LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball prepares for four different opponents at the North Florida/Jacksonville Spring Break Challenge. They will face Monmouth, North Florida, Holy Cross and Jacksonville during the three-day competition.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Rachel Marsden earned her second NEC Pitcher of the Week honor after she had a 1.08 ERA with 12 strikeouts and one complete-game shutout win across 13 innings at the Clemson Classic. She held No. 14 Clemson scoreless through 5.1 innings. For the season she leads the NEC with five wins and 44 strikeouts and is second with a 2.26 ERA.
» Mekenzie Saban leads the Red Flash with a .417 batting average, 12 runs scored, three doubles and nine RBIs. She earned her fourth-career NEC Player of the Week after she hit .500 with four runs scored, one double and one home run at the Clemson Classic.
» Olivia Ulam is tied for the team lead with nine RBIs and she carries a .324 batting average. She earned her first NEC Rookie of the Week honor after she hit .500 with one double, one triple and five RBIs at the Clemson Classic. She went 2-for-3 against No. 14 Clemson.
» Saint Francis leads the NEC with a .291 team batting average and 2.87 staff ERA. The batting average is .042 higher than second-ranked Fairleigh Dickinson and the ERA is 1.10 lower than second-ranked Sacred Heart.
 
Last Time Out
The Red Flash went 2-2 during a two-day competition at the Clemson Classic. Saint Francis defeated Akron twice, capped off by a 6-0 victory in the final game. During the game, Rachel Marsden threw a complete-game one-hit shutout and freshman Olivia Ulam drove in three runs with a bases-clearing triple. Marsden held No. 14 Clemson scoreless through 5.1 innings pitched before the Tigers broke through for two runs and won 2-0. Marsden ended the game with two runs on five hits through six innings, while Ulam and Lindsay Ward each went 2-for-3.
 
Scouting Monmouth
The Hawks enter the weekend with a 1-8 overall record and are on a current seven-game losing streak. Monmouth's only win of the season came against ACC-foe North Carolina 2-0 on Feb. 19. Lindsey Baron leads the Hawks with a .462 batting average and .533 on-base percentage. Pitcher Billie Kerwood earned MAAC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 22 and has a 4.48 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched.
 
All-Time vs. Monmouth
The Hawks own a 29-13 advantage over the Red Flash since the first matchup in 1988. Monmouth was a long-time member of the Northeast Conference and held a 28-13 record over Saint Francis during the 23-year tenure. Monmouth won the last meeting 7-0 in 2013. Friday's game marks the first meeting between the programs since Monmouth left the NEC.
 
Scouting North Florida
The Ospreys enter the weekend with an 11-5 record and are on a current three-game winning streak. They have faced two current ranked opponents, Florida and Notre Dame, and are 0-3 and outscored 17-2 in those matchups. North Florida has five hitters over .300 this season, led by Paige Pfent's .333 average. Kayla McGory leads the team with three home runs and Shannon Glover leads with 11 RBIs. Morgan Clausen leads the pitching staff with a 0.88 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, three complete games and 31 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched. Halle Arends has a 1.58 ERA with a team-leading five wins.
 
All-Time vs. North Florida
Two matchups this weekend mark the first between North Florida and Saint Francis in program history. North Florida and Jacksonville are the only two ASUN Conference opponent Saint Francis faces this season, while North Florida also faces NEC member Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday at 4 p.m.
 
Scouting Holy Cross
The Crusaders enter the weekend with a 1-4 record, their only win 4-0 over Charleston. Jessica Mott leads the team with a .400 batting average, three doubles and one home run. Erin Bengston has one home run and a team-leading four RBIs. Megan Yurchick leads the pitching staff with their only win in three appearances across 10.2 innings pitched. All-three qualified Crusaders' pitchers have above a 3.50 ERA and Kelly Nelson leads the team with 22 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.  
 
All-Time vs. Holy Cross
Saint Francis holds a 5-2 all-time advantage over Holy Cross since an 8-0 win in the first matchup in 2001. The Red Flash are on a current three-game winning streak in the series history after a 10-7 win in the last matchup in 2013.
 
Scouting Jacksonville
The Dolphins have a 2-12 record as of March 2 and will face George Southern on Thursday ahead of the weekend. Jacksonville earned its wins over LIU and Columbia before a 9-1 loss to Michigan State. They faced two top-10 opponents, Florida and Kentucky, and are 0-3 in those matchups and outscored 33-5. Victoria Rodebaugh is the only Dolphins' hitter over .300 with her .303 average and leads the team with four runs scored, two doubles and six RBIs. Allison Bratek adds a .289 average with a team-leading one triple and two home runs. Both qualified Jacksonville pitchers have above an 8.00 ERA. Skylar Whitty has both of the team's wins and 20 strikeouts across 43.1 innings pitched.  
 
All-Time vs. Jacksonville
Saint Francis won the only all-time meeting between the programs 5-4 in 2015. The Dolphins have one win over an NEC opponent this season, 6-1 over LIU, and also face Fairleigh Dickinson on March 5.
 
Saint Francis Sweeps Second Major NEC Weekly Awards
Rachel Marsden earned her second straight NEC Pitcher of the Week while Mekenzie Saban earned her first NEC Player of the Week of the season and Olivia Ulam earned her first NEC Rookie of the Week honor. Marsden had a 1.08 ERA with 12 strikeouts and a complete-game one-hit victory over Akron. She also held No. 14 Clemson scoreless through 5.1 innings. Saban hit .500 with a team-high four runs scored, one double and one home run at the Clemson Classic. Ulam hit .500 with one double, one triple and five RBIs. She went 2-for-3 against Clemson and hit a three-run triple against Akron.
 
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 travels to the Spartan Classic in Greensboro, S.C., hosted by UNC Greensboro, from March 11-13. The trip marks their final weekend before the start of conference play.