Spartansburg, S.C. – The Saint Francis softball team, winners of the last three NEC Championships, will be tested right out of the gates at the USC Upstate Spartan Classic. SFU's four opponents all finished 2019 with a .500 or better record and went a combined 138-88. Saint Francis will open with Marshall and Towson on Friday, Feb. 7, followed by Bucknell on Saturday, Feb. 8, and Towson and USC Upstate on Sunday, Feb. 9.
 
Scouting Marshall
 
SFU's opening game of the 2020 season will be a difficult one as the Red Flash take on Marshall on Feb. 7. The Herd won 42 games a season ago and return most of their big guns in 2020. Sophomore Mya Stevenson took Conference USA by storm in her first season, earning First Team All-Conference. The NCAA freshman leader in home runs with 20, Stevenson hit .329 with 58 RBIs. Junior Aly Harrell is another dangerous hitter, leading Marshall with a .338 average last season. A First Team All-Conference selection, she is a .343 career hitter with 25 homers, 14 of which came last season. Senior Kailee Williamson is the ace of the pitching staff, coming off a 12-4 season with a 3.16 ERA and 12 complete games. All three were named to the Conference USA Preseason All-Conference Team, as the Herd were picked third in the 12-team league.
 
Scouting Towson
 
The Red Flash will meet Towson twice in the opening week and five times over the course of the season. Coming off a 27-27 season, the Tigers are led by two-way player Julia Smith-Harrington. Smith Harrington led the CAA with 18 doubles last season, and also added eight home runs to hit .316 on the year. She was also the Tigers best pitcher, going 6-3 with a 2.20 ERA on her way to Second Team All-CAA honors. Towson lost Nicole Stockinger who hit .357 with a team-high 15 homers, but Madison Wilson, a .328 hitter, returns.
 
Scouting Bucknell
 
The Red Flash and Bison are very familiar with each other as SFU won a pair of one-run games vs. Bucknell last season. Sophomore Allyse Volpe hit .399 as a freshman in 2019 with 57 hits and 16 stolen bases. Junior Taylor Wolfgang is the team's top returning power threat after hitting seven home runs and a team-high 18 doubles last season. Bucknell's top two pitchers also return in seniors Raeanne Geffert and Lauren Lichtenwalner. Geffert was 16-13 with a 2.20 ERA and 21 complete games last season, while Lichtenwalner posted an 11-8 record with a 2.83 ERA and six complete games. Bucknell went 28-24 overall and 14-3 in the Patriot League.
 
Scouting USC Upstate
 
The opening weekend doesn't recede for the Red Flash as it closes with USC Upstate. The Spartans went 41-15 last season and return the 2020 Big South Preseason Player of the Year, Alyssa Oakes. The 2019 Player of the Year, Oakes finished the 2019 regular-season as the conference's Triple Crown leader with a .402 batting average, 22 homeruns and 73 RBI's. The Sunshine State native ranked Top-10 nationally in home runs, home runs per game, on-base percentage, RBI per game, slugging and total bases. USC Upstate was picked second in the Big South Preseason Poll, despite losing its top pitcher, Christina Biggerstaff, who went 25-4 with a 1.13 era.
 
Live Stats will be available on the softball schedule page at www.sfuathletics.com and live game tweets will be provided at @RedFlashSB on Twitter.