The Series: Towson Tigers (14-15, 4-5 CAA) vs. Drexel Dragons (6-16, 2-3 CAA)
Where: Tiger Softball Stadium – Towson, Md.
When: Saturday-Sunday, April 1-2 – Saturday double header at 12 p.m., Sunday single game at 1 p.m.
Broadcast: Live stream on FloSports on Sunday only, Live stats at TowsonTigers.com

TOWSON, Md. – Towson softball continues their home stand with a three-game CAA set against Drexel on Saturday and Sunday, April 1-2. The Tigers are coming off a midweek split against Morgan State on Wednesday. Towson needed extra innings in game one to defeat the Lady Bears before falling in six innings in game two.

Towson got the game winning RBI off the bat of Sydni Byers in the eighth who reached on a fielder's choice and plated Alyssa Myint to give the Tigers a 2-1 win. In the nightcap, Morgan State pushed out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back, winning 9-1 in six innings. Mackenzie Lake drove in the only Towson run with a solo home run.

Towson and Drexel have met 111 times prior to this weekend with the Tigers leading the series 66-44-1 all-time. However, the Dragons have won eight of the last ten matchups dating back to the 2019 season including a 2-1 series win in Philadelphia last season.

SCOUTING THE DRAGONS:
The Dragons come into the contest at 6-16, 2-3 CAA on the year after a midweek split at Fordham on Wednesday. Drexel dropped game one 3-1 before turning around with a 9-1 win in game two. The Dragons have played just two home games and are 4-7 on the road this season. Izzy Alamillo is the only Dragon batting over .300, hitting at .333 with a team-best 20 hits and nine runs scored. Lily Meuninck has driven in a team-high 14 runs. In the circle, Lindsay Nelson has a 3.78 ERA in 16 appearances, throwing six complete games in 70.1 innings of work.

TIGERS HONORED:
Three different Tigers have earned CAA weekly awards so far in the 2023 season. Maddie Gardner was named pitcher of the week back on February 21 while Addie Ferguson was named rookie of the week the following week. Most recently, Madyson Peters was named player of the week on March 20 after leading Towson to their first CAA series sweep since 2019.

Towson is the only team so far this season to have at least one player win all three awards.

NEWCOMERS:
Towson will have 10 newcomers suit up in the Black and Gold for the 2023 season. Eight of the ten newcomers are freshman who will be making their collegiate debuts, joining a pair of DI transfers in Erin Brown (Thousand Oak, Calif./La Reina/St. John's) and Maddie Gardner (Sun Prairie, Wisc./Sun Prairie/South Florida).

Brown comes to Towson from St. John's University where she made 46 appearances in the circle with 25 starts throwing 173.2 innings. She amassed an 11-20 record with nine complete games, three shutouts and two saves. Her best season came during the Covid shortened 2020 campaign, going 5-6 with a 2.95 ERA in 61.2 innings.

Gardner made six appearances in two seasons for USF in the circle. She sported a 1-0 record in five appearances in 2021, picking up a victory against Florida Atlantic in 2.0 innings of relief.

Alyssa Myint, Nadia Martyniuk, Cheyenne Beayon, Isabella Canesi, Cara Bohner, Addie Ferguson, Kellie Zoerb and Grace Franczyk will also suit up for the Tigers in 2023.

NEW LOOK PITCHING STAFF:
Towson returns just two pitchers who saw action in the 2022 season in Paige Kostick and Sydni Byers. Kostick saw action in seven games with four starts, tossing 28.1 innings with 11 strikeouts. Byers appeared in five games out of the bullpen. Also returning for the Tigers will be Morgan Wagner who missed the 2022 season due to an injury.

Three newcomers will join the pitching staff in freshman Cheyenne Beayon and transfers Erin Brown and Maddie Gardner. Beayon comes to Towson from Mount De Sales with Brown and Gardner transferring from St. John's University and University of South Florida. Brown made 46 career appearances for the Red Storm with nine complete games. Gardner made six appearances in her two seasons with the Bulls.

OFFENSIVE DEPTH:
The Tigers return four of their top five hitters from 2022, including offensive leader Briana Ramirez. Ramirez led Towson with a .379 batting average and a .434 slugging percentage a year ago. Ramirez finished second in the CAA in batting and will enter 2023 as the top returning hitter from a year ago while also finishing third in hits with 55 in 2022.

Mackenzie Lake, Sydni Byers, and Madyson Peters also return to help a Towson offense that hit .252 from the plate in 2022. Lake finished the year with a .303 batting average, leading the team with seven doubles and five home runs. Byers hit .256 tying Lake with seven doubles and team-best 25 RBIs. Peters went .245 from the dish with 27 hits and six doubles.

NEXT GAME:
Towson will hit the road for the next six games, starting with a double header at George Mason on Wednesday, April 5. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. and the games will air on ESPN+.