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BIG EAST Softball Championship Gets Under Way On Thursday

Four-team double-elimination tournament features three games on Day 1; games at noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET all streaming on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi.

STORRS, Conn. – The 2021 BIG EAST Softball Championship presented by JEEP gets under way at Burrill Family Field at the Connecticut Softball Complex on Thursday. The four-team, double-elimination tournament kicks off at noon ET on the campus of the University of Connecticut with No. 1 seed DePaul against No. 4 seed Butler in Game 1. Game 2 sees No. 2 seed Villanova against host and third-seeded UConn at 3 p.m. The week’s first elimination game is slated for 6 p.m., when the losers of Game 1 and Game 2 meet in a win-or-go-home contest.  All three of Thursday’s games will stream live on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi. In addition to YouTube, FloSoftball will also stream Thursday’s contests.
 
Action will continue on Friday with winners of Game 1 and Game 2 meeting at noon ET in Game 4, before the week’s second elimination game pits the Game 3 winner against the Game 4 loser at 3 p.m. Both of Friday’s games will air live on FS2, as will Saturday’s title series slated for noon, and 2:30 p.m. if necessary.
 
Game 1: No. 4 seed Butler vs. No. 1 seed DePaul (Noon ET)
Live Stream: YouTube | FloSoftball
DePaul In The BIG EAST Championship: 15th appearance; 19-9 (.679); five titles (2019, ’18, ’17, ’14, ‘08)
Butler In The BIG EAST Championship: third appearance; 2-1 (.667); 2016 champion
2021 Regular-Season Series: DePaul, 3-0 (2-0, 5-1, 3-1)
Inside The Matchup: Winners of three straight BIG EAST Championships and five overall, DePaul (25-9) enters the postseason with a target on its back. The Blue Demons went 13-1 in BIG EAST play in 2021 to claim its seventh regular-season title, ending league play with a three-game sweep of Thursday’s Game 1 opponent, Butler.  All-BIG EAST First Team pitcher Natalie Halvorson earned two wins against the Bulldogs during regular-season play, while All-BIG EAST Second Team first baseman Brooke Johnson batted a DePaul series high .543 with a homer and three RBI. For Butler, Mackenzie Griman led all batters with a .556 clip in the DePaul series, while Alyssa Graves wasn’t credited with a decision but pitched 9.2 innings and posted a 1.45 ERA. The Bulldogs (16-19, 6-11 BIG EAST) are making their first postseason appearance since 2017 and have one BIG EAST Championship to their credit coming in 2016 when the fourth-seeded Dawgs dethroned the reigning champions from St. John’s, 10-8 in eight innings. To reach that final, Butler upset top-seeded DePaul, 10-6, in the semifinals in what was the lone postseason meeting between the Bulldogs and Blue Demons. Other players of note in Thursday’s tilt include BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year Maranda Gutierrez of DePaul, and unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team second basemen for Butler, Lauren Fey.
 
Game 2: No. 3 seed UConn vs. No. 2 seed Villanova (3 p.m. ET)
Live Stream: YouTube | FloSoftball
Villanova In The BIG EAST Championship: 18th appearance; 13-28 (.317); three runner-up finishes (2019, ’03, 1993)
UConn In The BIG EAST Championship: 17th appearance; 31-16 (.660); seven-time champion (2001, 1996, ’95, ’93, ’92, ’91, ’90)
2021 Regular-Season Series: Villanova, 3-0 (1-0, 7-6, 9-7)
Inside The Matchup: Villanova won a BIG EAST-best 15 games in league play, capping the regular season with a three-game sweep of Thursday’s opponent, UConn. Three different Wildcat pitchers scored victories in the series, including an 11-strikeout, 1-0 shutout victory for Paige Rauch. The senior pitcher made BIG EAST history today, becoming the first to sweep Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors in the same season. All-BIG EAST Second Team second baseman Angela Giampolo batted .500 with six RBI to power the Villanova offense against UConn. The Huskies saw recently crowned BIG EAST Freshman of the Year Jana Sanden explode for a .600 batting average, while Devon Casazza notched six RBI against Villanova. Meghan O’Neil held the high-scoring Wildcats to just one run in Game 1 of the three-game series, but the UConn pitchers struggled in Games 2 and 3, surrendering 16 earned runs over the final two games. The Wildcats (32-12, 15-2) and Huskies (20-18, 12-9) have two of the longest BIG EAST Championship histories, with Villanova tying for the all-time lead in appearances with its 18th showing this year. Making its 17th appearance, UConn boasts the second-most berths in league history. The Wildcats eye their first crown in conference history, while the Huskies, who have a BIG EAST-best seven titles to their credit, will look to win their first trophy since 2001.
 
Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser (6 p.m. ET)
Live Stream: YouTube | FloSoftball
 
Each competing team will be provided a limited number of complimentary tickets. Additional general admission seating will be available on the hill outside of the stadium on a first-come, first-served basis. For more on the BIG EAST Softball Championship, visit Championship Central by clicking HERE.
 
BIG EAST Softball Championship Presented by JEEP
Burrill Family Field at the Connecticut Softball Complex
DAY 1 – THURSDAY, MAY 13:
Game 1: No. 1 DePaul vs. No. 4 Butler, Noon – BEDN
Game 2: No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 3 UConn, 3 p.m. – BEDN
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 6 p.m. – BEDN
DAY 2 – FRIDAY, MAY 14:
Game 4: Winners of Game 1 and Game 2, Noon – FS2
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 3 p.m. – FS2
Day 3 – SATURDAY, May 15:
Game 6: Winners of Game 4 and Game 5, Noon – FS2
Game 7 (if necessary): If Winner of Game 5 wins Game 6, 2:30 p.m. – FS2
All times Eastern