GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – This season could easily be divided up into two different tales for the Gettysburg College softball team with the latter half of the story depicting the Bullets charging into the postseason with a full head of steam.
 
Gettysburg enters the Centennial Conference Championship as arguably the hottest team in the league. Since March 31, the team has won 18 of 22 games, including a program-record 14 victories in conference play.
 
"It's very important to have the momentum we are experiencing right now," said Head Coach Annette Hunt-Shepherd, who has guided Gettysburg to four consecutive postseason appearances. "We are playing well right now and the players are focused on the process and keeping in sight of their goals."
 
The last month of the season was a far cry from the beginning. After giving up 21 runs in a sweep at the hands of then-No. 12 Randolph-Macon College on March 17, Gettysburg's record stood at 3-9 overall. The Bullets were hitting .256 with only 17 extra-base hits and the team ERA stood at 4.57.
 
Enter Mother Nature and the continuation of a long winter season. For the next two weeks the Bullets were kept indoors as freezing temperatures, snow, and rain turned the fields into surfaces more suitable for ice skating and sled riding. Shepherd kept her team active with daily practices in Hauser Field House and the extra reps paid dividends when the Orange and Blue finally stepped onto a field on March 31.
 
Gettysburg swept Washington College, McDaniel College, and Haverford College over an eight-day span when it returned to action. All of those teams join the Bullets this weekend for the CC Championship at Bobby Jones Field.
 
"I'm really proud of this team's commitment to focusing on the process," said Shepherd. "Early on we were finding our identity and leadership within the team. This team's commitment to excellence and working in the right way all the time have been key throughout the season."
 
Over the last 22 games, Gettysburg has flipped the switch at the plate and on the mound. The team is hitting .294 over that stretch and has pounded out 41 extra-base hits, including nine blasts beyond the fence. The team ERA dropped to a miniscule 1.79 ERA in the final month of the season.
 
Gettysburg will look to turn that momentum into more success this weekend when it hosts the CC Championship for the first time since 2005. The Bullets last won the conference title in 2007 and will try to be the sixth team to defend its home turf since the tournament started in 2001.
 
Playing on the home field will be the only unfamiliarity when it comes to the postseason for the team, particularly the three seniors – Wendy Folfas (Westminster, Md./McDonogh School), Stephanie Leonardo (East Haddam, Conn./Choate Rosemary), and Aileen Reilly (Huntington Station, N.Y./St. Anthony's). All starters since their debut seasons, the trio has led the Bullets to the conference playoffs each year with runner-up finishes in both 2015 and 2017. They are more than ready to shoulder the responsibility of taking Gettysburg to the top of the conference and back to the NCAA Division III Championship.
 
"I think every player 'wants it' in a different way," noted Shepherd. "However, these three have witnessed being runner up twice, and watching the other team celebrate in front of you has a powerful impact. They remember those two moments. They remember how they felt. They aren't looking for that to be repeated."
 
Gettysburg opens the playoffs against Washington College on Friday at 2 p.m. McDaniel faces Haverford at approximately 4:30. Three contests are lined up for Saturday with the first beginning at 11 a.m., while Sunday's championship opens at noon.