The Hofstra Softball team wrapped up the Colonial Athletic Association regular season title with its 8-0 win over Drexel on Sunday, and will host the CAA Tournament this Thursday-Saturday. The Pride takes on fourth-seeded James Madison on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. at Hofstra Softball Stadium, while second-seeded Towson meets #3 Drexel in the first game at 12 noon.

The regular season title marked the 14th year in a row, all under Head Coach Bill Edwards, in which the Pride has won either a regular season or a postseason conference championship, dating back to the 1992 season in the East Coast Conference. Hofstra has won all four regular season CAA titles since the league was founded in 2002, and has finished in first place in 10 of the 11 years since it joined the America East Conference in 1995. The only exception was a second-place finish to Boston University in 2001, when the Pride bounced back to win the conference tournament.

Hofstra (38-14-1, 14-2 CAA) will also be shooting for its eighth straight conference tournament championship this week. The Pride has won the first three CAA Tournaments (2002-04) after also capturing the last four in the America East (1998-2001). Hofstra has also hosted the first three CAA Tournaments, compiling a 10-1 record in postseason play. Overall, the Pride is 38-3 at home against CAA opponents in the league's four years, although one of the losses came to Towson this spring.

The Pride will be trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row after a magical run last season nearly brought the team to the Women's College World Series. Hofstra opened the 2004 NCAA Regionals at Stanford by defeating #12 Auburn 1-0 in nine innings and Southern Illinois 1-0 in 12 innings. After falling to #7 Stanford in a winner's bracket game, the Pride bounced back to defeat Southern Illinois 3-1 to advance through to the regional finals, where it defeated Stanford 1-0 to force a second and deciding game for the right to go to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. Stanford, though, pulled out a 3-1 win to end Hofstra's deepest NCAA run in school history.

Hofstra enters the 2005 postseason with a season-long eight-game win streak, while senior pitcher Callie Osborne (Oshawa, Ontario - pictured) takes a personal 19-game win streak into the CAA Tournament. Osborne is now 22-5 on the year, and has not lost since a 1-0 defeat to Seton Hall on March 19, giving her the longest active win streak in all of Division I. Osborne was 9-0 in conference games this season, six of which were shutouts, and has tallied shutouts in 11 of her last 17 starts overall.

Offensively, the Pride has a balanced attack, led by sophomore catcher/outfielder Ashley Lane (Westbury, NY) and junior second baseman Lisa Wambold (Hatboro, PA). Lane led Hofstra this season with a .374 batting average, to go along with eight home runs and 27 runs batted in. Wambold, meanwhile, became the first player in school history to have 10 homers and 10 stolen bases in the same season. She is currently third on the Pride's single-season home run list with 13, and has added double-digits in stolen bases (12) for the third straight year. Senior designated player Stefanie Kenney (Malvern, PA) is in a virtual tie with Lane for the team batting average lead (.374) and has a 10-game hitting streak active.

Second-seeded Towson (36-17, 13-2) finished one-half game behind Hofstra and boasts a senior-dominated team, led by shortstop Katie Mumbauer and outfielder Jeanne Bosch. Mumbauer is batting .321 with 28 runs scored at the top of the Tiger batting order, while Bosch is hitting .301 with five homers and 29 RBI. In the circle, freshman Jessica Fisher has had a spectacular rookie season, tallying a 16-7 record and a 1.40 earned run average, while senior Jessica Wides is 13-7 with a 2.12 ERA (including 7-1 with an 0.96 ERA in conference games).

Third-seeded Drexel (19-20, 8-9) was the surprise of the CAA this year after being picked to finish last in the preseason poll. The Dragons have been led by senior pitcher Krista VanWert, who is 11-6 with an 0.84 earned run average heading into the postseason. Senior Elizabeth Fuller has also been a solid contributor in the circle (6-13, 96 K's) and at the plate, where she is batting .276 with a team-high 16 runs batted in. Freshman outfielder Amanda Hastings leads the Dragons in hitting at .283.

Fourth-seeded James Madison (27-25, 8-10) qualified for the CAA Tournament on the last day of the regular season with a 3-2 win over Drexel. The Dukes have been led by senior pitcher/outfielder Liz George and junior pitcher/infielder Briana Carrera. George is 11-8 with a 1.86 earned run average in the circle, to go along with a .321 batting average at the plate. Carrera, meanwhile, is hitting a team-high .329 and has a 12-11 record and a 1.76 earned run average. Senior designated player Katie Jaworski has chipped in with a .290 batting average and a team-best 22 RBI.

The winner of the CAA Tournament recieves an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Softball Championship. The NCAA field will be announced on Sunday evening, with the regionals scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 19.

CAA Softball Tournament Schedule (Double-elimination)

Thursday, May 12
Game 1: #2 Towson (36-17, 13-2) vs. #3 Drexel (19-20, 8-9), 12 p.m.
Game 2: #4 James Madison (27-25, 8-10) vs. #1 Hofstra (38-14-1, 14-2), 3:30 p.m.

Friday, May 13
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 10 a.m.

Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 12:30 p.m.

Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 3 p.m.

Saturday, May 14

Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 12 noon

Game 7: Same two teams (if necessary), 30 min. following