LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball hosts its final regular season series against Sacred Heart on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8. Saturday will be one game scheduled for 2 p.m. and Sunday will be a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Jordan Frank, Mekenzie Saban and Lindsay Ward will be honored prior to Sunday's doubleheader during the Senior Day ceremony.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Grace Vesco earned her second NFCA Top Performer honor of the season after she threw her second no-hitter of the season against Wagner. She leads the Northeast Conference with a 2.13 ERA and .195 batting average against, is second with 12 wins and four shutouts and is third with 15 complete games and 132 strikeouts.
» Mekenzie Saban is one hit shy of tying the career program record of 243 set by Hayley Norton from 2016-19. Her .432 batting average ranks 18th in the NCAA Division I and she ranks top-two in the NEC with 36 runs scored, 19 doubles and 99 total bases.
» Rachel Marsden ranks fifth in single-season program history with 18 wins. She holds a 2.35 ERA with 20 complete games, six shutouts and 131 strikeouts in 163.2 innings pitched. She is also second in the NEC with 12 home runs and third with 31 RBIs as a hitter.
» Lauren Aubry and Ashley Wruble each earned their first-career NEC weekly honor with a Prime Performer selection on May 3. Aubry hit .625 and drove in a career-high four runs in a 9-0 win over Wagner. Wruble went 5-for-9 with four runs scored, one double, one home run and five RBIs in the series sweep.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis took a series sweep over Wagner and outscored the Seahawks 25-3 in the three-game series. The Red Flash won both games of Saturday's doubleheader in run-rule fashion with a 9-0 win in game one and 12-0 win in game two. Pitcher Grace Vesco earned her second no-hitter of the season in the game one victory and the only baserunner she allowed was a one-out hit batter in the fifth inning. Five Red Flash hitters finished with an above-.500 batting average, led by Lauren Aubry's .625 marks. In the game two victory, Rachel Marsden and Ashley Wruble hit back-to-back solo home runs. The home run was Marsden's 12th of the season and Wruble's second of her career.
 
Scouting Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart enters the final series of the season with a 5-16 conference and 13-39 overall record. The Pioneers enter the weekend with losses in eight of their past nine games, which included a series sweep against Merrimack, who the Red Flash swept this season. Alyssa Gonzalez is tied for second in the Northeast Conference with 12 home runs and is seventh with 28 RBIs. Grace Saad leads the team with a .348 batting average and eight doubles and is second on the team with six home runs and 22 RBIs. Sarah Lawton leads the pitching staff with a 4.36 ERA, nine wins, 14 complete games and 150 strikeouts in 157.1 innings pitched. She was NEC Pitcher of the Week on March 22 after she threw a no-hitter against Bryant on March 18. Sacred Heart will fail to qualify for the NEC Tournament after they were picked to finish fourth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
All-Time vs. Sacred Heart
Saint Francis holds a 26-15 all-time advantage over Sacred Heart since the first meeting in 2000. The Red Flash have won nine of the past 11 meetings including a 7-0 win in the first game of the 2021 NEC Championships. In the game, Grace Vesco struck out 10 batters and threw her third no-hitter of the season. The two programs will meet in the regular season for the first time since a Sacred Heart doubleheader sweep on April 13, 2019. Since 2011, Saint Francis has won 16 of the 20 games played.
 
Around the NEC
Saint Francis and Mount St. Mary's are the only two programs that have clinched an NEC Tournament berth heading into the final weekend. Saint Francis needs one win in the final weekend to host its fourth NEC Tournament in the past five seasons. Fairleigh Dickinson and LIU are tied for the final two playoff spots at 12-9, while Bryant is fifth at 13-11. Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner face each other this weekend with a playoff spot in the line, as the Seahawks sit at 11-10. LIU will face Mount St. Mary's in the final weekend with a spot for the Sharks on the line. Merrimack, Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut round out the standings are all eliminated from the playoffs.
 
Vesco Earns Second NFCA Top Performer Recognition
Pitcher Grace Vesco earned her second National Fastpitch Coaches' Association Top Performer honor this season on May 3. The honor was the seventh of her career after she earned five during the 2021 season. She threw her second no-hitter of the season and fifth of her career in a 9-0 five-inning victory over Wagner. She finished the weekend with no runs allowed in eight innings pitched and earned her first save of the season in the series finale.
 
Vesco Named NEC Player of the Week, Four Prime Performers
Grace Vesco earned NEC Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season and Lauren Aubry, Rachel Marsden and Ashley Wruble joined her as NEC Prime Performers. Vesco threw her fifth-career no-hitter in a 9-0 win over Wagner and she earned her first save of the season to end the series. Aubry hit .625 in the series against Wagner and produced a career-high four RBIs in the game one victory. Marsden hit .600 with five runs scored, one double, one home run and five RBIs. On the mound she pitched nine innings and had a 2.33 ERA with seven strikeouts and two wins. Wruble went 5-for-9, hit her second-career home run and drove in five RBIs in the series sweep.
 
O'Donnell Earned Win No. 100 as Head Coach of Saint Francis
Head coach Jessica O'Donnell earned the 100th win of her head coaching career, all victories with the Red Flash. She carried a 235-199-2 Division I coaching record at the time of her accomplishment between her four-year stint with Saint Francis and a five-year stint as an assistant coach at Villanova. She has led Saint Francis to two Northeast Conference Championships in her only two campaigns that the tournament occurred.
 
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
Saint Francis qualified for the NEC Tournament prior to the final weekend and will look for their fifth-straight title during the May 12-14 tournament. With at least one win against Sacred Heart, Saint Francis will host the NEC Tournament for the second year in a row and fourth time in the last five conference seasons.