LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball hosts the Northeast Conference Championships May 12-14 and will start the tournament against No. 4 LIU on Thursday, May 12 at 12 p.m. No. 2 Mount St. Mary's will face No. 3 Fairleigh Dickinson at 3 p.m. on the opening day.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Mekenzie Saban enters the tournament ranked tied for second in the NCAA Division I with 22 doubles and her .433 batting average ranks 16th. She leads the NEC in both categories, with 41 runs scored and a .500 on-base percentage. She is top-five with two triples and 22 walks.
» Rachel Marsden leads the NEC with 22 complete games, 20 wins and seven shutouts. She is top-five with a 2.30 ERA, 140 strikeouts and a .234 batting average against.
» Grace Vesco leads the NEC with a .191 batting average against, is second with 13 wins and four shutouts and third with 142 strikeouts. She threw two no-hitters during the regular season and was a three-time NEC Pitcher of the Week.
» As a team, Saint Francis led the NEC with a .299 batting average and 2.16 ERA. They tied the conference lead with the fewest strikeouts at the plate, despite playing the third most games. As a pitching staff, they led in all statistical categories except walks and strikeouts per seven innings.
 
Saint Francis Tournament History
Saint Francis enters the NEC Championships with four-straight NEC titles. They have a combined 12-1 record in the tournament during the stretch and are a perfect 9-0 during the three tournaments they hosted. The four-title winning streak is tied for the longest in NEC history with LIU (1987-90) and Robert Morris (1991-94). Mekenzie Saban and Jordan Frank, the longest active Saint Francis players, were part of three NEC Championship teams in their careers.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis completed a sweep of Sacred Heart and ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak. Four of the team's final six wins of the season were five-inning run-rule victories. Jordan Frank ended the season with a walk-off grand slam in the fifth inning of the final game. With a 6-2 win in game two of the series, Saint Francis clinched its second-straight NEC Regular Season Champions title and fourth in the past five seasons. Frank, Rachel Marsden, Mekenzie Saban and Ashley Wruble all earned NEC Prime Performer honors for their play in the series.
 
The First Matchup
Saint Francis is set to face LIU in the first round, who they swept March 19-20 this season and outscored 34-15 during the series. LIU has an all-time 45-29 advantage over Saint Francis, but the Red Flash are on a current nine-game winning streak. Saint Francis is 5-1 against LIU in the NEC Championships during its four-title winning streak and is 9-8 overall against the Sharks in the tournament.
 
Scouting #2 Mount St. Mary's
The Mountaineers earned a No. 2 seed in the NEC tournament for the first time in program history with their program-record 17-7 conference mark. This is the second time Mount St. Mary's has qualified for the NEC Championships since the 2006 season. Bridgette Gilliano is sixth in the NCAA Division I with 39 stolen bases and is two stolen bases shy of tying the NEC record. She also leads the team with a .289 batting average and has three home runs and 21 RBIs. Abigayle Perry leads the Mountaineers with eight doubles, six home runs and 26 RBIs. Pitcher Amanda Berkley leads the NEC with a 2.04 ERA and leads the Mountaineers with 13 wins, 10 complete games and 62 strikeouts in 120.1 innings pitched.
 
Scouting #3 Fairleigh Dickinson
Fairleigh Dickinson earned the No. 3 seed after a 14-10 conference record and is the first time the Knights qualified for the NEC Championships since 2015. Cassidy Triska led the NEC with 15 home runs and 35 RBIs and was fifth with a .359 batting average. Andreya Flores was second in the NEC with a .394 batting average and added six home runs and 30 RBIs. Jess DeWitt had a .364 batting average with nine home runs and 30 RBIs. Alayna Savaglio led the NEC with 183 strikeouts and was third with a 2.21 ERA. She earned 13 wins with 14 complete games and one shutout through 149.0 innings pitched.
 
Scouting #4 LIU
LIU earned a No. 4 seed after they split a doubleheader with Mount St. Mary's in the final conference weekend and finished with a 13-11 conference record. The Sharks had six batters hit above .300 during the regular season, led by Camryn Lyman's NEC third-ranked .374 batting average. Angelina Reno led the Sharks with five home runs and Kiana Cisneros led with 32 RBIs. Ryleigh Bermea added four home runs and 31 RBIs, while Ciara Granado had 25 RBIs. Alyssa O'Donnell was the only Sharks' pitcher with a sub-4.50 ERA with her 3.94 mark. She led the team with 10 wins, 11 complete games, two shutouts and 60 strikeouts in 129.2 innings pitched.
 
Next
The winner of the NEC Championships will await their next opponents during the NCAA Softball Championship Selection Show on Sunday, May 15 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.