The 2015 America East Softball Championship begins on Thursday at Stony Brook University with the regular-season champion Seawolves facing fourth-seeded Maine at 1 p.m. and second-seeded Albany playing third-seeded Binghamton at 3:30 p.m.
Following Thursday's doubleheader, three games will be played Friday, while the championship game (games if necessary) will take place Saturday. The league champion will receive an automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Softball Championship.
Visit Championship Central for live stats links and also get updates by following @AmericaEast on Twitter. Use the #AEChamps or #AESB hastags to join the conversation.
Stony Brook (28-15, 14-2 AE) swept UMBC to claim its third America East regular-season crown in program history. The Seawolves won their last seven conference games to close out the season and finished 3 1/2 games up on second-place Albany.
Albany (30-16, 11-6 AE) took all three games from Hartford over the weekend to clinch its 14th straight tournament berth. The reigning league champion and winner of five America East titles since 2005, the Great Danes are the No. 2 seed, the fifth straight year they've been seeded second or better.
Binghamton (20-18, 10-6 AE) earned the No. 3 seed by taking two of three from Maine over the weekend with both wins coming in extra innings. The Bearcats are aiming for their first-ever league title after reaching the conference tournament for the third year in a row. The Bearcats, have won 20 games for the sixth-straight year after going seven seasons with out one.
Maine (22-20, 10-7 AE) is in the tournament field for first time since 2012. Seeking its first America East title since 2005, the Black Bears have their most wins since the 2010 season.
2015 America East Softball Championship
At Stony Brook
Thursday, May 7
Game 1: No. 1 Stony Brook vs. No. 4 Maine, 1 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 Albany vs. No. 3 Binghamton, 3:30 p.m.
Friday, May 8
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 11 a.m.
Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 1:30 p.m. (elimination game)
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner, 4 p.m. (elimination game)
Saturday, May 9
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, 12 p.m. (championship game)
Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 2:30 p.m. (if necessary)