At one time or another, we’ve all grumbled about Binghamton’s athletic futility.

Our football team has been undefeated since 1946, but it’s also winless. Our men’s basketball team has seen nearly as many arrests (three) as wins (five) over the last two years, and does anyone here even actually care about soccer or lacrosse?

Yes, sports life here is far from ideal — regardless of the propaganda your tour guides threw your way when you visited the school.

But, Binghamton sports fans, this week you have a unique opportunity. You can watch the Bearcats host the America East Softball Championship this Thursday through Saturday.

If the Bearcats win the conference title, they’ll secure the league’s bid to the NCAA tournament. And anyone who watched this past weekend’s series between Binghamton and first-place Albany knows the Bearcats have a legitimate shot at doing so.

Binghamton have had a historic regular season, posting a program-record 29 wins and finishing second for the first time since joining the America East prior to the 2002 season. Though the Bearcats dropped two of three to the Great Danes, they proved they could produce against Brittany MacFawn, the conference’s most dominant pitcher, and were four outs away from taking the series finale.

These girls can play, and, believe it or not, you’ll enjoy watching them compete.

Michelle Burrell, the head coach, has constructed a versatile lineup that can wreak havoc on the basepaths while also keeping pitchers honest with a bevy of power hitters.

No America East team has scored more than Binghamton’s 248 runs. No one belted more than Binghamton’s 46 homers. And only Albany stole more than Binghamton’s 78 bases.

But if you prefer power pitching over power hitting, you’re also in for a treat. Only MacFawn fanned more batters than Binghamton ace Demi Laney, who struck out 164 in 153 innings this year. Rhoda Marsteller, the Bearcats’ No. 2 starter, also recorded about one strikeout per inning.

I know some of you might be thinking, “Who cares? It’s softball. Talk to me when Tommy Dempsey puts forth a winning season.”

Well, yeah, it’s softball, but who cares? You’ve asked for a winning sports program, and you have one playing for an NCAA bid no more than 10 minutes from your dorm.