LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball hosts its second straight conference series when they welcome Mount St. Mary's for a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 20 and one game on Thursday, April 21. The series was moved from the original dates of April 19-20 due to inclement weather.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Mekenzie Saban ranks 11th in the NCAA Division I with a .455 batting average and her 14 doubles rank top-15. She leads the NEC in both categories and with 30 runs scored, 85 total bases. She was recently named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, presented to players who excel in community, classroom, character and competition.
» Rachel Marsden is tied for the NEC lead with nine home runs and 26 RBIs. As a pitcher, she leads the conference with a 2.32 ERA, 25 appearances, 17 complete games, 14 wins, four shutouts and 135.2 innings pitched. Her 111 strikeouts rank second in the conference. She earned NFCA Top Performer and NEC Pitcher of the Week after her performance last week.
» Jordan Frank ranks sixth in the NEC with a .358 batting average. Her full-season career-high batting average was twice achieved at .268 in 2019-20 and 2020-21. She already set her career-high in total single-season hits with 43.
» After a three home run and seven RBI week, Lindsay Ward is now top-five in the NEC with seven home runs and 24 RBIs. With seven home runs, she has now more than doubled her previous career-high of three home runs. Her 24 RBIs broke her previous career-high of 21 set last season.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis swept its third conference series of the season and improved to 11-1 in conference play after they beat Merrimack. The Red Flash took a doubleheader sweep behind 4-3 and 2-0 victories before they defeated the Warriors 12-1 in five innings to end the series. In the 4-3 win, Merrimack's Courtney Lanpher tied the game with a two-run home run in the seventh inning before Ashley Wruble hit a walk-off sacrifice fly. In game two, Rachel Marsden threw a complete-game one hitter and scored one run and drove in the other at the plate. In game three, eight hitters scored at least one run and seven recorded at least one hit. Mekenzie Saban led the team with a .571 batting average, while Marsden and Madeline Barnes each hit one home run and had three RBIs in the series sweep.
 
Scouting Mount St. Mary's
The Mountaineers enter this week's series with a 12-3 conference and 20-15 overall record. They currently sit in second place in the NEC after they entered the season fifth in the preseason poll. Prior to a 4-1 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in its last game, Mount St. Mary's strung together a 13-game winning streak, 11 of those games in conference play. Abigayle Perry leads the Mountaineers with25 runs scored, four triples, five home runs and 22 RBIs, and a .456 on-base percentage. All of those marks rank top-six in the NEC and her triples lead the conference. Bridgette Gilliano is top-five in the NCAA Division I with 34 stolen bases and has 24 more than the second-most in the NEC. Mount St. Mary's has three pitchers in the top-10 in ERA, led by Olivia Murphy's 2.32 mark. Amanda Berkley leads the staff with 19 appearances, 18 starts, six complete games, nine wins and 49 strikeouts in 88.1 innings pitched.
 
All-Time vs. Mount St. Mary's
Saint Francis holds a 60-25 all-time advantage over Mount St. Mary's since the first matchup in 1987. The Red Flash are 4-0 in NEC Tournament games against the Mountaineers but have not met in that capacity since 1998. Saint Francis has won 17 of the last 19 games between the programs, dating back to 2013. During the 19-game stretch, Saint Francis has run-ruled Mount St. Mary's seven times. The Red Flash most recently took a 3-1 series win over the Mountaineers in 2021.
 
Around the NEC
After a series sweep of Merrimack, Saint Francis moved to 11-1 and extended its lead in first place. Mount St. Mary's took two-of-three games in a crucial series with Fairleigh Dickinson and moved to 12-3, while the Knights dropped to 9-6. Wagner took dropped two-of-three to Bryant but moved to 7-5 and is in fourth place. Bryant went to 8-7 and currently sits in fifth place. LIU swept its series against Sacred Heart to move back to .500 at 6-6. Sacred Heart is 2-10 and Central Connecticut is 1-11 to round out the standings after both teams were projected to qualify for the NEC Tournament in the Preseason Poll.
 
Marsden Named an NFCA Top Performer
Rachel Marsden was named a National Fastpitch Coaches' Association Top Performer on April 19. She went 3-0 with three complete games, two shutouts, a 0.37 ERA, nine hits allowed, one run, one walk and 15 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched. At the plate, she hit .500 with six runs scored, five doubles, one home run and six RBIs. The NFCA Top Performer selection is the second of her career.
 
Marsden Named NEC Pitcher of the Week, Three Prime Performers
Rachel Marsden earned NEC Pitcher of the Week for the fourth time this season on April 19. She was joined by Jordan Frank and Mekenzie Saban as Prime Performers. Marsden went 3-0 with three complete games, two shutouts, a 0.37 ERA, nine hits, one walk and 15 strikeouts. She started the week with 15-straight scoreless innings and only allowed six hits in that stretch. Frank went 7-for-14 with six runs scored, two doubles, one RBI, two walks and was 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts. Saban went 7-for-15 with three doubles, two triples, three RBIs, four walks and was 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. With two triples, Saban is now tied for fourth in program history with 10 in her career.
 
Saban Named Finalist for 2022 Senior CLASS Award
Mekenzie Saban was named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award on April 14. She was named one of 30 candidates on March 10 before making the final list of 10. She was the only NEC representative on the list of 30 and is one of four non-Power Five conference representatives on the list of 10. The Senior CLASS Award is presented to an NCAA Division senior or graduate student who has notable achievements in community, classroom, character and competition. The winner will be announced in early June prior to the 2022 NCAA Women's College World Series. Fan voting runs through May 23 and can be found here.
 
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
The Red Flash play their first road conference series in three weeks when they travel to Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24.