CONNORVALE PARK HOSTS OCAA WOMEN'S SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

TORONTO — The Humber Hawks play host to the 2025 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Women's Softball Championship taking place Oct. 16-18 at Connorvale Park in Etobicoke.

Six teams will compete for a chance to claim the gold medal with seeding based on the regular season standings. The Durham Lords have established themselves as the Queens of the Diamond, winning an unprecedented 22 of 43 OCAA championships since 1981.

Eight or nine games will take place between Thursday and Saturday in a modified double knockout tournament. Thursday's games will be sudden death affairs with the losing teams being eliminated from the competition.

Thursday's winners will join top teams Durham and the St. Clair Saints to begin the double-knockout phase of the competition, playing two games each on Friday. Teams are eliminated from the competition after their second loss.

The team that wins both games on Friday advances directly to Saturday's gold medal game, with two chances to win the championship. The team that avoids a second loss wins the tournament and the OCAA title.

Sunday is reserved as a rainout date if necessary.

Durham Lords, Oshawa (17-3, 1st OCAA)

Coming off an undefeated 2024 season, the defending OCAA champion Lords did lose thrice in 2025, but continue to be the class of OCAA with another regular season title.

The Lords have a couple of standout hitters in third-year middle infielder Jessica Greene (Stratford) and second-year pitcher and second baseman Emily Taylor (Oshawa). Greene was second in the OCAA during the regular season with 28 runs, 22 RBI and 46 total bases. Greene led all players with eight doubles and four triples and had a slash line of .455/.519/.697 in 66 plate appearances.

Taylor was also one of the top batters in the conference with a slash line of .500/.516/.768 in 56 trips to the dish, contributing 10 extra base hits, including a homer.

Makayla Benz (Simcoe) is expected to make a positive impact from the pitcher's circle. The fourth-year right-hander led all OCAA hurlers during the regular season with nine wins, two complete game shutouts, 77 strikeouts and a 1.34 ERA.

The last time the Lords did not reach the podium at provincials was 2013.

St. Clair Saints, Windsor (15-5, 2nd OCAA)

The St. Clair Saints secured the all-important No. 2 seed at the championship, meaning a bye straight into the double knockout round (and with it some margin for error).

Second-year player Kamryn Coombs (Atwood) and third-year corner infielder Reese Grondin (LaSalle) combined for 21 extra base hits during the regular season, hitting three home runs each. Both players were team RBI leaders with 21.

Second-year hurlers Danna Juarez (Airdrie, Alta.) and Ashton Fong (Colwood, B.C.) shared the regular season pitching load combining for 103.1 innings of work. Overall St. Clair has a 3.87 ERA, good for third-best in the league.

The Saints were back-to-back OCAA champions in 2022 and 2023. The last time St. Clair did not finish in the top three was 2015.

Humber Hawks, Toronto (12-8, 3rd OCAA)

After winning 10 straight to open the season, the Humber Hawks struggled down the stretch, losing eight of 10 games.

Humber fourth-year player Rilee Rothwell (Cambridge) won the OCAA batting title with a .521 average. Thirteen of Rothwell's league-leading 37 hits were for extra bases, including a league-high four home runs.

Shade Hansen (Etobicoke), a third-year Hawk, was second in the league with 69 strikeouts, pitching to a 2.46 ERA.

The Hawks are looking to win their first OCAA championship on home soil since 2019. The last time Humber did not reach the podium was 2018.

Sheridan Bruins, Mississauga (11-9, 4th OCAA)

The Bruins are chasing history at their second-ever appearance at provincials, looking to win a first-ever OCAA medal.

In just their fourth season of OCAA softball, the Bruins finished above the .500 mark for the first time. Sheridan enters the championship losing three of its last four games.

First-year player Julie Good (Mississauga) is Sheridan's team leader in three key offensive categories, with 31 hits, 22 runs scored and a .425 batting average.

Fourth-year player Payton Barkley (Napanee) threw a team-high 54.2 innings for the Bruins during the regular season, striking out 51. Barkley boasts a 3.07 ERA.

Fanshawe Falcons, London (9-11, 5th OCAA)

The Fanshawe Falcons have not faired well on the road in 2025 with a 2-8 record, compared to a 7-3 mark at home.

The Falcons are led offensively by first-year utility player Jasmine Seager (Burlington) with a slash line of .484/.548/.563. Seager scored 17 runs while driving in 13.

On the rubber, second-year pitcher Kyle Dalrymple (Exeter) led the OCAA with 70 innings pitched. Dalrymple struck out 65 batters, third among conference players.

The Falcons have never won an OCAA championship. They are three-time bronze medal winners in 2015, 2016 and 2018.

Conestoga Condors, Kitchener (7-12, 6th OCAA)

The Conestoga Condors locked down the final championship berth with an 8-6 win over the Mohawk Mountaineers on Oct. 10.

The Condors are pests on the base paths, stealing an OCAA-high 52 stolen bases. Conestoga fourth-year shortstop Kelly Tikel (Cambridge) led all OCAA players with 15 steals, being caught just twice.

Third-year player Sarah Bateman (Waterloo) and first-year teammate Navaeh Poll (Kitchener) shared the bulk of the pitching duties, combining for 52 strikeouts in 101.2 innings of work.

The Condors last won an OCAA medal in 2014, winning silver. Conestoga's last OCAA championship came in 1996.

Photo Credit: Diego Guillen

Championship Website: Coming Soon

Live Webcast: www.ocaa.com/live

Thursday, October 16
Game #1: Fanshawe (5th) vs. Sheridan (4th) - 3 p.m.
Game #2: Conestoga (4th) vs. Humber (3rd) - 5 p.m.

Friday, October 17
Game #3: Lowest Remaining Seed vs. Durham (1st) - 11 a.m.
Game #4: Highest Remaining Seed vs. St. Clair (2nd) - 1 p.m.
Game #5: Loser Game #3 vs. Loser Game #4 - 3 p.m.
Game #6: Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4 - 5 p.m.

Saturday, October 18
OCAA Bronze Medal Game
Game #7: Winner Game #5 vs. Loser Game #6 - 12 p.m.
Losing team presented OCAA Bronze Medal at conclusion of game

OCAA Gold Medal Game(s)
Game #8: Winner Game #7 vs. Winner Game #6 - 2:30 p.m.
Game #9*: Winner Game #7 vs. Winner Game #6 - 5 p.m.
*If necessary
OCAA Gold and Silver Medals presented at the conclusion of final game

- OCAA -

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Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
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E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com