Concord Squares Off with Fairmont in MEC Tournament Opener

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ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University softball team opens the Mountain East Conference Tournament 5:00 p.m. Wednesday versus Fairmont State at the Moyer Sports Complex in Salem, Virginia.

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The Mountain East Conference will provide live statistics and live video for the entirety of the tournament.
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SERIES HISTORY: Fairmont State leads 35-24

LAST FIVE MEETINGS VERSUS FAIRMONT STATE
April 13, 2025: Concord 9 – Fairmont State 3, Fairmont State 4 – Concord 3 (Fairmont, W.Va.)
May 1, 2024: Fairmont State 7 – Concord 1 (Troutville, Va.)
April 14, 2024: Fairmont State 2 – Concord 1, Fairmont State 4 – Concord 3 (Athens, W.Va.)
April 14, 2023: Fairmont State 9 – Concord 5, Fairmont State 3 – Concord 0 (Fairmont, W.Va.)
April 16, 2022: Concord 3 – Fairmont State 1, Fairmont State 9 – Concord 2 (Athens, W.Va.)

CONCORD AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 23-26
MEC Record: 16-14
Home Record: 7-9
Away Record: 13-13
Neutral Record: 3-4

BACK TO THE BIG SHOW
Concord finished the MEC portion of its schedule with a mark of 16-14—the first winning record in league play since 2021 when the Mountain Lions went 15-13 in the conference. CU will be seeking its first MEC Tournament win since making the championship game in 2019. Only five current Mountain Lions have started a game in the MEC Tournament—senior infielder Kassidy Garvey, junior catcher/outfielder Morgan Gleason, junior pitcher/infielder Madison Hollis, sophomore infielder Kendall Morgan and senior infielder Courtney Raines. Raines had two hits and an RBI in last year's MEC Tournament opener against Fairmont State.

WE MEET AGAIN
Wednesday's contest will be the second straight season and the third time in the last six MEC Tournaments that Concord opens up postseason play against FSU. Last May, Concord lost to the Fighting Falcons in the conference tournament, 7-1. The teams also met in 2019, a win for Fairmont State. Raines and all-region infielder Kylee Stacy accounted for five hits. Sophomore pitcher Josi Ervin tossed five innings and only allowed one run in relief. The recent Concord and Fairmont State matchups have been tightly contested with three of the last five games being decided by a run. Earlier this season, the teams split a doubleheader at FSU with CU taking the first game 9-3 before Fairmont State walked off in the seventh, 4-3. Junior outfielder Alina Giles was 4-for-6 with three doubles and three RBI. Garvey had a grand slam in the game one win. In the circle, Hollis pitched a complete game, allowing two earned runs. Freshman pitcher Mahailey Nicholson tied her career with eight strikeouts in game two, but was the tough-luck loser.

SIMILAR STYLES
Both Concord and Fairmont State are hitting .289 on the season entering the conference tournament, which is tied fourth in the MEC. Both offenses are middle of the pack in doubles with Fairmont State collecting 65—sixth in the conference—while CU has 63 two-base hits with three less games played. Concord has two more home runs than FSU (27-25) with junior infielder Lacie Lewis tied for second in the MEC in home runs (11). The one big difference in the offensive styles is Fairmont State has 157 stolen bases this season, first in Division II. Concord is second in the MEC in stolen bases with 61. Gleason leads CU with 16 while Morgan and junior catcher Gianna Sloan-Lebron each have 11 steals.

WHAT'S NEXT?
After Wednesday's tournament opener, Concord will face either Charleston or Point Park in the second game. A win would send CU to the winner's bracket at 12:00 p.m. Thursday while a loss means the Mountain Lions would face elimination versus the Golden Eagles or Pioneers at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

FAIRMONT STATE AT A GLANCE
Overall Record: 34-17-1
MEC Record: 19-9
Home Record: 13-9
Away Record: 21-8-1

SCOUTING THE FIGHTING FALCONS
Fairmont State enters the MEC Tournament on the NCAA Tournament bubble after winning the MEC North for a third straight season. Alexa Foresha leads the FSU offense with a .368 average to go with 15 doubles and 38 RBI. Emma Paul has driven in 39 runs. Bella Hess is at the forefront of the running game with 49 stolen bases, more than six teams in the MEC. Delaney Haller is 19-2 in the circle with a 2.25 ERA and 98 strikeouts. Haller is top four in all four pitching categories in the MEC. Concord did manage three runs off the sophomore earlier in the season.