The Farmingdale State College softball team has claimed its first Skyline title since 2022 and prevented Manhattanville College from earning a three-peat.
The team finished the regular season with a 15-3 record in conference play, the second-best mark in the Skyline behind Manhattanville. The Rams defeated SUNY Old Westbury 3-2 to push through to a double-elimination matchup with the top-seeded Valiants.
Farmingdale took the first game 5-2 on Saturday, May 10, putting them one game away from the championship. The next day, the Rams won 7-3 to claim their first title in three years and create an unforgettable moment for both coaches and players.
“There are moments in life that will replay in our heads over and over again. Winning the Skyline championship is one of those moments that you live for as a player and a coach,” head coach Liz Pennino said. “Getting back to the top is something we set as a goal at the start of the season.”
This year’s title marked the third for Pennino since she took over as the team’s head coach in 2019.
“The emotions and mindset were all surreal,” senior shortstop Angelina Capuano said. “I’ve been playing this game my whole life and have been playing this game my whole life for moments like this.”
Capuano was one of two players on the roster to be a part of the program’s last conference championship in 2022.
Farmingdale and Manhattanville played each other in the 2023 Skyline championship as well. The Valiants won two straight games to take home the title that year.
The Rams won their first game in the 2024 conference tournament before losing again to the Valiants. The program was then eliminated by SUNY Old Westbury.
Freshman Madison DeMaio pitched all 14 innings of the team’s final two games, allowing just five runs to close out the Rams’ Skyline season. She said she was grateful for the opportunity to be the team’s main pitcher after she stepped into the role early in the season, and that she was proud of the team’s accomplishments.
DeMaio’s 33 starts marked first in the nation on the Division III level, and her 183.2 innings pitched were fifth in the country. She was named the Skyline Conference Pitcher and Rookie of the Year for her regular-season success.
DeMaio credited her team’s chemistry and her relationship with catcher Kaysee Mojo for the program’s success this year.
DeMaio is a Long Island native from Elmont who graduated from Sewanhaka High School. She was a three-time All-County selection for softball in high school.
Players and coaches said they were calm and collected heading into the NCAA Regionals in Virginia. The team lost each of its first two games of the tournament to close out its season.
