District college notebook: All booked up, Ryan misses Seton Hill playoff opener

Morgan Ryan hopes to help Seton Hill softball reach the finals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament.

Right after she is done with her own finals.

Ryan, the Griffins’ standout grad student pitcher, did not join the team for the PSAC playoff opener Wednesday in Quakertown. She is expected to miss the team’s losers-bracket game Thursday as well as she takes her in-person final exams.

Ryan, a Hempfield alum and Notre Dame graduate, is chasing her master’s degree in the college’s physician’s assistant program.

She called her return home a “full-circle ending.”

Ryan, who is 15-2 with a 1.02 ERA, plans to rejoin her teammates in the double-elimination tournament, and beyond, after she completes her school work.

Seton Hill (35-9) lost to Bloomsburg, 9-3, in the first round. The Griffins will play an elimination game against an opponent to be determined at 3 p.m. Thursday at Veterans Park.

“The timing did not work to go out with the team when they left (Tuesday),” Ryan said. “But I’ll be joining them at the end of the week.”

Forget NIL deals, Ryan is focused on her studies and landing a job in her field.

“School has been my No. 1 priority this semester. We are student-athletes, with student coming first. Our team is loaded with strong hitters, consistent defense and a great, deep pitching staff, so I have confidence in them to play well and keep advancing in the tournament.”

Ryan also has been productive with a bat in her hands. She is hitting .319 with three home runs, 18 RBIs and 13 runs scored.

“It just depends on when she is done and if the rain happens over here,” Griffins coach Jess Strong said. “We hadn’t really planned on her coming because we knew this was finals week.”

Strong said Ryan keeps the team loose with her sense of humor.

The coach hopes Ryan and the Griffins can move on to the NCAA postseason.

“She has definitely helped us on both sides of the ball,” Strong said. “Luckily, we are in a decent position in regionals so we should be able to continue beyond this week in the NCAA Tournament.”

Seton Hill is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Atlantic Region behind Kutztown. The NCAA field will be announced at 10 a.m. Monday.

In Wednesday’s opening loss, freshman Brooke Cleland accounted for all of the offense. The Penn-Trafford graduate blasted a three-run homer to center in the first inning to give Seton Hill a 3-2 lead.

Freshman Chloe Elliott took the loss for the Griffins.

Freshman Callie Sowers, another Hempfield product, was the winning pitcher. She allowed five hits, struck out nine and walked three in her first college postseason action.

Freshman catcher Emma Little (Penn-Trafford) went 2 for 3 with a homer and four RBIs for the Huskies (26-16).

Irish at nationals

Notre Dame and its junior standout, Palmer Jackson (Franklin Regional), will compete in the Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) NCAA Regional beginning May 15 at the Champions Course at PGA National Resort.

The 15th-ranked Irish are the No. 3 seed, their highest rating in the regional round.

The top five teams from each regional advance to the NCAA Championship May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Jackson, a Haskins and Ben Hogan Award candidate, and Palmer Cup team member, is coming off a third-place finish at the ACC Championship. He has 10 top-10 finishes in 11 events.

“We are very excited,” Jackson said. “We have been to Florida many times this year and a lot of us have played on that course. There are a lot of good teams in the regional and it will be a challenge. We are very familiar with the conditions we will face. We play on that type of grass a lot. We just need to focus on being the most prepared team when we walk onto the first tee.”

Abby’s road

Senior Abby Ginter had a big day for the Saint Vincent softball team as the Bearcats opened the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament with a 10-2 victory over Grove City.

Ginter went 2 for 3 with a pair of three-run home run and six RBIs.

Sophomore Olivia Persin (Hempfield) added three hits, including a double, and scored three runs for SVC (22-8).

The Bearcats will play at Westminster noon Wednesday in the semifinals.

SVC in finals

The Saint Vincent men’s lacrosse team held off Westminster, 10-7, in the PAC semifinals to advance to Saturday’s championship against Grove City.

No. 2 seed Saint Vincent (13-1) got a hat trick from grad student Tyler Condrasky (Norwin).