BUFFALO, N.Y. — "The Griffs are hot, they're on the come up," Canisius College sophomore softball player Gianna Fazzolari said before the team left for its NCAA Regional matchup against the University of Florida this Friday.
It's the Griffs' first trip to the tournament since 2009.
"I feel like now we have a standard from here on out," Fazzolari said.
Canisius punched its ticket winning the MAAC Tournament with a 4-0 win over Siena on Saturday.
Sophomore outfielder Christie McGee-Ross drove in the walk-off win against Iona to head to that conference championship game.
"The walk off, it was electric. This was a moment you may never get again. Like you may never have two outs, bases loaded, and you have a chance to hit a walk-off to win the game," the sophomore from Cheektowaga said.
"It probably would've been a ball if I didn't swing," she laughed.
"I think that we're a really scrappy team," McGee-Ross said. "We're the underdogs, obviously, but I feel like they may not be ready for what we can bring to the table."
"In my five years we've never gotten this opportunity before," senior pitcher Emily Nicosia said. "I want to leave this program better than I found it."
Griffin has been a part of Canisius softball success before as an assistant, but this is her first trip in her eight years as a head coach.
"I've been the head coach here for eight years and the past eight years we've been talking about taking back the MAAC and what do we need to do to bring the program back to where it was," Griffs' coach Kim Griffin said.
Griffin said, "These girls really bought in, and I'm excited to get them to experience it."
"One of the things that we really focus on and preach is trusting the process and focusing on process over outcome... We go into every game with small goals, and achieving those goals will help us win the game."
"They can go as far as they want on the softball field and in life."
The Griffs and Gators' first pitch is 4:30 p.m. on Friday.