Flash Points:

• SFU Softball travels to Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
• The Red Flash enters conference play riding a program-record 13-game win streak.
• Saint Francis is 25-8 overall, while FDU is 1-14 overall.
• A strong start by SFU has helped it earn an RPI ranking of 53 and SFU has received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll the last three weeks.

Live Stats | NEC Front Row

LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis Softball team begins Northeast Conference play on Monday as it travels to Fairleigh Dickinson.  The Red Flash and the Knights meet for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. at FDU Softball Field.
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift, is 25-8 overall and riding a program-record 13-game win streak.  Saint Francis did not play last weekend, but earned four wins at the Texas Tech Invitational two weeks ago, including two wins over the Red Raiders and two victories against East Carolina.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson, coached by KJ Kelley, is 1-14 overall and looks to snap an eight-game skid.  The Knights return to action for the first time since March 12 after last weekend's St. John's Invitational was cancelled and FDU's mid-week matchup against Monmouth was postponed.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Red Flash leads the all-time series, 17-15, against Fairleigh Dickinson.  Saint Francis swept FDU last year at the Red Flash Softball Field, with 6-4 and 4-1 wins.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
A strong start by the Red Flash has caught the attention of national voters.  In the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, Saint Francis has received votes each of the last three weeks.  Saint Francis is ranked 53rd in the latest RPI poll.  The Red Flash's ranking is a result of nine wins against RPI Top 100 teams, including wins over Fordham and Tulsa, who rank in the RPI Top 50.  The rest of the NEC has combined for three RPI Top 100 wins this year, with LIU Brooklyn owning all three.  SFU has played 16 games against RPI Top 100 opponents.  SFU is one of 23 teams with 25 or more wins.
 
SENECA IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Junior Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum)'s monster season has earned her some national attention this season.  After launching three home runs, including two grand slams, during the Texas Tech Invitational, Seneca was named FastPitchNews National Player of the Week.  She went four-for-nine at the plate, driving in 10 runs and scoring six.  Seneca became just the 11th player in NCAA history to hit two grand slams in a game in a 12-10 win over Texas Tech on March 17.
 
Seneca, who has earned five NEC Player of the Week awards this season, has been mentioned in two different ESPNW articles.  Seneca leads the nation in RBI, with 45, and ranks second in home runs, with 15.  She also ranks fourth in runs per game (1.25), 11th in total bases (79), 16th in slugging percentage (.878), 18th in walks per game (0.84) and 69th in on-base percentage (.508). 
 
SENECA SETTING RECORDS
Seneca is only three home runs away from matching her program-record 18 homers in 2016 and four homers away from the NEC record held by Mount St. Mary's Rachel Heinze (2016).  She also needs just 14 RBI to tie her school-record 59 RBI in 2016.
 
The junior already holds SFU career records for home runs (35) and runs (122).  She needs two RBI to become the school's all-time leader (currently has 118) and a walk to break a tie for the career record (currently has 86).
 
NATIONAL LEADERS
Seneca isn't the only member of the Red Flash among the national ranks.  Sophomore Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) is third in the nation in doubles, with 12, and 27th in doubles per game, averaging 0.36.  Her sister, Cheyenne, has been a strong presence at the top of the lineup.  She ranks seventh in runs per game (1.21), 20th in hits (45), 63rd in batting average (.429), 96th in on-base percentage (.496) and 29th in total bases (72).  Senior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) is 58th in the nation in on-base percentage (.515).
 
TOP OF THE NEC
Saint Francis leads the NEC in several team categories.  The Red Flash leads the conference in runs per game (5.94), home runs per game (0.97), doubles per game (1.55), triples per game (0.24), slugging percentage (.465) and stolen bases per game (1.73).  Saint Francis also owns the league's top ERA, allowing only 2.55 runs per game.
 
STRONG IN THE CIRCLE
The Red Flash pitching staff has been strong all season, holding an NEC-best 2.55 ERA and holding opposing batters to a .216 average.  SFU has walked just 74 batters in 33 games, allowing only 2.2 per game.
 
Senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) leads the NEC with a 1.93 ERA.  She owns an 8-1 record, with five complete games, and two saves.  She threw a perfect game in an 11-0 win over East Carolina on March 18, needing just 51 pitches to get through five perfect innings.  Santai has five outings this year in which she has pitched at least five innings and allowed one or less earned runs.
 
Fellow senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) has a 6-4 record in 18 appearances to go with a 2.75 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 61 innings.  DeVries threw a no-hitter against East Carolina on February 17, striking out 12 batters and walking just one.  She has six outings of five or more innings and one or less earned run.  DeVries struck out 10 batters in a five-inning outing in the season opener against NC Central and allowed just one hit, while striking out eight, in a win over ECU on March 19.
 
Freshman Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) is 10-3 this season with a 2.79 ERA in a team-best 80.1 innings.  She has struck out 55 batters and walked just 15, while throwing four complete games. Trahan threw a six-inning No-Hitter against Cleveland State on February 19.  She has five outings of five or more innings and one or less earned run.
 
DEVRIES NEARING WINS RECORD
With six wins this year, senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) has 44 for her career.  That places her in a tie for second all-time at SFU with Patricia Galayda and just one win behind Laura Caldwell's school record established in 2006-09. 
 
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Fairleigh Dickinson is 1-14 this season, with an 8-7 win over Chattanooga.  FDU is looking to snap a six-game losing streak. 
 
The Knights are batting .238 as a team and average 2.53 runs per game.  Sophomore Reanna Cervantes leads FDU with a .386 average, including 17 hits, three RBI and six runs scored.  Freshman Madison Emerson is batting .318 with three RBI and three runs, while sophomore Kellie Natham is hitting .316 with a team-best four doubles and 11 RBI. 
 
The Fairleigh Dickinson pitching staff has a 9.69 ERA and allows an opposing batting average of .351.  Emerson has a 6.93 ERA in 24.2 innings over seven appearances and four starts.