Framingham, Mass. – The 2022 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference's (MASCAC) tournament champion Framingham State Rams will be making their fifth overall appearance in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship Tournament this week in the regional hosted by Salisbury. The Rams will face the host Sea Gulls in the opening round.   

Framingham State finished the 2022 season 23-17 overall and 10-4 in MASCAC action.  After earning the fourth seed in the 2022 MASCAC Softball Tournament, the Rams led by Tournament MVP Gwendolyn Carpenter won four straight games over the weekend after falling into the loser's bracket. The Rams defeated top seed Bridgewater State twice on Sunday to earn the MASCAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  

The Rams were led offensively this season by Shelby Roode who hit .372 with 11 doubles, a triple and 16 RBI. Carpenter batted .354 for the season with four doubles, three triples, a school record tying five home runs and 33 RBI. 

The Rams were led in the circle by Ally Moran and Caroline Hughes. Moran earned 13 victories and added a save as she compiled a 2.21 ERA in 139 innings of work. Hughes earned six victories and tossed five complete games including a shutout in the final game of the MASCAC Tournament on Sunday. 

Salisbury earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after falling to Christopher Newport in the finals of the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Tournament. The Sea Gulls finished the regular season 36-6 overall. 

This will be the first meeting all-time between Framingham State and Salisbury.