BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (May 2, 2025) – The two Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference teams located in New Castle County, Delaware, will meet for the 2025 CACC Softball Championship on Saturday. No. 2 seed Wilmington University advanced through the winners’ bracket and No. 3 seed Goldey-Beacom College survived the elimination bracket during Friday’s play in the CACC Championship tournament at Seaside Park. The double-elimination segment of the event is being hosted by the University of Bridgeport.
Saturday’s championship final will begin at 11 a.m. at Seaside Park. Should Goldey-Beacom emerge victorious, a second game would immediately follow. The winner not only will be named the CACC champion but will earn the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Championship tournament. The NCAA D-II Softball Selection Show is Monday at 10 a.m. on ncaa.com.
Wilmington propelled itself to its fourth consecutive final with a 3-2 victory over No. 4 seed Thomas Jefferson University in Friday’s opening game. Goldey-Beacom then defeated Jefferson, 4-0, to earn a date with the Wildcats on Saturday. The Lightning picked up their third elimination-game triumph of this year’s tournament.
Wilmington will be seeking its sixth CACC championship and third in a row. Goldey-Beacom is appearing in the conference final for the first time. The Wildcats hosted and swept the teams’ regular-season double-header, 14-13 and 8-2, on March 19, and also defeated GBC on Thursday, 8-3, during Day 1 of the tournament’s double-elimination round.
Tickets for the 2025 CACC Softball Championship final are $10 for adults, and $5 for children, senior citizens (65+) and students with valid identification. Children under three years of age will be admitted free. See the links above to follow the tournament online, purchase championship apparel, and buy tickets.
No. 2 WILMINGTON 3, No. 4 JEFFERSON 2
A one-out, two-run home run by Maddie Vollmar in the bottom of the sixth inning helped the Wildcats (31-16) complete a comeback from an early 2-0 deficit. Karen Sickel pitched four innings of shutout, one-hit relief for the win. Bella Barnes had two hits and Eve Serrato an RBI single for Wilmington. Annie Eliason drove in both Ram runs.
No. 3 GOLDEY-BEACOM 4, JEFFERSON 0
Caitlyn Burch pitched a five-hit shutout to lead the Lightning (37-13). GBC took control with three runs in the second inning, capped by a two-run single by Ariana Mirenda. McKenna Frank and Wynter Radcliffe had two hits apiece. Lily Hutt went 2 for 3 for Jefferson (16-26).
2025 CACC SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round* (at campus sites of higher seeds)
Saturday, April 26
#2 Wilmington 1, #7 Holy Family 0 (12 inn.)
Sunday, April 27
#4 Jefferson 3, #5 Caldwell 1
#3 Goldey-Beacom 0-2, #6 Georgian Court 1-0 (Game 1, 9 inn.)
Monday, April 28
#1 Bridgeport 3, #8 Dominican 2
*-The higher seed needed to win one game to advance; lower seed needed to win both games of doubleheader to advance.
Double-Elimination Tournament (Host: University of Bridgeport)
Thursday, May 1 (at Seaside Softball Complex, Bridgeport, Conn.)
Game 1: #4 Jefferson 2, #1 Bridgeport 0
Game 2: #2 Wilmington 8, #3 Goldey-Beacom 3
Game 3: Goldey-Beacom 3, Bridgeport 0
Friday, May 2 (at Seaside Softball Complex, Bridgeport, Conn.)
Game 4: Wilmington 3, Jefferson 2
Game 5: Goldey-Beacom 4, Jefferson 0
Saturday, May 3 (at Seaside Softball Complex, Bridgeport, Conn.)
Game 6: Goldey-Beacom vs. Wilmington, 11 a.m.
Game 7: Goldey-Beacom vs. Wilmington, if necessary
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.