LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball travels to Blacksburg, Va. in the Blacksburg Regional of the 2022 NCAA Tournament scheduled May 20-22. The Red Flash open the double-elimination tournament against No. 3 Virginia Tech on Friday, May 20 at 2 p.m.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Saint Francis won its fifth Northeast Conference Championship in a row after a 9-0 defeat of LIU. The Red Flash also finished as NEC Regular Season Champions with a 20-4 conference record.
» Mekenzie Saban was named NEC Player of the Year for the first time in her career and is third in the NCAA Division I with 23 doubles – a mark that ties her own NEC and program record set in 2019. Her .428 batting average ranks 18th in the NCAA and she led the NEC in batting average, doubles, 44 runs scored and was top-five with 71 hits, three triples and 112 total bases.
» Grace Vesco was named NEC Tournament MVP after she had a 0.42 ERA, earned all-three wins, walked three batters and struck out 17 through 16.2 innings pitched. She led the NEC with a 1.93 ERA and .186 batting average against and was second with 159 strikeouts, 16 wins and five shutouts.
» Rachel Marsden was named NEC Pitcher of the Year and she led the conference with 178 innings pitched, 20 wins and seven shutouts. Her 2.28 ERA and 142 strikeouts were fourth in the conference. As a hitter, she was second in the NEC with 13 home runs and 35 RBIs.
» As a team, Saint Francis led the NEC with a .301 batting average, 2.07 pitching staff ERA and .970 fielding percentage. The Red Flash were the only NEC pitching staff with a sub-3.00 ERA.

Last Time Out
Saint Francis won its fifth straight NEC title with a 9-0 win over LIU, which was the fourth time in a row Saint Francis defeated LIU in the championship game. The Red Flash defeated Mount St. Mary's in a thrilling 8-6 game to advance to the championship. Down 6-5, Saint Francis rallied for three runs in the sixth inning to win 8-6. In the championship game, the Red Flash took a 6-0 lead through two innings after an Olivia Ulam RBI single, Jordan Pietrzykoski sacrifice fly and Lindsay Ward three-run home run. Saint Francis carries a 15-1 record in the NEC Tournament during its five-title run.
 
Scouting No. 3 Virginia Tech
No. 3 Virginia Tech earned the right to host an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history. The Hokies ended ACC play with a 4-1 loss to No. 15 Clemson in the ACC Championship semifinals. During the season, Virginia Tech was 11-5 against AP Top-25 teams, which included a series win over Florida State who earned the No. 2 NCAA Regional seed after they won the ACC. Back-to-back ACC Pitcher of the Year Keely Rochard ranks fourth in the NCAA Division I with 293 strikeouts and her five saves are tied for ninth. She carries a 1.73 ERA and was named a Top-10 finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Emma Lemley earned ACC Freshman of the Year and is a Top-10 finalist for Schutt Sports/NFCA Freshman of the Year after she ranked fourth in the NCAA with 11.4 strikeouts per seven innings and had a 1.72 ERA. Emma Ritter leads the Hokies with a .406 batting average, 10 doubles, four triples, 37 RBIs and 20 stolen bases, which led her to First Team All-ACC honors. Meredith Slaw was Virginia Tech's other First Team All-ACC selection after she hit .394 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs. Bre Peck led the Hokies with 11 home runs and added 33 RBIs. Head coach Pete D'Amour earned ACC Coach of the Year after Virginia Tech posted its highest conference winning percentage in program history. The Hokies earned a conference-high 11 total All-ACC selections.
 
Scouting Kentucky
Kentucky enters the Blacksburg Regional after a 35-17 overall and 13-11 SEC record this season. The Wildcats fell in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals to No. 5 Florida 9-3 and will face Miami (Ohio) in the first regional round. Kentucky played 19 games against ranked opponents this season and went 10-9, highlighted by a win over then-No. 3 Alabama, 9-4, and then-No. 6 Arkansas, 10-7. Kentucky faced both Virginia Tech and Miami (Ohio) this season and lost both games 6-1 and 7-5, respectively. Erin Coffel, Lauren Johnson and Kayla Kowalik all led Kentucky with First Team All-SEC selections. Coffel ranks 14th in the NCAA Division I with 58 RBIs and is 25th with 17 home runs. Her .412 batting average ranked fourth in the SEC amongst hitters with at least 100 at-bats. Kowalik's .413 batting average ranked third in the SEC and she added a team-high 27 walks and 15 stolen bases. Johnson finished with a .390 batting average, eight home runs and 39 RBIs. Tatum Spangler leads the Wildcats' pitching staff with a 1.77 ERA, nine wins and four complete games through 59.1 innings pitched.
 
Scouting Miami (Ohio)
Miami (Ohio) enters the Blacksburg Regional after they won the MAC Championship 11-0 in five innings over Bowling Green. They finished the season 39-15-1 and 25-5 in MAC play to earn their second straight MAC regular season championship. The RedHawks defeated Kentucky 7-5, while they lost to Virginia Tech 8-0 this season. Kerli Spaid ranks second in the NCAA Division I with 27 home runs, is tied for third with 68 RBIs and is 21st with a .420 batting average. Maggie Murphy won the only major MAC All-Conference award with her Freshman of the Year nomination after she hit .336 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs. Courtney Vierstra leads the RiverHawks' pitching staff with a 3.20 ERA, 17 complete games, six shutouts and 168 strikeouts in 163.1 innings pitched. Brianna Pratt adds a 3.60 ERA with 18 wins, 12 complete games, five shutouts and 159 strikeouts in 147.2 innings pitched.

Saint Francis NCAA Tournament History
Saint Francis is 1-8 in the NCAA Tournament since its first appearance in 2017 as a No. 3 seed, which was their highest placement in program history. The Red Flash earned their first and only tournament victory over New Mexico State 8-4 in 2017. Saint Francis' smallest margin of defeat was a 1-0 loss to Arizona as a No. 4 seed in 2018. The Red Flash have traveled to Tuscon, Ariz. twice, Ann Arbor, Mich., Austin, Texas and now Blacksburg, Va. during their five-season run to the NCAA Tournament.

Next
The winner of the double-elimination regional tournament will play the winner of the Gainesville Regional in the NCAA Supper Regional round on May 27-29.