Flash Points:

• SFU Softball visits Auburn this weekend for the Tiger Invitational.
• The Red Flash will face some challenging competition this weekend against the No. 13 Tigers, Georgia State and Maryland.
• Saint Francis begins the tournament on Friday against Georgia State (1:30 p.m. ET) and Auburn (6:30 p.m. ET)
• The Red Flash will play Auburn on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
• SFU is coming off a 3-2 opening weekend at Coastal Carolina.

Friday Game 1 Live Stats | Game 2 Live Stats
Saturday Game 1 Live Stats SEC Network+ | Game 2 Live Stats 
Sunday Live Stats

Game Notes
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis Softball team visits No. 13 Auburn this weekend for the Tiger Invitational.  The Red Flash begins the tournament on Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET against Georgia State before facing Auburn at 6:30 p.m. ET.  SFU starts Saturday with a 5:30 p.m. matchup with Auburn on SEC Network+ and follows with a battle against Georgia State.  Saint Francis concludes the tournament on Sunday against Maryland at 9 a.m. ET.
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift, is coming off a 3-2 weekend at the Kickin' Chicken Classic, hosted by Coastal Carolina.  SFU will face a major test this weekend, taking on two Power Five programs and one of the top teams in the Sun Belt.
 
Auburn is off to a 7-0 start, outscoring opponents 38-1 last weekend.  The Tigers are ranked 13th in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.  On Wednesday, Auburn earned a 5-0 win over Troy on Wednesday.
 
Georgia State, picked second in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll, is 2-4 after playing at the Wilson DeMarini Tournament last weekend.  The Panthers started the tournament 0-4, including losses against No. 2 Florida and No. 18 Michigan, but finished with a 15-4 win over UAB.  GSU picked up a 5-2 win over Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
 
Maryland is also 1-4 after playing at the UCLA Tournament last weekend.  The Terrapins were 0-4 before a 2-1 win over Middle Tennessee State last Sunday.

SERIES HISTORY
This is Saint Francis' first ever meeting against Auburn, but SFU will look for its first win against an SEC opponent.  The Red Flash will play its second ever meeting against Georgia State after a 10-1 loss in 2005.  SFU is 4-6 all-time against Maryland, splitting a doubleheader in 2015.
 
SFU EARNS TWO NEC WEEKLY AWARDS
With strong performances on opening weekend, junior Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) and sophomore Adrian Smith (Clairsville, Ohio/St. Clairsville) picked up NEC weekly honors.  Bower was named NEC Player of the Week, while Smith was selected NEC Pitcher of the Week. 

Bower batted a team-best .375 on the weekend, with six hits, including two doubles and a homer, two RBI and four runs.  She began the season with a two-hit day against Presbyterian, hitting a double and a homer, driving in two runs and scoring three runs.  She had two more hits against UNC Greensboro, including a double.
Smith went 1-0 with an 0.57 ERA in three appearances, including two starts.  In 12.1 innings, she allowed just one run on nine hits and struck out nine batters.  Opposing batters hit just .191 against Smith this weekend. 

In her first career start, Smith threw a complete-game shutout in the season opener vs. Presbyterian, going all seven innings and allowing just three hits and three walks, while striking out seven.  She followed that performance with 5.1 innings in a start against PC, giving up just one run on five hits and not allowing a run after the first inning
 
STRONG IN THE CIRCLE
The Red Flash entered the season with a new-look rotation after graduating two All-NEC pitchers.  Saint Francis returned NEC Rookie of the Year Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) and added Smith into the rotation and looks to have a strong presence in the circle once again.  SFU posted a 2.20 ERA this past weekend, going the first three games allowing one or less run.  After the first weekend, Trahan ranks 18th in the nation in strikeouts (21) and Smith leads the NEC with an 0.57 ERA.
 
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
SFU continues a challenging non-conference schedule this weekend.  The slate features games against No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 13 Auburn, No. 19 Oklahoma State. SFU will also play Arkansas and Tulsa, both receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.  As part of its non-conference schedule, SFU will play 16 games against Power 5 programs and 12 against teams who played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
The Tigers, led by Head Coach Mickey Dean, made it to the Super Regional round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament and finished the year with a 49-12 record.  Last weekend, Auburn went 6-0 and outscored its opponents, 38-1.  The Tigers defeated Marshall (4-0), Wichita State (2-0), Tennessee Tech (3-0, 18-0) and Furman (2-0, 9-1).  Auburn improved to 7-0 with a 5-0 victory over Troy on Wednesday.
 
Auburn is batting .345 as a team, averaging 6.3 runs per game.  Victoria Draper leads the team with a .538 average, while Justus Perry is batting .533 with two homers and eight RBI.  Taylon Snow is also hitting .500 with a team-high 10 hits and five RBI, while KK rocker is batting .412 with six RBI. 
 
The Tigers had a very strong weekend in the circle, one of four teams to not allow an earned run this season, led by USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List honoree Kaylee Carlson.  The senior went 3-0, with three complete games, allowing just 11 hits and an unearned run in 20 innings, while striking out 20 and walking one.  Makayla Martin was 2-0 last weekend, giving up just nine hits and two walks in 13 innings, while striking out seven.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Georgia State, coached by Roger Kincaid, was picked second in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll.  The Panthers finished third in the conference last season and played in the National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC), reaching their region championship game.  GSU is 2-4 this season, starting last weekend with losses to No. 18 Michigan (8-0), South Florida (5-4), No. 2 Florida (11-0) and Illinois State (7-6).  The Panthers earned a 5-2 win over Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
 
The Panthers are batting .250 as a team and averaging 5.0 runs per game.  Remington Hasty leads the squad with a .438 average with a homer and three RBI.  Ivie Drake is batting .294 with three homers and eight RBI.
 
In the circle, Georgia State has a team ERA OF 7.00.  Kinsley Jennings is 2-0 in four appearances, with a 3.50 ERA in 18 innings.  She has struck out 12 batters and walked four. 
 
SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS
The Terrapins, led by Head Coach Julie Wright, is 1-4 after last weekend's UCLA Tournament.  Maryland suffered setbacks against Cal Poly (4-3), No. 4 UCLA (5-1), UC Riverside (5-0) and Cal Poly (4-3), before finishing the weekend with a 2-1 win over Middle Tennessee State.
 
Maryland is batting .225 as a team.  Skylynne Ellazar leads the team with a .615 average, with a homer and two RBI.  Kassidy Cross also has a homer and two RBI.
 
The Terrapins have a 2.06 team ERA.  In four appearances, Sydney Golden leads the squad with a 1.2 ERA in 11.2 innings.  She has four strikeouts and three walks.  Ryan Denhart owns a 2.23 ERA in four appearances, two starts.  In 15 innings, Denhart has eight strikeouts and three walks.