LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team (3-1) travels to Rock Hill, S.C. for the Winthrop Eagle Classic this weekend. The Red Flash will face five different opponents during the tournament, including Syracuse, Albany, College of Charleston, University of Illinois – Chicago and the host school, Winthrop. The weekend schedule has been adjusted to what is listed on the schedule page and in this release.
 
The Event: Winthrop Eagle Classic
Location: Terry Field and Eagle Field (Rock Hill, S.C.)

Official Winthrop Fan Policy:
The Winthrop Farm is open to visitors, so viewing these contests is possible from both designated seating areas and outside the fence of each venue. We ask that any fans in attendance adhere to the campus event mask requirement and also follow signage and announcements related to physical distancing. There will be areas deemed unavailable for spectators in each venue to allow for physical distancing, fan safety and participant safety. Please follow all signage throughout the venue to indicate available seating, restroom capacity and foot traffic flow. At all venues, we encourage only members of the same household to sit together and interact during the event.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis (3-1) vs. Syracuse (2-2)
Date and Time: Friday at 10 a.m.

SCOUTING THE ORANGE
Syracuse enters the weekend with an even 2-2 record after opening the season with four conference games last weekend. The Orange beat Notre Dame and North Carolina, each by a 3-2 margin, before falling to North Carolina 4-0 and 4-2. In 2020, Syracuse finished 10-10, winning four of its last five games.

Senior outfielder Toni Martin led the Orange offense in opening weekend, going 4-of-10 with two home runs, five RBI, 10 total bases, 1.000 slugging percentage and a .417 on-base percentage. Martin hit a home run in each of the first two games. Freshman Kaia Oliver and senior Alexa Romero have split the majority of the time in the circle for Syracuse, each giving up five earned runs.

SERIES WITH THE ORANGE
This is the first-ever meeting between Saint Francis and Syracuse.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis (3-1) vs. UIC (0-0)
Date and Time: Friday at 12:15 p.m.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES
The Winthrop Eagle Classic is opening weekend for UIC after last weekend's tournament in Alabama was canceled. The Flames were selected to win the Horizon League this season, earning nine of 10 first-place votes in the preseason coaches' poll. UIC returns graduate student Kayla Wedl following her 2019 Horizon Player of the Year selection.

Last season, the Flames finished 9-11, winning three of its last four games. The offense was strong at the top of the lineup with four players averaging over .330 on the season. Redshirt senior Kayla Pociejewski returns after leading UIC's offense last season in doubles (4), home runs (5), RBI (18), total bases (38) and slugging percentage (.691). Sophomore pitcher Christina Toniolo returns after leading the pitching staff in ERA (3.12) and wins (3) last season.

SERIES WITH THE FLAMES
This is the first-ever meeting between the Red Flash and the Flames.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis (3-1) vs. Albany (0-0)
Date and Time: Saturday at 10 a.m.

SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
This is opening weekend for Albany. The Great Danes were selected to finish fourth among the seven teams in the America East, according to the preseason coaches' poll. Albany finished with a 6-5 record in 2020, winning each of its last two games.

Sophomore Madison Petrella returns after leading the Great Danes offense last season in batting average (.400), hits (12), doubles (3), home runs (2), RBI (11), total bases (21), slugging percentage (.700), walks (6) and on-base percentage (.514). Sophomore pitcher Wendi Hammond led the pitching staff last season in ERA (3.36), wins (2), appearances (6), complete games (2), shutouts (1), innings pitched (25.0) and strikeouts (15).

SERIES WITH THE GREAT DANES
Saint Francis is 1-0 when facing Albany. The teams previously met on February 26, 2011 as the Red Flash claimed a 2-1 victory. The Great Danes scored in the first inning but the SFU defense did not allow another run.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis (3-1) at Winthrop (5-4)
Date and Time: Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Winthrop enters the weekend with a 5-4 record on the season, having played the most games of any team in the tournament. Last weekend, the Eagles hosted a tournament and went 2-1 on the weekend. Winthrop dropped the first game to Bowling Green, 2-0, before rallying to beat the Falcons 10-1 in the second game of the doubleheader. The Eagles also beat Furman by a 9-2 margin.

Graduate student Ansley Gilreath has started the season hot on offense, as she currently leads Winthrop in batting average (.538), at-bats (26), hits (14), home runs (5), RBI (9) and hit-by-pitches (2). Graduate pitcher Madyson Watson has earned the most time in the circle through the first nine games, making seven appearances and striking out 39 batters through 32.2 innings of work.

SERIES WITH THE EAGLES
Winthrop leads the all-time series 8-3 with Saint Francis. The teams most recently met in 2019 as SFU claimed the 5-4 win. The Eagles held a 3-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning but the Red Flash scored three to take a 4-3 lead into the seventh. Winthrop tied the game at four in the top of seven but a sacrifice fly scored Mekenzie Saban to win the game in the bottom of the seventh.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis (3-1) vs. College of Charleston (0-4)
Date and Time: Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
The College of Charleston began the season 0-4, dropping doubleheaders to Eastern Kentucky and Cleveland State last weekend. The Cougars forced the season opener against EKU to extra innings but a six-run inning for Eastern Kentucky in the eighth handed CofC its first loss. Both games against Cleveland State were decided by two runs as the Cougars dropped 2-0 and 3-1 contests.

Junior Riley Miller leads the CofC offense so far this season in doubles (3), RBI (2), total bases (7) and slugging percentage (.636), as three of her four hits on the season were for extra bases. Senior pitcher Kylie Burke leads the Cougars pitching staff in ERA (0.70), innings pitched (10.0), earned runs (1), strikeouts (11) and opponents' batting average (.143).

SERIES WITH THE COUGARS
Saint Francis has one win in eight total meetings against the College of Charleston, though the most recent meeting between the two programs was in 2003. The Red Flash's win came by an 8-3 margin in 1998.
 

LAST TIME OUT
The Red Flash opened the 2021 season at the Battle of the Beach, compiling a 3-1 record last weekend. SFU dropped its opener last Saturday by a narrow 4-2 margin against East Carolina before beating host-team Coastal Carolina that evening. Saint Francis swept its Sunday doubleheader against Buffalo, with the offense exploding for a 11-4 win in game one and sophomore pitcher Grace Vesco throwing a no-hitter in the 3-0 win in game two.

Vesco and senior utility player Tayven Rousseau were each named a Top Performer by the NFCA for their performances in the Battle of the Beach.
 
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To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.