WILMINGTON, Del. (May 10, 2025) – Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference champion Wilmington University has reached the championship round of the 2025 NCAA Division II East Region 2 Softball Championship. The Wildcats will play at 3:30 p.m. today at Goldey-Beacom College’s Jackson Athletic Complex.
Wilmington’s opponent will be determined by an elimination game earlier this afternoon. The host Lightning, an at-large representative of the CACC, will meet Southern New Hampshire University, an at-large representative of the Northeast 10 conference, at 1 p.m.
No. 2 seed Wilmington, the two-time defending East Region champion, advanced through the winners’ bracket with a 3-2 win over No. 3 seed Goldey-Beacom on Friday at Wilmington’s Asbury Field. The tournament then returned to the Jackson Complex to see Southern New Hampshire eliminate CACC at-large representative and No. 6 seed University of Bridgeport, 4-2.
In a game delayed 3 ½ hours by rain during the fifth inning, the Wildcats’ Maddie Vollmar carried a shutout into the seventh. Four Lightning hits in that frame left them with the potential tying run on second base before Wilmington’s Delani Sheehan entered the circle to record the final out. Tristyn Stewart was 3 for 3 and scored twice for the Wildcats (34-16).
Later on Friday, No. 7 seed SNHU (26-18) erased an early 1-0 deficit with four second-inning runs and held on to top Bridgeport. Emily Chase was 3 for 3 with a double and Mya Jones went 2 for 3 plus a sacrifice fly for the Purple Knights (33-16), who left nine runners on base.
The elimination matchup between SNHU and GBC was originally scheduled for late Friday afternoon but the rain delay postponed it until Saturday. If the SNHU/GBC winner also defeats Wilmington today, another game will be played on Sunday at 11 a.m. to determine the Regional 2 champion. The winner will play against the East Regional 1 champion in a best-of-three series next weekend for the regional title and the right to advance to nationals.
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its affiliation with NCAA Division II. Conference institutions compete for championships in 18 sports – eight for men, nine for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 12 members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes Bloomfield College of Montclair State University, the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.