NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. - Franklin Pierce softball made history Saturday, clinching the first Northeast 10 championship (regular or postseason) in school history. The Ravens finished 30-6 in conference and are ranked 19th in the country this week by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
With their regular season title the Ravens are set to host championship weekend in Rindge, N.H. beginning on Thursday. FPU is the eighth current conference member, and 14th overall, to win the regular season title.
With a 27-9 conference record, Adelphi earned the No. 2 seed in next week's bracket. After Pace claimed the top seed a year ago, this marks the first time since 2012 that Adelphi has gone consecutive seasons without at least a share of the regular season crown. FPU and AU met this weekend to close the regular season with the Ravens taking three of four to clinch thier title.
Northeast 10 regular season softball champions have won three of the four postseason brackets since the conference abandoned the divisional format in 2022. The lone exception was Adelphi in 2024, when the Panthers were toppled by Saint Anselm in the final game.
The top half of the conference is rounded out by Southern New Hampshire and Assumption. The Penmen are propelled by one of the nation's leading strikeout pitchers in Julianna Colbert, while Assumption returns to the postseason after finishing as conference runners-up in 2025. Reigning champion Pace is the No. 5 seed.
Action begins Tuesday for the teams seeded two through seven. They'll play at the sites of the higher seeded teams with the home squad needing to win once to advance to Rindge. The lower seeded teams would need to win twice to move on — which did happen when this format was instituted for the first time last spring.
1. Franklin Pierce
2. Adelphi
3. Southern New Hampshire
4. Assumption
5. Pace
6. Saint Anselm
7. Bentley*
* Southern Connecticut also finished with a 14-22 record. Bentley earnd the #7 seed with a 3-1 record vs. SCSU during the regular season.
Tuesday, May 5th
First Round Games (if the high seed wins the first game, no second game will be played)
Game 1: #7 Bentley at #2 Adelphi – TBA
Game 2: #6 Saint Anselm at #3 Southern New Hampshire – 2:30pm
Game 3: #5 Pace at #4 Assumption – TBA
Thursday-Saturday, May 7th-9th
Championship Weekend (to be hosted by Franklin Pierce)
Game 4: G3 winner vs. #1 Franklin Pierce
Game 5: G1 winner vs. G2 winner
Game 6: G4 loser vs. G5 loser
Game 7: G4 winner vs. G5 winner
Game 8: G6 winner vs. G7 loser
Game 9: G7 winner vs. G8 winner
Game 10: If Necessary
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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