LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball has its final tournament weekend of the regular season at the USF Tournament, where the Red Flash are scheduled to face Florida Gulf Coast, Illinois, Marist, Penn State and South Florida.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Grace Vesco earned her third straight Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Week after she had a 0.88 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched at the Palmer Park Clash. She lowered her ERA to 2.33, third in the NEC, and leads the conference with 68 strikeouts in 54 innings pitched. She is now second in program history with 469 strikeouts and 46 wins in her career.
» Savannah Nash earned an NEC Prime Performer selection after she went 5-for-12 (.417) with a double and her first-career triple at the Palmer Park Clash. She leads Red Flash freshmen with a .222 batting average. She has two multi-hit games this season - tied with Annabelle Farmer and Madelyn Wilson atop the freshman class.
» Jordan Pietrzykoski leads Saint Francis with a .255 batting average, Rachel Marsden leads the team with two home runs and seven RBIs and Ashley Wruble leads with six runs scored and a .340 on-base percentage.

Last Time Out
Saint Francis went 1-3 at the Palmer Park Clash with a weekend-opening win over George Mason, followed by losses to DePaul, George Mason and Virginia. Saint Francis' 1-0 win over the Patriots was its longest game since a 7-6 11-inning loss to Omaha on March 3, 2018. Saint Francis is now 2-1 in extra-inning games this season. The loss to Virginia was Saint Francis' second to a Power Five team this season and the Red Flash are now 1-2 against those opponents this season. 
 
Scouting FGCU
The Eagles carry a 13-9 overall record and have won six straight games heading into the USF Tournament. Florida Gulf Coast is 4-0 against NEC teams this season with two wins over LIU and Stonehill. Nikki Gibson leads the Eagles with a .322 batting average, while Tayli Filla has four home runs and 20 RBIs and Kayleigh Roper has four home runs and 19 RBIs. The pitching staff is led by Bayelee Haggard's 2.79 ERA and .248 batting average against. Ally Hulme leads the staff with five wins and 53 innings pitched, while Angelina Bonilla leads with 34 strikeouts.

Scouting Illinois
The Fighting Illini enter the USF Tournament with a 12-6 overall record with three extra-inning wins and a 2-1 record in run-rule decisions. Avrey Steiner leads Illinois with a .395 batting average, 10 runs scored and three doubles, while Kelly Ryono leads with three home runs and 13 RBIs. Pitcher Sydney Sickels leads the staff with a 1.93 ERA, six wins and 56 strikeouts in 56 innings pitched.
 
Scouting Marist
Marist carries a 7-9 overall record into the weekend, with two run-rule victories in its last six games. Haley Ahr leads the Red Foxes with a .400 batting average, six doubles, one home run, 16 RBIs and a .455 on-base percentage. Calista Phippen leads the pitching staff with a 1.67 ERA, four wins, 40 strikeouts and a .223 batting average against in 42 innings pitched. Ahr is a two-time MAAC Player and Rookie of the Week selection, while Phippen is a one-time MAAC Co-Pitcher of the Week.
 
Scouting Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter the weekend with a 10-3 record and will begin the tournament on Thursday against Florida Gulf Coast and South Florida. Lexie Black leads the team with a .400 batting average and is tied with Kaitlyn Morrison for the team-lead with three home runs and 13 RBIs. Both Liana Jones and Kathryn Rex are also tied with three home runs. The pitching staff is led by Kylee Lingenfelter and Bailey Parshall who carry a 1.08 and 1.09 ERA, respectively. Parshall leads the team with 57 strikeouts in 45 innings pitched. Parshall is a two-time Big Ten Pitcher of the Week.
 
Scouting South Florida
The weekend tournament host holds a 12-10 record with wins in eight of its last nine games. Emilee Halon leads the team with a .400 batting average and is tied for the team lead with seven runs scored. Marissa Trivelpiece leads the Bulls with two home runs and is tied with Hallie Bryant with 10 RBIs. The pitching staff is led by Jaden Martinez's 1.25 ERA and Payton Dixon's 1.57 mark. Dixon leads the team with seven wins and 54 strikeouts in 58 innings pitched.

All-Time vs. FGCU
The Eagles hold a 5-1 all-time record over the Red Flash with all six games played between 2008-11. Saint Francis won its only game over Florida Gulf Coast 2-1 in 2010. The Eagles won the last two meetings in 2011 in run-rule decisions.

All-Time vs. Illinois
Sunday's meeting between Saint Francis and Illinois marks the first in program history. Saint Francis is 10-45 all-time against Big Ten programs and 1-9 against non-Penn State schools. Its first win came earlier this season 8-5 over Michigan State.
 
All-Time vs. Marist
Marist holds a narrow 6-5 all-time record over Saint Francis since the first meeting in 1993. Saint Francis is on a currently four-game winning streak in the matchup history, with the last game played in 2011. The Red Flash and Red Foxes faced off three times between 1993-96 in the NEC Tournament when Marist was in the conference.
 
All-Time vs. Penn State
Penn State owns a 9-36 record over Saint Francis since the first meeting in 1990. The Red Flash are 9-7 over the Nittany Lions since 2009 and won five of the last seven meetings between the programs. Penn State won last season's matchup 2-1 with both runs scored off of Marsden in the first two innings.
 
All-Time vs. South Florida
Sunday's meeting between Saint Francis and South Florida is the first in program history. The Bulls are Saint Francis' second AAC opponent this season after a 5-4 walk-off loss to East Carolina on Feb. 24.

Next
Saint Francis has two days off after the USF Tournament before its first one-team doubleheader of the season on Wednesday, March 15 at Towson.