Flash Points:

• SFU Softball begins Regional play on Friday in its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
• The Red Flash, the No. 3 seed in the regional, meets No. 2 seed South Carolina on Friday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. MT on ESPN3.
• All games of the Tucson Regional will be broadcast on an ESPN Network, with Dean Linke and Kenzie Fowler on the call.
• The Red Flash is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance after winnings its first ever NEC Title.
• SFU enters the tournament with a 21-game win streak and wins in 36 of its last 37 games.

Game Notes | Tournament Central | ESPN3 | Live Stats | Ticket Information | Arizona Clear Bag Policy |All-Region Release
 
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Saint Francis Softball team begins NCAA Regional play on Friday in Tucson.  The Red Flash, the No. 3 seed, takes on South Carolina, the No. 2 seed, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. MT on ESPN3.  All games of the regional will be broadcast on ESPN Networks, with Dean Linke, play-by-play, and Kenzie Fowler, color analyst, on the call.
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift, is 48-9 overall, setting an SFU and NEC season wins record.  The Red Flash went 16-0 in the regular season in NEC play, and won all three of its games in the NEC Tournament, to win its first ever NEC Title and clinch its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.  Saint Francis became the first NEC team to go undefeated in conference play and is only one of two division I teams, joining No. 4 Florida State (27-0 ACC). 
 
Saint Francis enters the NCAA Tournament with a program-record 21-game win streak.  SFU has won 36 of its last 37 games, with its last two losses Pitt (8-3) and Tulsa (3-1) coming in extra innings.  SFU has not lost in seven innings since March 1 against North Texas (2-0).  Saint Francis is ranked No. 25 in the HERO Sports Poll and received 10 votes in this week's USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.  Only five teams in the nation have more wins than SFU this season.
 
Arizona (48-7) is the top seed in the regional, and the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.  South Carolina (32-23) is the No. 2 seed, while New Mexico State (29-23) is the No. 4 seed.
 
REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 19:
Game 1: No. 2 South Carolina vs. No. 3 Saint Francis, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. MT, ESPN3
Game 2: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 New Mexico State, 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. MT, ESPNU
 
Saturday, May 20:
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. MT, TBA
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. MT, TBA
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 winner, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MT, TBA
 
Sunday, May 21:
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. MT, TBA
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 9:30 p.m./6:30 p.m. MT, TBA (if necessary)
 
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Arizona, led by Head Coach Mike Candrea, is 48-7 overall and won the Pac-12 with an 18-6 conference record.  The Pac-12 does not have a conference tournament, but Arizona fell in two of three games against UCLA last weekend.  Arizona is ranked No. 5 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.
 
The Wildcats rank third in the nation in runs per game (7.3) and sixth in batting average (.336), while leading the nation in home runs (88) and slugging percentage (.588).  Senior Katiyana Mauga ranks second in the nation with 22 homers to go with a .343 average and 55 RBI.  Freshman Jessie Harper is batting .354 with 19 homers and 52 RBI, while freshman Alyssa Palomino is hitting .302 with 16 homers and 53 RBI.  Senior Mo Mercado leads the Wildcats with a .391 average to go with 10 homers and 49 RBI.
 
Arizona's pitching staff has a 1.35 ERA, ranking sixth in the nation, and allows an opposing batting average of .175.  Senior Danielle O'Toole is 27-4 in 33 appearances (31 starts), with a 1.08 ERA and 191 strikeouts in 195.1 innings.  O'Toole ranks seventh in the nation in ERA and wins.  Sophomore Taylor McQuillin is 15-3 in 22 appearances (19 starts), with a 1.87 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 105 innings.
 
SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina, coached by Beverly Smith, is 32-23 overall and finished 10th in the SEC standings with an 8-15 conference record.  USC is ranked No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.  The Gamecocks fell 7-3 in the SEC Tournament against No. 19 Kentucky.
 
The Gamecocks average 4.5 runs per game and bat .280 as a team.  Freshman Mackenzie Boesel leads the team with a .337 average to go with seven homers and 31 RBI.  Junior Tiara Duffy is batting .321 with four homers and 18 RBI, while junior Krystan White is hitting .303 with two homers and 38 RBI.  Senior Kaylea Snaer leads USC with eight homers.
 
South Carolina's pitching staff has a 2.97 ERA and allows an opposing batting average of .241.  Senior Nickie Blue is 10-10 in 36 appearances (22 starts), with a 2.46 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 142.1 innings.  Senior Jessica Elliott has a 15-9 record in 37 appearances (17 starts), with a 2.82 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 124.1 innings. 
 
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
New Mexico State, led by Head Coach Kathy Rodolph, is 29-23 overall and won the WAC after going 11-4 in conference play and winning back-to-back games over Seattle in the WAC Championship Series.
 
The Aggies led the WAC in every major offensive category, including runs per game (6.1), batting average (.327) and home runs (52).  Sophomore Kelsey Horton leads the NMSU offense, hitting .424 with 14 doubles, 16 homers, 59 RBI and 51 runs.  Junior Rachel Rodriguez is batting .377 with 20 RBI and 22 stolen bases, while sophomore Victoria Castro has a .327 average to go with nine homers and 42 RBI.
 
New Mexico State's pitching staff has a 4.34 ERA and allows an opposing batting average of .304.  Freshman Samaria Diaz is 16-8 in 39 appearances (18 starts), with a 4.27 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 134.1 innings.  Sophomore Kayla Green has a 12-15 record in 44 appearances (34 starts), with a 4.36 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 189.1 innings.
 
FIRST NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE
Saint Francis is one of three teams making its NCAA Tournament debut this year, joining East Tennessee State and Montana. 
 
The Red Flash earned a No. 3 seed in its first ever appearance and will look to earn the first NCAA Tournament win by an NEC team since Central Connecticut State in 2013. 
 
RED HOT FLASH
With a 3-0 performance in the NEC Tournament, the Red Flash has won 36 of its last 37 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 21 straight games, a program record, dating back to its series against LIU Brooklyn.  That is the second-longest active streak in Division I, only trailing Minnesota's 25-game win streak. 
 
SFU is one of just two teams in the nation that are undefeated in conference play this season, joining No. 4 Florida State (27-0 ACC).
 
The Red Flash has won 26 straight games away from home, including 17 road wins and nine neutral-site wins.  Saint Francis leads Division I with 22 road wins, a program record, this year.
 
Saint Francis is just the third NEC team to reach the 40-win mark and looks to become the first to reach 50 wins.  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 48 wins in 2017.
 
DUAL-THREAT
The Red Flash has shown some impressive speed and power this season, with 61 home runs and 106 stolen bases.  SFU and Florida State are the only teams in the nation with 60 HR and 100 SB this season.  SFU has already set SFU and NEC season steals records.
 
Junior Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) has 21 homers and 22 steals this season.  She is the first 20-20 player in NEC history and the first player in the NCAA to do it since Longwood's Megan Baltzell in 2015.  Seneca is just the third player to accomplish that feat since 2010, with Michigan State's Lindsey Hansen posting a 20-20 season in 2011. 
 
SENECA'S RECORD-BREAKING YEAR
With 21 homers this year, junior Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) ranks third in the nation and has more than 88 Division I teams.  Seneca has topped the SFU-record 18 homers she hit last year and the NEC-record 19 homers by Mount St. Mary's Rachel Heinze last year.
 
Seneca also set a new SFU season RBI record, with 64, topping her 59 last season.  Seneca, eighth in the nation in RBI, is currently tied for the NEC season record, held by Monmouth's Heather Gordon (2007). Seneca has also scored 62 runs, totaling 126 runs that she has accounted for.  That is more than 20 Division I teams. 
 
Seneca has set new SFU season walks (45) and stolen base (22) records, with 45.
 
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 eighth in runs, 23rd in walks per game (0.80), 38th in total bases (116) and 47th in slugging percentage (.725).
 
ALL-REGION/NEC HONORS
SFU's historical season has been rewarded with multiple postseason awards.  On Thursday, senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) was named Second Team All-Great Lakes Region, while junior Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) and freshman Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) were selected Third Team.  Seneca earned All-Region honors for the second straight season and was named First Team All-NEC.   
 
Santai, the NEC Pitcher of the Year, is 18-1 with a 1.62 ERA in 32 appearances (24 starts), leading the NEC in both wins and ERA.  Trahan, the NEC Rookie of the Year, is 15-3 with a 2.12 ERA in 33 appearances (13 starts), with 100 strikeouts in 119 innings.  First Team All-NEC selection Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) rounds out the SFU pitching staff, with a 14-5 record in 31 appearances (20 starts), with 121 strikeouts in 118 innings.
 
SFU set an NEC record with nine All-Conference selections, including five first team honorees.  Joining DeVries, Santai and Seneca on the First Team were junior Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) and sophomore Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois).  Cabell is batting .347 with six homers and 41 RBI, while McKee is batting .353 and ranks ninth in the nation with 18 doubles to go with six homers and 46 RBI.
 
On the All-NEC second team were senior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson), the NEC Gold Glove winner, and sophomores Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois), Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) and Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry).  Witthus has not allowed a passed ball this season and has thrown out 15 base-stealers, while batting .310.  McKee leads SFU with a .392 average to go with seven homers and 37 RBIs as well as SFU season records in hits (69) and runs (65).  Norton is batting .311 with 11 homers and 47 RBI, while Troxell has three homers and 32 RBI.