Flash Points:

• SFU Softball welcomes Sacred Heart and Wagner to the Red Flash Softball Field this weekend for the final two series of the regular season.
• The Red Flash meets the Pioneers on Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader, with a Senior Day ceremony before the game.
• SFU takes on Wagner on Sunday at Noon.  Both series will be broadcast on NEC Front Row.
• The Red Flash takes a 14-game win streak, second longest in the nation, into this weekend's games.
• SFU is 41-9 overall and 12-0 in the NEC, needing just one win to clinch the top seed and home field advantage in the NEC Tournament.

NEC Front Row Sacred Heart | Wagner
Live Stats
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis Softball team hosts Sacred Heart and Wagner this weekend in its final two series of the regular season.  The Red Flash and the Pioneers meet on Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.  SFU takes on the Seahawks on Sunday for a Noon twinbill.  The games will be broadcast on NEC Front Row, with Dan Griffin on the call.
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift, is 41-9 overall and 12-0 in the NEC.  Saint Francis has won 14 straight games, the second-longest active streak in Division I, and 29 of its last 30 games.  SFU swept Penn State on Wednesday, the first time in program history, and reached the 40-win mark for the first time ever.  SFU defeated the Nittany Lions, 2-0, in game one and 1-0, in eight innings, in game two.  SFU allowed just one hit in each game. 
 
Sacred Heart, coached by Elizabeth Luckie and Pam London, is 16-24 overall and 6-4 in the NEC.  Last weekend, SHU swept LIU Brooklyn, winning 6-2 and 4-1, but split its series with Mount St. Mary's, falling 3-0 and winning 5-0.  SHU dropped both games of a doubleheader against Siena on Thursday, falling 7-3 and 7-0.
 
Wagner, led by Angie Churchill, is 19-20 overall and 8-4 in the NEC.  Last weekend, Wagner swept Mount St. Mary's, winning 2-1 and 15-3. 
 
SENIOR DAY
Before Game 1 against Sacred Heart, the Red Flash will honor its 2017 Senior Class, which includes Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston), Kelsie Marconi (Lowber, Pa./Yough), Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) and Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson). 
 
This senior class has been a part of 132 wins and helped SFU to increase its win total each of the last four seasons.  The group helped SFU to return to the NEC Tournament last year for the first time since 2008. 
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saint Francis lead the all-time series, 19-13, against Sacred Heart.  SFU has won five of its last six meetings against the Pioneers, including last year's sweep at SHU.
 
The Red Flash trails the all-time series, 25-23, against Wagner.  Saint Francis has won six of the last seven games in the series, including four straight wins.
 
RED HOT FLASH
With its doubleheader sweep at Penn State, its first ever over the Nittany Lions, the Red Flash has won 29 of its last 30 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 has not lost a game in seven or less innings since March 1 at North Texas.
 
Saint Francis has won 14 straight games, dating back to its series against LIU Brooklyn.  That is the second-longest active streak in Division I, only trailing Minnesota's 17-game win streak. 
 
The Red Flash has now won 25 straight games away from home, including 17 road wins and eight neutral-site wins.  Saint Francis leads Division I with 22 road wins, a program record, this year.
 
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.
 
Saint Francis also has an opportunity to be the first NEC team to ever go undefeated in conference play in the regular season. 
 
40-WIN MARK
With its sweep over Penn State, the Red Flash has 41 wins on the season. Saint Francis had already set a program wins record, topping 34 by last year's team, and now has 40 wins for the first time in program history.
 
Saint Francis is just the third NEC team to reach the 40-win mark.  UMBC won 47 games, an NEC record, in 2002 and 43 games in 2003. 
 
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.
 
DOMINATING IN THE CIRCLE
The Red Flash pitching staff had another dominant performance on Wednesday, holding Penn State to one-hit shutouts in both games of the doubleheader.  Senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) went seven innings in game one, striking out five batters, while senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) fanned 10 batters in game two.
 
Over its last 54 innings, dating back to its April 15 sweep at Mount St. Mary's, the Red Flash pitching staff, which also includes freshman Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan), has allowed just four runs, with five shutouts, 15 hits, and struck out 72 batters.  Nearly 44 percent of SFU's outs during the streak have been recorded via strikeouts.  The stretch includes four one-hitters and a No-hitter.
 
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 fourth 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 54 runs, totaling 113 runs that she has accounted for.  That is more than 23 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 23rd in walks per game (0.82), 26th in total bases (105), 37th in slugging percentage (.750) and 117th in on-base percentage (.473). 
 
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.  SFU added another steal at PSU.  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, and 15 against Penn State, Saint Francis now has 268 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 110 strikeouts in 105.2 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 71 in 119.2 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 four double-digit strikeout performances this year.
 
DeVries now has 50 career wins, a program record, and 433 strikeouts.  DeVries is third all-time at SFU in strikeouts, just 13 away from second place, held by Stacey Scofield (2000-03).  She is also third all-time in appearances (124), one 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 second in the nation in doubles, with 18.  Her sister, Cheyenne, has been a strong presence at the top of the lineup.  She is third in the nation in runs (57) and ranks 10th in runs per game (1.14) and 22nd in hits (62).
 
Sophomore Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) is 44th in home runs (11).  Senior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) is 92nd in walks per game (0.58) and 50th in on-base percentage (.500). 
 
In the circle, senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) is 53rd in ERA (1.64), while DeVries is 13th in hits allowed per seven innings (3.97) and 65th in strikeouts per seven innings (7.3).  Freshman Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) is 46th 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 (6.06), home runs per game (1.02), triples per game (0.24), doubles per game (1.48), slugging percentage (.475) and stolen bases per game (1.82).  Saint Francis also owns the league's top ERA, allowing only 2.06 earned runs per game.
 
STRONG IN THE CIRCLE
The Red Flash pitching staff has been strong all season, holding an NEC-best 2.06 ERA and holding opposing batters to a .197 average. 
 
Senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) leads the NEC with a 1.64 ERA.  She owns a 15-1 record, with nine 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 nine 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 a 12-5 record in 27 appearances to go with a 2.12 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 105.2 innings.  DeVries threw a no-hitter against East Carolina on February 17, striking out 12 batters and walking just one.  She has 10 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 10, in a win at Penn State on April 26.  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 PIONEERS
Sacred Heart is 16-24 overall and 6-4 in the NEC.  Last weekend, SHU swept LIU Brooklyn, winning 6-2 and 4-1, but split its series with Mount St. Mary's, falling 3-0 and winning 5-0.  SHU dropped both games of a doubleheader against Siena on Thursday, falling 7-3 and 7-0.
 
SHU averages 2.66 runs per game (seventh in the NEC) and has a team batting average of .230 (seventh in the NEC).  Graduate student Andrea Sidor leads the Pioneers with a .297 average and two homers, while driving in 10 runs.  Senior Victoria D'Addario has two homers and 15 RBI to go with a .277 average.  Sophomore Hailey Desrosiers is hitting .287, while junior Fallon Bevino has two homers and 13 RBI.
 
The Pioneers have a team ERA of 2.60, second in the NEC, and allows an opposing batting average of .214.  Senior Jaime Carlson is 9-11 with a 2.02 ERA in 24 appearances (19 starts).  She has 137 strikeouts in 135 innings.  Sophomore Kristen McCann is 6-10 in 20 appearances (16 starts), with a 2.66 ERA in 100 innings.  McCann has 88 strikeouts on the year.
 
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
Wagner is 19-20 overall and 8-4 in the NEC.  Last weekend, Wagner swept Mount St. Mary's, winning 2-1 and 15-3. 
 
Wagner averages 4.03 runs per game (fourth in the NEC) and hits .296 as a team (second in the NEC). Sophomore Karen Prihoda is 70th in the nation with a .403 average to go with three homers and 21 RBI.  Senior Brianna Tredway is batting .395 with 25 RBI and 21 runs, while junior Stefanie Aplin is hitting .351.  Freshman Kaila Smith has seven homers and 20 RBI to go with a .263 average.
 
The Seahawks have a team ERA of 4.62 (fifth in the NEC) and allows an opposing batting average of .321.  Senior McKaleigh Goodale leads Wagner with a 5-11 record and 3.99 ERA in 20 appearances (14 starts).  Goodale has 36 strikeouts in 80.2 innings.  Junior Morgan Brown is 9-6 in 23 appearances (16 starts), with a 4.13 ERA in 100 innings.