Statistics behind Syracuse’s program-best start, ACC collapse
Despite hitting above .300 in nine of its first 11 games, Syracuse softball’s team batting average finished at just .232 in ACC play. Zabdyl Koffa | Contributing Photographer
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For a few weeks in February, Syracuse looked like it could compete with the nation’s best. A team with the second-best earned run average in the country and an offense clicking on all cylinders. This propelled the Orange to a program-best 11-0 start to the season.
But once Atlantic Coast Conference play began, SU’s momentum vanished. Syracuse won just one of its eight ACC series this year. Despite a three-game sweep over Boston College to close April, they crumbled, falling out of the ACC Tournament after losing three straight to California.
Inconsistency and missed opportunities marred the Orange’s performance. Syracuse’s pitching collapsed while its offense couldn’t gain traction to begin games and innings. The result? The Orange are missing the postseason for the first time since 2015.
Here are the numbers that define Syracuse’s (27-22, 6-18 ACC) 2025 season, from its record-breaking start to its late-season collapse.
.232 ACC batting average
Batting average often correlates with success. Seven teams with the 10 best batting averages in Division I rank in USA Softball’s top 25 poll. During Syracuse’s blistering start, it matched those squads.
In SU’s first 11 contests, it hit above .300 nine times. The Orange produced double-digit hits seven times and scored 62 runs in that same span.
Syracuse’s offense sputtered once its ACC slate started. It hit just .232 in conference play — the worst mark in the ACC. Against then-No. 20 Stanford in early March, Syracuse fell 4-3 in game one, hitting .192 for its second sub-.200 showing of the season. It only got worse from there.
SU hit .100 and .150 to cap its series against the Cardinal. Despite beating then-No. 17 Duke once the following weekend, Syracuse hit below .200 in all three games against the Blue Devils. The Orange followed that up by hitting under .200 in two of their ensuing games versus Clemson, even notching a .063 average in a 15-0 loss on March 23.
Through its first three ACC series, Syracuse proved its red-hot start was a fluke. Despite a brief revival against North Carolina, SU reached rock bottom when it was no-hit in both games of its April 12 doubleheader against Virginia.
Against Boston College, success spurred 28 runs in a series sweep. But the Orange again slipped into mediocrity in their final series against Cal, ending their season largely due to their minimal presence at the plate in conference play.
20 home runs
With Syracuse’s anemic at-bats, power could’ve been a difference-maker. But it never materialized. The Orange didn’t blast their first home run until their sixth game of the season against Long Island, the longest they’ve taken since 2018.
After Taylor Posner’s team-leading 11 home runs in 2024, the senior was expected to repeat her performance. However, she cracked just two longballs this campaign, her fewest since 2022. Her drop-off was a significant factor in Syracuse’s 20 home runs — the fewest in the ACC and 203rd in the nation.
Initially, SU didn’t need home runs to compete. However, like their batting average, facing tougher ACC competition meant the Orange needed their A-game in all facets. They simply didn’t bring it. Power-wise, their .381 slugging percentage also ranked last in the conference, as extra-base hits became rare.
“That’s Syracuse softball. We’re not a very big power-hitting team,” SU pitcher Madison Knight said following its 8-1 loss to Clemson on March 21. “Just getting on base, moving runners. It’s just quality at-bats that we need. If we can get more quality at-bats, we’ll be able to pile on more runs.”
When Syracuse did show pop, positives followed. The Orange won 11 out of their 13 games in which they homered. Still, SU’s 20 homers marked its fewest since 2018. And for a team that gave up 33, it became challenging to win games when it couldn’t counter.
6.16 ACC ERA
Pitching and defense drove Syracuse’s unprecedented success early on. Despite having just two frequent starters in Knight and Julianna Verni, they’d often take turns starting games.
Of Syracuse’s 49 matchups, Knight or Verni opened 39. And even when they didn’t start, they’d relieve the Orange’s other pitchers: Jackie Pengel, Rose Cano and Sydney Jackson.
But that was it. Those five pitchers made up SU’s entire staff. To form a strong unit in a conference featuring star hitters like UNC’s Kat Rodriguez, Stanford’s Emily Jones and Duke’s Aminah Vega, five pitchers isn’t enough.
With just Knight and Verni opening games, competition faced them multiple times in a three-game series. The minimal depth led to Syracuse’s 6.16 ERA in ACC play, starkly contrasting its 3.64 total ERA.
After posting seven shutouts in nonconference play, SU blanked an ACC opponent just once — in its 3-0 win over Georgia Tech on April 5. It allowed 10-plus runs seven times, even surrendering 33 across three games versus Clemson.
Exacerbating Syracuse’s struggles keeping teams off the board, the Orange walked 98 batters while their conference opponents hit .311 against them. As the season waned, SU’s overworked arms couldn’t keep pace with the ACC’s lineups, leading to its early exit.
Madison Knight’s 150 total innings pitched
Every team has a backbone. For Syracuse, that was Knight. Maryland’s former No. 1 overall Class of 2022 recruit came to Syracuse to showcase her two-way prowess. Two strong seasons prepared her for more responsibility in 2025.
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With the graduation of All-ACC pitcher Lindsey Hendrix, Knight’s pitching appearances rose from 22 games to 27, and her starts increased by seven. Her two-way performances were key, as she willed SU to a 2-1 win over Delaware on Feb. 27 with a complete game in the circle and a home run at the dish.
Knight also single-handedly lifted the Orange to their first ACC win — a 3-2 victory over Duke — pitching another complete game. She also belted a game-winning home run in the seventh.
Although Knight’s dominance didn’t carry over to conference play as smoothly, SU head coach Shannon Doepking still pitched her in 99.0 conference innings — the most in the ACC. She also tossed 150.0 total innings, which was the second-most in the conference.
Knight finished her season with a 3.45 ERA, 12 wins and 17 complete games. When Syracuse needed someone to step up, she did so, remaining SU’s most dependable presence.
“Madison Knight’s gonna give it her all. She can do it all for us,” infielder Vanessa Flores said after Syracuse’s season-ending doubleheader against Cal on May 3. “That’s one person everybody wants on their team. That’s a girl that carried this team on her back.”
