LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball hosts their second home conference series of the season against Merrimack beginning on Thursday, April 14. The three-game series will be played on Thursday and Friday, moved from the originally scheduled Friday and Saturday series.  
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Lindsay Ward hit three home runs in Saint Francis' most recent doubleheader sweep over Bucknell. She hit the home runs in two games after producing four through the first 29 games she played in. With seven this season, she is one shy of the team lead.
» Rachel Marsden continues to pace Saint Francis hitters with eight home runs and 23 RBIs. On the mound, she leads the team with 23 appearances, 15 complete games, three shutouts, 12 wins and 123.2 innings pitched.
» Grace Vesco regained the team lead with 100 strikeouts and also paces the staff with a 2.40 ERA, three shutouts and a .199 batting average against. She is nine strikeouts shy of entering the top-five program rankings for career strikeouts.
» Mekenzie Saban sits atop the Red Flash with a .447 batting average, 13 doubles, one triple and 15 walks and is tied for second with 21 RBIs. She entered the program top-five rankings with her ninth-career triple against Bucknell.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis took a doubleheader sweep over Bucknell on Tuesday with a game one win 6-3 and game two win 9-0. Lindsay Ward hit a first-inning home run in game one and the Red Flash never looked back. After a scoreless two innings in game two, Saint Francis scored one run in the third and fourth inning before they scored seven runs in the sixth and seventh combined. Ward hit three home runs in the two games, all two-run shots. Rachel Marsden pitched a complete-game shutout and allowed six hits with three strikeouts in game two. Marsden also led Red Flash hitters with a .500 batting average and added two runs scored, two doubles and three RBIs. Mekenzie Saban scored one run, hit two doubles, one triple and drove in three runs while Jordan Frank scored four runs and went 2-for-2 in stolen bases.
 
Scouting Merrimack
The Warriors hold a current 4-7 conference and 8-18 overall record. Prior to the series against Saint Francis, Merrimack will face Wagner on Wednesday, April 13 as a make-up game originally scheduled for April 3. The Warriors have two conference series wins against LIU and Mount St. Mary's, both 2-1 weekend victories. Against two common non-conference opponents, Boston University and Holy Cross, Merrimack holds an 0-3 record and Saint Francis is 1-1. Jenna Wike and Ellen Hubbard lead Merrimack hitters with five doubles, one home run and 14 RBIs each. Sarah Reisler leads the Warriors with a .333 batting average and .463 on-base percentage. All-three Merrimack starting pitchers carry an ERA between 4.50 and 5.00. Bry Michitson leads the team with 15 appearances, three complete games and 31 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched. 
 
All-Time vs. Merrimack
Since Merrimack became an NCAA Division I program in 2019-20, Saint Francis holds a 4-0 advantage. All-four victories were part of back-to-back doubleheaders in 2021 and Saint Francis outscored Merrimack 36-7 in the series. The Red Flash scored a season-high 21 runs in an April 3, 2021 win.
 
Around the NEC
Saint Francis remains atop the Northeast Conference standings with an 8-1 record and are followed closely behind by 10-2 Mount St. Mary's. The Mountaineers have won 11-straight games, nine of those wins against conference opponents. Fairleigh Dickinson dropped to 8-4 after Bryant took two-of-three games and moved to 6-6. Wagner holds a 5-3 record and will face 4-7 Merrimack on Wednesday as part of a make-up game. LIU is 3-6, Sacred Heart is 2-7 and Central Connecticut sits at the bottom of the standings with a 1-11 record.
 
Frank Named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer
Jordan Frank was named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer for the first time in her collegiate career on April 5. She hit .375 with one home run and five RBIs during Saint Francis' series win over Bryant. She drove in five of the seven runs scored during a Saturday doubleheader sweep. She hit a tiebreaking three-run home run in the sixth inning of the first game and a tiebreaking RBI single with two outs and a full count in the seventh inning of game two. The home run was her 150th-career hit and 20th-career home run.
 
Vesco Earns NFCA Top Performer Recognition
Grace Vesco was named a National Fastpitch Coaches' Association Top Performer on March 29. She threw her fourth-career no-hitter in an 11-strikeout effort against Central Connecticut. She recorded the 300th strikeout of her career during the performance and finished the weekend with 319 total. The Top Performer selection was the sixth of her career after she earned five honors during the 2021 season.
 
Vesco, Ulam Earn Major NEC Weekly Honors, Three Prime Performers
Grace Vesco earned her second NEC Pitcher of the Week and Olivia Ulam earned her second NEC Rookie of the Week on March 29. Rachel Marsden joined Vesco and Ulam as NEC Prime Performers. Vesco threw a no-hitter against Central Connecticut and had a 0.47 ERA, 2-0 record, two complete games, one shutout, three hits against, one run and 21 strikeouts in 15 innings (three appearances). Ulam went 6-for-10 with four runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and three RBIs in the sweep of Central Connecticut. The home runs were the first two of her collegiate career. Marsden hit .556 with four runs scored, one home run and three RBIs in the sweep.
 
Saban Earns NFCA Top Performer Recognition
Mekenzie Saban was named a National Fastpitch Coaches' Association Top Performer on March 22. She went 7-for-9 with seven runs scored, three doubles, one home run and one RBI in a three-game sweep of LIU to open conference play. She set a new program record with her 53rd-career double in the first game of the series. The Top Performer selection is the third of her career after she was selected twice last season.
 
Saban Named NEC Player of the Week, Three Prime Performers
Mekenzie Saban earned Northeast Conference Player of the Week and Madeline Barnes and Grace Vesco joined Saban as NEC Prime Performers on March 22. Saban hit .778 in the series after a perfect 6-for-6 day with five runs scored and three doubles in a Saturday doubleheader sweep. Barnes earned her selection after she went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, two home runs and five RBIs in Sunday's win. She hit a game-tying three-run home run in the fourth inning and walk-off two-run home run in the sixth inning. Vesco earned her honor after she allowed two earned runs on four hits with nine strikeouts in nine innings pitched.
 
Saban Sets New Program Record for Career Doubles
Mekenzie Saban hit her 53rd-career double during a March 19 win against LIU to set a new program record. She entered the game three doubles shy of setting the record and hit all-three in the same game. Her performance broke Taylor Parsons' record of 52 doubles set from 2012-15.
 
Marsden, Frederick Earn Major NEC Weekly Honors, Three Prime Performers
Rachel Marsden earned her third NEC Pitcher of the Week honor and Marissa Frederick was named Rookie of the Week on March 15. Jordan Pietrzykoski and Mekenzie Saban earned Prime Performers. Marsden had a 1.62 ERA with two complete games, one win and 11 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched in Greensboro, N.C. Frederick pitched a complete-game one-hit shutout to win her first collegiate start. Pietrzykoski hit .500 with the game-winning RBI double in the sixth inning of a 3-2 victory over Elon. Saban hit .625 with three runs scored, one home run and two RBIs at the Spartan Classic.
 
Vesco Named NEC Pitcher of the Week, Four Prime Performers
Grace Vesco earned her first NEC Pitcher of the Week honor this season while Jordan Pietrzykoski, Mekenzie Saban and Olivia Ulam were named Prime Performer. Vesco went 2-1 with a complete-game three-hit shutout over Holy Cross and allowed two runs in a victory over Monmouth. Pietrzykoski had six hits, one run scored, two RBIs and one triple in Jacksonville, Fla. Saban had seven hits, that included three multi-hit games, two doubles and two runs scored. Ulam had seven hits that included a three-hit game against Monmouth, where she hit a game-tying single in extra innings before the eventual win.
 
Saban Achieves 200-Career Hits
With her extra-inning single against Monmouth, Mekenzie Saban became the fifth player in Saint Francis program history to achieve 200-career hits. The RBI single ignited a two-run comeback in the eighth inning that led to a 3-2 defeat of the Hawks. She raised her career total to 205 hits during the weekend and moved to fourth in program history. Hayley Norton holds the program record with 243 hits set from 2016-19.
 
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
Saint Francis hosts its second home conference series in a row when they welcome Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday, April 19 and Wednesday April 20.