Five America East softball players and three conference teams are currently ranked in the top three in the country in several different statistical categories, according to the latest NCAA national ranking summary that was released on Wednesday (April 12).
Complete NCAA Softball Statistics
UMBC’s Melanie Denichuk leads the country in runs batted in (RBI) with 1.64 and ranks second for slugging percentage (.962) and third in home runs per game (0.43). Fellow Retriever, Kali Shirk, also leads in the nation in stolen bases with a 0.82 average.
Albany places two - Maegan Larsen and Katrina Dunning - in the top rankings. Larsen holds the second spot for runs per game with a 1.28 average, while Dunning, who leads the Great Danes with 0.16 triples per game, currently ranks third in the national rankings.
Samantha Morrison is Hartford’s lone representative in this week’s ranking summary. Morrison is currently tied for the nation's lead in triples per game with 0.17.
As a team, Albany ranks among the nation's finest in three major categories. Dunning carries the Great Danes in triples, earning the No. 1 team ranking for triples per game with 0.68. Albany holds the No. 2 rank for batting average, following national leader Tennessee (.368), with a .355 average. Behind a 7.52 runs per game average, Albany rounds out the top three spots in third.
UMBC currently ranks second in scoring (7.61 rpg) and in slugging percentage (.581). The Retrievers trail leading run scorer Lousiana-Lafayette by a narrow .03 runs per game. Denischuk set the pace for UMBC in home runs per game with a team average of 1.48, good for third place in the team standings.
Conference play in America East softball continues on Friday and Saturday with four weekend series events to be played. Most notably, the top two teams in the league, Albany and Maine meet in New York for a doubleheader on Friday (1 p.m.) and a single game on Saturday (11 a.m.).