BIDDEFORD, Maine – Suffolk softball will be making its Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament debut this season as the Rams secured the fourth seed in the upcoming league postseason, the conference office unveiled late Sunday night.
In their second season in the conference the Rams finished with a 10-8 league ledger, the same as the University of New England. The head-to-head tiebreaker offered no relief so the comparison of records against other conference competition in rank order came into play. The Rams and Nor'Easters had matching results with Endicott, Western New England and Wentworth, however, UNE swept Salve Regina, while the Seahawks defeated the blue-and-gold twice to give UNE the No. 3 seed and put Suffolk in the No. 4 seed.
The 2022 CCC Softball Championship Tournament will feature two pods of double elimination action. As the fourth seed, Suffolk will play in Bracket A, hosted by regular-season champion, top seed Endicott, alongside fifth-seed Wentworth and eighth-seed Roger Williams.
Bracket B features second seed Western New England, third seed UNE, sixth seed Salve Regina and seventh seed Nichols.
Pending weather, the two brackets are scheduled to begin with four games on Wednesday, May 4. In each bracket the host will play the lowest seed in the opener at 10 a.m., with the two other teams facing one another at 12:15 p.m. Game 3 on either side will then pit the winners of the first two games against each other, followed by an elimination game between the losers of Game 1 and 2.
The tournament continues on Thursday, May 5 with two games at each site. The Game 3 losers will play the Game 4 winners in an elimination game to begin the day followed by a matchup between the Gave 5 winner and the undefeated team in the bracket. If the undefeated team is handed a loss, then the foes will meet the following day, Friday, May 6, at the higher seed's home field to determine who advances out of the pool play into the championship round.
The championship round will pit the winners of each bracket against one another at the higher seed on Saturday, May 7. It will be a continuation of the double-elimination tournament with losses carrying over. If neither team has two losses after the opening game on Saturday, a second game will be played. If both teams end Saturday with one loss a final game will be played on Sunday, May 8.
Weather may impact the planned schedule.
The winners of the 2022 CCC Softball Championship will be named the CCC Softball Tournament Champion and earn the conference's automatic qualifier into the 2022 NCAA Division III Softball Championship.
Although this is Suffolk's first CCC postseason trip, it is the program's 21st trip to a conference tournament and first since 2019. The Rams look to raise a conference trophy for the first time since its inaugural campaign in 1996 when it won the first-ever GNAC crown. Despite owning a conference championship, the blue-and-gold has never made its way to the national stage and aims to change that fate this season when it meets the fifth-seeded Leopards Wednesday, May 4 at 12:15 p.m.
2022 CCC Softball Tournament
Wednesday, May 4
Bracket A – Hosted by No. 1 Endicott at Softball Complex, Beverly, Mass.
GAME 1A - #8 Roger Williams at #1 Endicott – 10 a.m.
GAME 2A - #5 Wentworth vs. #4 Suffolk – 12:15 p.m.
GAME 3A – Winner of GAME 1A vs. Winner of GAME 2A, 30 minutes after GAME 2A
GAME 4A – Loser of GAME 1A vs. Loser of GAME 2A, 30 minutes after GAME 3A
Bracket B – Hosted by No. 2 Western New England at Golden Bear Park, Springfield, Mass.
GAME 1B - #7 Nichols at #2 Western New England – 10 a.m.
GAME 2B - #6 Salve Regina vs. #3 University of New England – 12:15 p.m.
GAME 3B – Winner of GAME 1B vs. Winner of GAME 2B, 30 minutes after GAME 2B
GAME 4B – Loser of GAME 1B vs. Loser of GAME 2B, 30 minutes after GAME 3B
Thursday, May 5
Bracket A - Hosted by No. 1 Endicott at Softball Complex, Beverly, Mass.
GAME 5A – Loser of GAME 3A vs. Winner of GAME 4A
GAME 6A – Winner of GAME 3A vs. Winner of GAME 5A
Bracket B - Hosted by No. 2 Western New England at Golden Bear Park, Springfield, Mass.
GAME 5B – Loser of GAME 3B vs. Winner of GAME 4B
GAME 6B – Winner of GAME 3B vs. Winner of GAME 5B
Friday, May 6 – Hosted by Higher Seed
GAME 7A – GAME 6A Teams, if necessary
GAME 7B – GAME 6B Teams, if necessary
Saturday, May 7 – CCC Championship Round – hosted by higher seed
GAME 8 – Winner of Bracket A vs. Winner of Bracket B
GAME 9 – If necessary, 30 minutes after GAME 8
Sunday, May 8 – CCC Championship Round – hosted by higher seed
GAME 10 – if necessary