Softball Kicks Off NCAA Regional Friday Versus No. 14 Seed Florida

Canisius Game Notes | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets | NCAA Bracket

Game No. 49
Canisius (32-16) at No. 14 Florida (43-16)
Date: Friday, May 20
Times: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Gainesville, Fla. | Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium
Broadcast: ESPN+
Talent: Sam Gore (p-x-p) and Sierra Romero (analyst)
Live Stats: via NCAA.com
Twitter: @GriffsSoftball | #Griffs | #MAACSoftball

1) First Pitch
The Canisius softball team opens the 2022 NCAA Softball Tournament Friday when it takes on No. 14-seed Florida in opening-round action in the Gainesville Regional at the Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. The game will be shown live on ESPN+

2) New to this Team, But not New to the Program
The Golden Griffins are making their 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament this weekend and their first since the 2009 season. Canisius earned the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association's automatic bid after beating Siena, 4-0, May 14 in Buffalo, N.Y. The Griffs, who won their 13th MAAC Tournament Championship last week to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, have won more league titles than other MAAC program. Canisius holds an overall record of 5-23 in their 12th previous appearances.

3) The Griffs are Hot
Canisius enters the NCAA Tournament riding a 12-game winning streak, the program's longest undefeated stretch in more than 20 seasons. The Griffs' 12-game winning streak is tied for the fourth longest active streak in the nation. The last time Canisius won 12 consecutive games was during the 1999 season, rattling off 19-straight wins on its way to a 33-12 overall record that season.

4) Versus the Gators
Canisius will meet Florida for the third time in program history, and the first since 2006. Both previous meetings came during early-season tournament play, with the Gators recording a 1-0 triumph at the Cal-State Fullerton Classic in Fullerton, Calif., during the 1998 season and a 2-0 victory at the Stetson Invitational in Deland, Fla., in 2006.

5) Buffalo Strong
The Canisius softball team will be playing heavy hearts this weekend following the mass shooting that took place at the Tops Supermarket in downtown Buffalo last Saturday.

The incident that claimed 10 lives and saw three others wounded occurred just hours after the Griffs captured the MAAC Softball Championship on its home turf to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2009 campaign.

With the shooting taking place less than a mile from campus, and eight players of the squad hailing from the Greater Buffalo Area, the program wanted to show its support for the community while it is competing on a national stage.

Therefore, the team will be sporting stickers that read "Buffalo Strong" on their helmets this weekend. The stickers were designed and printed by Buffalo-based Crosstown Graphics, who also produced helmet stickers for the Buffalo Bandits and Bison.

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