LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball gears up for a trip to the Clemson Classic, where they will face Akron, Boston University and No. 14 Clemson. The tournament dates were moved to only Friday and Saturday with inclement weather in the forecast Sunday. The final game of the weekend will be determined based on seeding.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Lindsay Ward earned NEC Player of the Week after she hit .364 with nine runs scored, two home runs, six RBIs and had a .927 OPS. She hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to guide Saint Francis to a 6-5 win over South Dakota on Feb. 20.
» Rachel Marsden earned NEC Pitcher of the Week with her 4-1 record, 2.65 ERA and 32 strikeouts through 39.2 innings. Her four wins are tied for 13th in the NCAA Division I.
» Jordan Pietrzykoski leads the team with a .394 batting average, .487 on-base percentage, 10 runs scored and four steals. She was named an NEC Prime Performer for the first time in her career.
» Mekenzie Saban hit .389 with eight runs scored, two doubles, one home run and seven RBIs through the first 10 games. She is now six doubles shy of setting a new program record.
» As a team, the Red Flash are 52nd in the NCAA Division I with a .395 team on-base percentage and 55th with a .308 team batting average.
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash had a 2-3 record at the Furman Tournament as they split series with Furman and South Dakota and lost their only game against Georgetown. Saint Francis ended the weekend with a 6-5 win over South Dakota, who is 8-2. Lindsay Ward hit a seventh-inning two-run home run that put the Red Flash up 6-3 before their eventual one-run victory over South Dakota. The Red Flash were close in every game, as their largest margin of defeat was 3-0. They outscored opponents 23-22 during the three-day tournament.
 
Scouting Akron
The Zips enter the Clemson Classic with an 0-5 record after they went winless at the Northern Lights/Southern Lights Tournament. They were outscored 34-6 in the tournament and shutout twice. Molly McChesney and Kalli Macintosh-Houlder lead Akron with a .286 batting average each. McChesney also leads the team with two runs scored. In 6.2 innings pitched, Alexa DiFeo leads the team with a 2.10 ERA, which is seventh in the MAC, and is second in the conference with a .136 batting average against.  
 
All-Time vs. Akron
The Zips hold a 12-8 all-time advantage over the Red Flash since the first meeting in 1996 – a 7-0 win for Akron. Since 2015, Saint Francis is on a five-game winning streak, where they outscored Akron 32-10. Two of the games were played in 2021, while the other three were played in 2015. In the last matchup on March 24, Lexi Hernandez led the Red Flash with three hits and three RBIs.
 
Scouting Clemson
The Tigers enter the weekend ranked No. 14 in the USA Today/NCFA Division I Coaches Poll with a 7-3 record. They are 1-2 against current ranked teams, with their only victory a 2-0 defeat of No. 5 Washington on Feb. 20. Valerie Cagle leads Clemson with a .394 batting average, six runs scored, three home runs and 10 RBIs. Cagle has the most innings pitched with 31 and carries a 1.81 ERA with 42 strikeouts, which ranks 24th in the NCA Division I. Cammy Pereira is tied with Cagle for the team-lead with six runs scored and is second with a .357 batting average. Millie Thompson and Brooke McCubbin have 14.2 innings pitched each and carry a 0.95 and 1.43 ERA, respectively. The Tigers' pitching staff is 20th in the NCAA Division I with a 1.40 ERA.
 
All-Time vs. Clemson
Friday's matchup will be the first between the programs. Clemson is one of two ACC opponents Saint Francis plays this season, as they have a matchup with Pitt on April 6. The Tigers previously defeated NEC opponent LIU 8-0 on Feb 11.  
 
Scouting Boston University
The Terriers enter the weekend with a 3-6 record after they went 0-4 to start the season at the Green & Gold Classic, followed by a 3-2 weekend at the Red & Black Showcase. They had a notable 6-1 defeat of then-No. 13 Georgia on Feb. 18. Kayla Roncin leads qualified Terriers' hitters with a .310 batting average, four doubles and two triples. Nicole Amodio had a team-leading three home runs, seven RBIs and .433 on-base percentage. Lizzy Avery leads the team with 31.2 innings pitched and carries a 3.54 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 20 walks. Allison Boaz leads the Terriers with a 2.25 ERA and two wins in 18.2 innings pitched.
 
All-Time vs. Boston University
Saturday's matchup will mark the first between the programs. Boston University is one of three Patriot League opponents the Red Flash face this season, as they face Holy Cross on March 5 and have a doubleheader at Bucknell on April 12. Saint Francis is one of two NEC matchup the Terriers have this season, as they face Merrimack in a March 22 doubleheader.  
 
Saint Francis Dominates First NEC Weekly Awards
Lindsay Ward was named NEC Player of the Week and Rachel Marsden was named NEC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 22. Jordan Pietrzykoski and Mekenzie Saban added Prime Performer selections. Ward was clutch with a two-run home run in the seventh inning of an eventual 6-5 win over South Dakota on Feb. 20. Marsden had four wins in her first seven appearances and a 2.65 ERA. Pietrzykoski led the team with a .394 batting average, .487 on-base percentage, 10 runs scored and four steals through the first 10 games. Saban hit .389 with two doubles and inched closer to the program record for career doubles, only five shy of tying.
 
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 take a trip to the North Florida/Jacksonville Spring Break Challenge from March 4-6, where they will Holy Cross, Jacksonville, Monmouth and North Florida.