The field is officially set for the 2004 SUNYAC Softball Championships at top-seeded Cortland, and No. 2 Buffalo State will open the double-elimination tournament against fifth-seeded Oneonta on Thursday at noon.

Buffalo State wrapped up the second-seed on Sunday with a two-game sweep of No. 3 Geneseo to conclude the regular season at 16-4 in SUNYAC play, setting a school record for conference wins in a season. The Bengals enter this week's tournament on a 10-game winning streak and an overall mark of 24-12.

Three freshmen have paced the Buffalo State offense. Lauren Mruk (Lancaster/Lancaster) leads the team with a .340 batting average and four homeruns, and is tied for second with 22 RBI. Leadoff hitter and shortstop Laurie Hutten (Tonawanda/Kenmore West) has a .333 batting average and tops the Bengals with 41 hits and 11 stolen bases. Emily Goldyn (Lancaster/Lancaster) is hitting .326 and has a team-high 10 doubles and has chipped in three homeruns and 19 RBI. Senior Liz Beiter (N. Tonawanda/N. Tonawanda) and junior Kristen Scheffold (Lancaster/Lancaster) have anchored the Bengals' pitching staff. Beiter boasts a 13-3 record and has a 1.67 ERA with three shutouts. Scheffold has an 8-4 record with a 1.37 ERA, and has come on down the stretch as three of her four shutouts have come in the past week.

Buffalo State is looking for its first victory in a SUNYAC playoff game since it last captured the conference crown with a win over Cortland in 2000. The Bengals defeated Oneonta in both meetings earlier this season, winning at home 7-6 and 7-4. If Buffalo State wins its opening game, it will face the winner of #3 Geneseo/#4 Fredonia at noon on Friday. If the Bengals fall in the opener, they will play the winner of #1 Cortland/#6 Plattsburgh on Friday at 10 a.m.