1 victory behind strong pitching and timely offense to secure its place in the championship round. The win extended Roger Williams' current winning streak to seven games and gave the Hawks the advantage of needing just one win Sunday to claim the title.
Endicott's path required a battle through the elimination bracket after Friday's semifinal loss. The Gulls opened tournament play with a win over No. 5 Hartford before falling to Roger Williams in the winners' bracket semifinal. Facing elimination Friday afternoon, Endicott met Hartford for a second time in the tournament and responded with a dominant 13-3 victory in five innings to advance back into the championship round. Endicott now must defeat Roger Williams twice Sunday to secure the conference championship.
Endicott holds a 59-20 advantage in the all-time series, including a 40-10 mark in conference contests. However, many of the most important postseason victories in Roger Williams softball history have come against the Gulls.
The Hawks captured conference championships over Endicott in both 2001 and 2002, including a 1-0 CCC Championship victory in 2001 and a decisive 4-0 title-clinching win in Beverly in 2002. Roger Williams again stunned the Gulls during its memorable 2013 postseason run, defeating top-seeded Endicott twice in Beverly by scores of 3-2 and 6-3 to claim the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Hawks would later secure the program's first NCAA Tournament victory with a 2-0 win over Farmingdale State.
Roger Williams has also eliminated Endicott during deep tournament runs in 2016 and 2017, defeating the Gulls 6-5 and 2-0, respectively. Most recently, the Hawks reached the conference championship round in 2024 after battling through the elimination bracket with four straight postseason victories.
Endicott, meanwhile, enters Sunday carrying one of the most decorated postseason resumes in conference history. The Gulls have captured 17 conference tournament championships, including titles in 2021, 2022, and 2023. The program also won four consecutive league championships from 2003-06 and another four straight from 2008-11.
Endicott swept the regular season doubleheader in Bristol on Apr. 21 by scores of 5-3 and 6-4 before Roger Williams responded with Friday's 2-1 postseason victory.
Roger Williams leads the conference in team ERA (2.48) and fielding percentage (.972) while ranking third offensively with a .312 batting average and 26 home runs. Endicott ranks second in the conference in batting average (.319), runs scored (227), and ERA (2.72).
The Hawks are led offensively by junior shortstop Shannon Starratt, who has established herself as one of the conference's elite players. Starratt ranks sixth in the conference in batting average (.413), sixth in slugging percentage (.694), third in on-base percentage (.496), and third in OPS (1.190). She also ranks second in the conference with 50 hits while adding 12 doubles, six home runs, and 34 RBI this season.
Junior Hailey Williams has added another consistent presence for the Hawks, batting .366 with a .952 OPS while ranking among the conference leaders in hits and fielding percentage. Sophomore McKenzie Foley has contributed a .345 average and .896 OPS, while first-year Madison Moran has emerged as one of the conference's top power hitters with a .535 slugging percentage and .904 OPS.
Inside the circle, Roger Williams boasts one of the conference's deepest staffs. Senior Raegen Germano ranks third in the CNE in ERA (2.33), second in opposing batting average (.188), and third in strikeouts with 105. Junior Keira Quadros ranks fourth in ERA (2.52) and has added 70 strikeouts and 11 victories.
Defensively, the Hawks have separated themselves all season. Adrianna Amaral and Nicolette Fraser both carry perfect fielding percentages, while Skye Merrow ranks eighth in the conference at .992 and Williams ranks ninth at .990. Starratt also ranks eighth in the conference with 72 assists.
Endicott counters with one of the league's most explosive offensive lineups led by juniors Abby McClaflin and Kylyn McLaren. McClaflin ranks third in the conference in batting average (.417), second in on-base percentage (.511), sixth in OPS (1.154), and leads the conference in runs scored with 41. McLaren ranks fourth in batting average (.417), fifth in slugging percentage (.699), and fifth in OPS (1.169). First-year Maddie Beeley has added a .365 average, while Elyse Saccoccio has driven in 33 runs this season.
The Gulls also feature one of the conference's top pitching duos in senior Analise Grady and junior Kristen Beebe. Grady leads the conference with a 1.74 ERA and 10 saves, while Beebe ranks first in opposing batting average (.177) and fourth in strikeouts with 102.
Roger Williams head coach Joyce Maudie enters the weekend seeking another defining postseason moment in her 16th season leading the Hawks. Maudie has guided RWU to multiple championship appearances and previously led the program to the 2013 conference title over Endicott.
