LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball prepares for a trip to the Furman tournament, where they will face Furman, Georgetown and South Dakota. The Red Flash went 3-2 in their opening weekend at the Elon Classic.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Eight players started all-five games for the Red Flash in their opening weekend. They had a .346 team batting average and held opponents to a .202 average. They added a .433 on-base percentage and six home runs.  
» Mekenzie Saban led Saint Francis in its first weekend with a .474 batting average, six runs, one double, one home run and five RBIs. With her double, Saban now sits at 46 in her career which is seven shy of setting a new program record.
» Rachel Marsden appeared in three games as a pitcher, with two starts, and had a 1.26 ERA with two wins in 16.2 innings pitched. As a hitter, she had three home runs in 15 at-bats and carries a team-leading .867 slugging percentage.
» Jordan Frank is second on the team with a .467 batting average and leads the team with a 1.196 OPS and one triple.
» In her first collegiate series, Olivia Ulam started all-five games and hit .385 with three runs scored, three RBIs and three walks.
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash went 3-2 in their opening weekend of the 2022 season at the Elon Classic. Saint Francis defeated IUPUI twice by a combined 22-0 margin and split its series with Appalachian State with a 3-1 win and 9-7 loss. They suffered a 3-2 loss to Elon after the Phoenix had a three-run fifth inning. Saint Francis outscored opponents by a combined 34-13 margin during the weekend.
 
Scouting Georgetown
The Hoyas started the season 1-4 at the Coastal Carolina Kickin' Chicken Tourney from Feb. 11-13. They earned their only victory 3-2 over East Carolina, while they lost to Coastal Carolina twice, Purdue once and East Carolina once. They were outscored 36-25 during the tournament. Graduate student Alyssa Chavez has a team-high .467 batting average, .933 slugging percentage, two home runs and five RBIs. Graduate student Savannah Jones is the only other qualified Hoya with above a .300 batting average, with her .400 mark. Sophomore Julia Parker leads the Georgetown pitching staff with a 3.11 ERA and the team's only victory in 18 innings pitched.
 
All-Time vs. Georgetown
Saint Francis holds a 2-0 all-time record over Georgetown. The two programs played both games during the 2012 season in two separate tournaments. The Red Flash defeated the Hoyas in the first meeting 1-0 in the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational on March 10 and 2-1 the following weekend on March 16 in the UMBC Spring Classic.
 
Scouting Furman
The Paladins enter the weekend after an even 2-2 record in their hosted Paladin Invitational. Furman started the weekend with two wins over North Dakota and Maryland Eastern Shore before losses to Tarleton State and Bellarmine. They were outscored 29-19 during the invitational. Chrissy Fleming leads the team with a .375 batting average and .444 on-base percentage, while Ashlee Lykins and Natalie Morgan each hit .308. Alex Rose Molinar has a team-high three RBIs and Chloe Fabio leads with four runs scored. The Paladines are 3-for-3 in steals and have no home runs through their first four games. Sierra Tufts leads the pitching staff with a 1.75 ERA, .280 batting average against and one complete game in 12 innings pitched.
 
All-Time vs. Furman
Furman holds a 4-0 advantage over Saint Francis since the  inaugural matchup in 1994. The Paladins took a 6-1 win in the first matchup and a 9-4 victory in the most recent matchup, played in 2006.  
 
Scouting South Dakota
The Coyotes enter the weekend with a tournament-best 4-1 record, which includes an upset of No. 25 Wichita State at the Bearkat Classic. South Dakota suffered its only loss 9-8 to Sam Houston and outscored opponents 29-14 during the weekend. Freshman Pitcher Clara Edwards led the Coyotes with no earned runs allowed in 19.1 innings and had a 2-1 record with two complete-game shutouts. Freshman Tatum Villotta leads the team with a .429 batting average in 14 at-bats. Aleesia Sainz has a .400 batting average, 1.400 OPS and five walks. Beia Goerke leads the team with three home runs, 10 RBIs and a .889 slugging percentage.
 
All-Time vs. South Dakota
South Dakota defeated Saint Francis in the programs only meeting, played in 2013. The Coyotes took a 3-1 win on March 6 during the Rebel Games, played in Kissimmee, Fla. South Dakota was one of Saint Francis' three losses during the eight-game tournament.
 
Saban: Record Setter
Infielder Mekenzie Saban set a program record for highest batting average in a single season with her .452 mark in 2021. She had the second-most hits, 76, and doubles, 20, in a single season, falling just short of her own standard set in 2019 with 80 hits and 23 doubles. Saban also ranks third in single-season runs scored with 63 in 2019 and fifth with 19 stolen bases in 2021. She entered the 2022 season with 45-career doubles, fourth in program history, and 133 runs scored, fifth in program history.
 
Vesco No. 81 in Extra Inning Softball Elite 100 Rankings
Pitcher Grace Vesco was placed 81st in the first-ever Extra Innings Softball Elite 100 College Player Rankings. In 2021, Vesco set a new program record with 196 strikeouts and had the second-lowest ERA at 1.00. In her career, Vesco has just 239-career strikeouts in just 227.1 innings pitched.
 
1-2 Punch Returns
Grace Vesco and Rachel Marsden, both juniors, return after a historic 2021 season. The duo guided Saint Francis to a 1.47 staff ERA that ranked fourth in the NCAA Division I last season. Vesco's 1.00 ERA finished fifth in the nation and Marsden's 1.62 ERA finished 45th, the only two NEC pitchers in the top-125. Vesco's ERA was the second-lowest in program history and Marden's was third. The Saint Francis staffed tied for sixth-most shutouts in the nation last season with 19 and was 23rd with a 3.45 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
Four-Straight NEC Titles
The Red Flash have won four-straight Northeast Conference titles dating back to 2017. The only season during the stretch without a title was in the canceled 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two current players, Mekenzie Saban and Jordan Frank, were part of three of the titles. During the four championship seasons, Saint Francis has a combined 64-8 conference and 157-71 overall record.
 
Softball Picked First in NEC Preseason Poll
Saint Francis was picked to repeat as Northeast Conference Champions in this season's NEC Preseason Poll. The Red Flash earned six first-place votes and were selected to finish first for the first time since 2018. LIU was selected second in the conference and earned the remaining three first-place votes. Central Connecticut, Sacred Heart and Mount St. Mary's rounded out the top-five in that order.
 
Softball's Schedule Highlighted by Trip to Clemson
The Red Flash 2022 schedule features 14 home games and 40 away games, highlighted by a matchup at Clemson. The Tigers enter the season ranked No. 15 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and host Saint Francis, Akron and Boston University from Feb. 25-27. Saint Francis takes a trip to Jacksonville, Fla. where they will face Monmouth, North Florida, Holy Cross and Jacksonville from March 4-6. They have notable away games at in-state foes Penn State on March 22 and Pitt on April 6. Saint Francis' 24-game conference schedule begins at home on March 19 against LIU.
 
Petrie Joins Staff as Assistant Coach
Elysse Petrie joined head coach Jessica O'Donnell's staff in August 2021 as an assistant coach, working primarily with the pitching staff. She previously worked as a graduate assistant at Division II University of Indianapolis, where she guided one Midwest Pitcher of the Year and was part of the NFCA Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year. As a player, Petrie had the fewest earned runs allowed (178), second-lowest ERA (3.26) and second-fewest walks (76) in Centre College program history.
 
Frank Joins Staff as Graduate Assistant
Jackson Frank joined the softball program as a graduate assistant in January 2022. He is a former volunteer student manager on the Penn State baseball team, where he kept stats and opposing team scouting reports. As a player at Pennsylvania State University DuBois from 2017-19, he earned two United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships. He is the brother of current Saint Francis outfielder Jordan Frank.
 
Softball Adds Six Players in 2022 Signing Class
The Red Flash added Annabelle Farmer, Lauryn Kane, Savanah Nash, Brianna Sawyers, Tessa Thompson and Madelyn Wilson in the 2022 signing class. "This class is filled with incredible talent and experience," said head coach Jessica O'Donnell. "They have been competing nationally against the top competition for years and they are no stranger to winning the big games. We are looking forward to getting them on the field with us next year."
 
Next
The Red Flash return to South Carolina when they face Akron, Boston University and Clemson from Feb. 25-27, all hosted by Clemson.