Flash Points:

• SFU Softball visits Penn State on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. doubleheader at Nittany Lion Softball Park.
• The Red Flash meets the Nittany Lions for its final non-conference series of the regular season.
• Saint Francis is 39-9 overall and has won 27 of its last 28 games.
• Penn State is 20-26 overall and 6-11 in the Big Ten.

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LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis Softball team visits Penn State on Wednesday for its final non-conference series of the season.  The Red Flash and the Nittany Lions will battle in a doubleheader, beginning at 5 p.m. at Nittany Lion Softball Park At Beard Field. 
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift, is 39-9 overall and 12-0 in the NEC.  Saint Francis has won 27 of its last 28 games, with its last two losses coming in extra innings.  SFU has already set a new program record for wins and has an opportunity to reach the 40-win mark for the first time in program history.  The Red Flash swept both of its NEC doubleheaders this past weekend, earning 9-0 and 8-0 wins at Bryant on Saturday, and 3-1 and 9-2 victories at Central Connecticut State on Sunday. 
 
Penn State, coached by Amanda Lehotak, is 20-26 overall and 6-11 in the Big Ten.  Penn State won two of three games against Rutgers this past weekend.  PSU earned an 11-9 win in eight innings on Friday and followed with a 7-0 win on Saturday.  The Nittany Lions fell 6-4 on Sunday.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saint Francis trails the all-time series, 34-4, against the Nittany Lions.  The Red Flash dropped both games in a twinbill at Penn State last season, falling in 6-0 and 4-2 decisions.  Though the games didn't officially count, the teams met in Loretto during the Fall, with SFU winning both of those games.
 
RED HOT FLASH
With its doubleheader sweeps over Bryant and CCSU, the Red Flash has won 27 of its last 28 games, with its last two losses coming in extra innings against Tulsa (3-1 in eight innings on March 3) and Pitt (8-3 in nine innings on April 5).
 
SFU's loss against Pitt snapped a program-record 15-game win streak, but SFU has quickly put together a new 12-game win streak.  SFU has three streaks of four or more wins this season. 
 
FLASH RETURNING TO THE NEC TOURNAMENT
With a 12-0 record in the NEC, the Red Flash is the first team this season to clinch a spot in the conference tournament.  Saint Francis has made the NEC tournament in back-to-back seasons since 1997 and 1998.
 
The Red Flash, who leads the conference standings by three games, needs just one win this weekend vs. Wagner or Sacred Heart to clinch the top seed and home field advantage.  It would mark the first time SFU has ever gone into the tournament as the top seed.
 
PROGRAM WINS RECORD
With its sweep over Mount St. Mary's, the Red Flash reached the 35-win mark.  That set a new program wins record, topping 34 wins by last year's team.  Saint Francis already has 39 wins with six games left in the regular season and at least two in the NEC Tournament.  SFU has a chance to reach the 40-win mark for the first time in program history.
 
The Red Flash has improved its win total each of the last six seasons.  Saint Francis improved from 10 wins to 22 from 2011 to 2012, followed by 25 wins (2013), 26 wins (2014), 31 wins (2015), 34 wins (2016) and now 39 wins in 2017.
 
Saint Francis has also set the program's road wins record.  SFU picked up its 15th and 16th road wins last weekend, topping 14 road wins by the 2008 team.  SFU currently has a 20-4 road record this season.
 
SENECA BREAKS SFU SEASON HOME RUN RECORD
Junior Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) returned to her home run-hitting form this past weekend, launching three dingers, including two in SFU's game two win at Bryant.  Seneca raised her season total to 19 homers, setting a new SFU season record.  That bettered the 18 homers that Seneca hit in 2016.
 
Seneca is now tied for the NEC season home run record, set by Mount St. Mary's Rachel Heinze last season.
 
With 19 homers this year, Seneca ranks third in the nation and has more than 97 Division I teams. 
 
Seneca is also tied for SFU's season RBI record, with 59, which she set last season.  Seneca, fifth in the nation in RBI, is just five away from the NEC record, held by Monmouth's Heather Gordon (2007). Seneca has also scored 53 runs, totaling 112 runs that she has accounted for.  That is more than 24 Division I teams.
 
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, leading to being named National Player of the Week by FastPitchNews.
 
Seneca, who has earned six NEC Player of the Week awards this season, has been mentioned in two different ESPNW articles.  She also ranks 22nd in walks per game (0.83), 23rd in total bases (105), 26th in slugging percentage (.784) and 80th in on-base percentage (.486). 
 
UNHITTABLE
Senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) threw a complete-game, six inning No-Hitter in a game one win over Bryant on Saturday.  She struck out five batters, while allowing only four baserunners all game.  She had stretches of seven and nine consecutive batters retired.  That was Santai's second No-Hitter and SFU's fourth this season. 
 
STEALING BASES
As a team, the Red Flash stole six bases in its doubleheader at CCSU, raising its season total to 90.  That is a new NEC season record, topping 85 by UMBC in 1999 and 2000.  SFU accomplished the feat after blowing by its program record of 73 steals in 2014.  Seneca leads SFU with 16 steals.  Sophomores Cheyenne and Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) each have 13 steals.
 
LOTS OF WHIFFS
With a ridiculous 24 strikeouts in the doubleheader against CCSU, 12 in each game, Saint Francis now has 253 strikeouts this year.  That is a new SFU season record, bettering 250 strikeouts by the 2009 team.  Senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) leads SFU with 100 strikeouts in 97.2 innings.  Freshman Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) has 84 strikeouts in 103.2 innings, while senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) has 66 in 112.2 innings.  In NEC play, Trahan has struck out 50 percent of the batters she has faced.
 
DEVRIES CLIMBING ALL-TIME RANKINGS
After becoming Saint Francis' all-time wins leader with a win over Bucknell on April 11, senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) reached the 400-career strikeout mark on April 15 against Mount St. Mary's.  DeVries has three double-digit strikeout performances this year.
 
DeVries now has 49 career wins, a program record, and 423 strikeouts.  DeVries is third all-time at SFU in strikeouts, just 23 away from second place, held by Stacey Scofield (2000-03).  She is also third all-time in appearances (123), two away from second place, held by Megan Layne (2009-12). 
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Saint Francis is ranked 57th 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 17 games against RPI Top 100 opponents.  The Red Flash has captured national attention as well, picking up four votes this week in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.  SFU is one of 10 teams with 39 or more wins.
 
NATIONAL LEADERS
Seneca isn't the only member of the Red Flash among the national ranks.  Sophomore Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) is seventh in the nation in doubles, with 16.  Her sister, Cheyenne, has been a strong presence at the top of the lineup.  She is third in the nation in runs (58) and ranks sixth in runs per game (1.17) and 30th in hits (59).
 
Sophomore Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) is 42nd in home runs (11).  Senior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) is 87th in walks per game (0.58) and 36th in on-base percentage (.514). 
 
In the circle, senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) is 58th in ERA (1.74), while DeVries is 16th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.23) and 69th in strikeouts per seven innings (7.2).  Freshman Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) is 48th in walks allowed per seven innings, giving up only 1.28.
 
TOP OF THE NEC
Saint Francis leads the NEC in several team categories.  The Red Flash leads the conference in runs per game (6.25), home runs per game (1.06), triples per game (0.25), doubles per game (1.48), slugging percentage (.483) and stolen bases per game (1.88).  Saint Francis also owns the league's top ERA, allowing only 2.15 earned runs per game.
 
STRONG IN THE CIRCLE
The Red Flash pitching staff has been strong all season, holding an NEC-best 2.15 ERA and holding opposing batters to a .202 average. 
 
Senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) leads the NEC with a 1.74 ERA.  She owns a 14-1 record, with eight 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 threw a six-inning No-Hitter at Bryant on Saturday, allowing just four baserunners and striking out five batters.  Santai has eight outings this year in which she has pitched at least five innings and allowed one or less earned runs.  Santai earned NEC Pitcher of the Week honors for the second straight week and fourth time this year.
 
Fellow senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) has an 11-5 record in 26 appearances to go with a 2.29 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 97.2 innings.  DeVries threw a no-hitter against East Carolina on February 17, striking out 12 batters and walking just one.  She has nine 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.  DeVries struck out 10 batters and retired 19 straight to end the game in SFU's second game at Mount St. Mary's.
 
Freshman Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) is 13-3 this season with a 2.36 ERA in 103.2 innings.  She has struck out 84 batters and walked just 19, while throwing five complete games. Trahan threw a six-inning No-Hitter against Cleveland State on February 19.  She has seven outings of five or more innings and one or less earned run.  Trahan earned her fifth NEC Rookie of the Week award after striking out 15 batters in seven innings last week, including nine strikeouts in four innings in a game one win vs. CCSU.
 
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State is 20-26 overall and 6-11 in the Big Ten after taking two of three games against Rutgers last weekend.
 
The Nittany Lions' offense averages 3.80 runs per game and has a team batting average of .276.  Sophomore Tori Dubois leads PSU with a .352 average.  She has six doubles and five homers on the year, driving in 25 runs and scoring 27.  Sophomore Rebecca Ziegler has a .333 average with four homers, 25 RBI and 25 runs, while sophomore Toni Polk is batting .313 with a homer, 17 RBI and 25 runs.  Seniors Kristina Brackpool and Shelby Miller each have four homers, with Miller leading the team with 27 RBI.
 
In the circle, Penn State's staff has a 4.19 ERA and allows an opposing batting average of .294.  Senior Marlaina Laubach has a team-best 3.11 ERA in 27 appearances (19 starts) and 117 innings.  She has a 9-8 record and has struck out 59 batters.  Sophomore Madison Seifert has a 4.23 ERA in 82.2 innings over 22 appearances (15 starts).  She is 4-9 with 36 strikeouts.