ITHACA, N.Y. – After an unlucky early schedule, the Cornell softball team will look to get back on the field when it travels to Maryland for the Mount St. Mary's Invitational beginning on Saturday, March 25 in Emmitsburg. The Big Red will play single games against Canisius (9:30 a.m.) and Morgan State (1:30 p.m.) on Saturday, followed by contests against Manhattan (9:30 a.m.) and the host Mountaineers (1:30 p.m.) on Sunday.

The Big Red will step back on the field for the first time in nearly two weeks after last weekend's Delaware Blue Hen Invitational was erased from the schedule after Winter Storm Stella struck the Northeast.

Senior Michiko McGivney (.625, two doubles, two home runs) leads an offense hitting .292 as a squad. Regulars Sarah Murray (.429, three RBI), Madeline Avery (.353, home run, two RBI) and Megan Murray (.318, five RBI) are all regulars hitting better than .300 through seven games. Freshmen Lisa Nelson (1-1, 6.38 ERA) and Katie Lew (1-2, 17.50 ERA) each have a win in the circle, while junior Maddie Orcutt (0-2, 7.64 ERA) had a strong outing in the narrow loss to the Patriots last weekend. Head coach Julie Farlow's squad has put plenty of pressure on opposing defenses, drawing 18 errors in seven games.

At 2-5, the Big Red has played the fewest games of any Division I team due to pure bad luck. Games have been cancelled due to unseasonably cold weather in Virginia and field conditions after a major winter storm in Delaware.

Canisius
Canisius sports an 11-13 record after splitting its last eight games. The Golden Griffins are hitting .277 as a team with both Samantha Sharkey (.354, 14 R, 7 RBI) and Lauren Castro (.347, 9 2B, 3 HR, 19 RBI) ranking among the MAAC hitting leaders, while Moriah Harris (.290, 14 R, 3 HR, 10 RBI)and Denver Keller (.262, 3 HR, 13 RBI) are also tied for the team lead with three home runs. Pitchers Madi Weathers (5-4, 2.54 ERA) and Erika Mackie (4-7, 4.10 ERA) have thrown the lion's share of the innings so fat this season in the circle. Third-year head coach Kim Griffin was named MAAC Coach of the Year in 2015 after directing the team to a conference title in her first season directing the program and has a 60-64 overall record (28-12 MAAC).

Morgan State
The Bears bring a 7-8 record into the weekend and are 3-1 in their last four games, though they haven't been on the diamond since March 5. Morgan State is hitting .210 as a team, with Damali Young leading the way at .280 with a pair of doubles and three triples. Amy Begg has been excellent in the circle, posting a 6-4 record with 60 strikeouts in 64.2 innings of work, posting seven complete games in nine starts and adding a save. Larry Hineline, previously head coach at Coppin State where he set the school's all-time wins record, begins his third season at Morgan State. He sports a 28-66 overall record at his new school, including 15-18 in MEAC competition.

Manhattan
The Jaspers are 7-9 overall, including 4-2 in their last six contests. Manhattan is batting .246 as a team, with Shannon Puthe hitting a team-best .316. The Jaspers have posted a solid 3.06 team ERA and has been backed by a solid .965 fielding percentage. Briana Matazinsky (4-3, 2.66 ERA in 44.2 innings), Stephanie Kristo (2-2, 2.52 ERA in 25.0 innings) and Kayla McDermott (1-2, 2.51 ERA in 22.1 innings) have each been outstanding in the circle and have allowed three runs or fewer in six of the tema's seven wins. Eighth-year head coach Tom Pardalis has guided Manhattan to 25 or more wins five times, including 30 wins a season ago for the first time in nearly a quarter century.

Mount St. Mary's
The Mountaineers have posted a 5-14 overall record after a split on Wednesday at home against Buffalo. The Mount is hitting .282 and is led by freshmen Shelbee Holcomb (.417) and Kaylee Stoner (.367), along with full-time starters Lindsay (.356, two home runs, nine RBI) and Rachel Heinze (.333, six home runs, 11 RBI). The majority of the innings in the circle have gone to Sam Lichtner (3-4, 3.42 ERA in 45.0 innings) and Jordan Weaver (1-6, 7.07 ERA in 34.2 innings). Seventh-year head coach Anna Nagro has registered 98 wins in her career at Mount St. Mary's entering the weekend.