LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball heads to the state of Arkansas for 10 games during its spring break, beginning with a trip to the Adam Brown Memorial Shamrock Classic hosted by Central Arkansas.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Grace Vesco earned her third Northeast Conference Prime Performer selection on Feb. 27. She leads the NEC with 43 strikeouts and is second with a 1.07 ERA and .131 batting average against. She is top-40 in the NCAA Division I in strikeouts.
» Olivia Ulam is tied for fourth in Division I with eight doubles, which already ties her career-high in a season. She has a double in eight different games this season.
» Rachel Marsden ranks third in the NEC with 33 strikeouts and fourth with a 1.38 ERA. At the plate, she is one of eight players in the conference with at least two home runs and she is fifth with eight RBIs. 
» Savannah Nash continues to pace the NEC with 13 RBIs, followed by Ulam's 12. Nash leads the team with a .333 batting average, while Ulam is second at .300.
» As a team, Saint Francis is tied for 27th in Division I with 29 stolen bases. The Red Flash already surpassed last season's total of 27 stolen bases. Saint Francis has the top-five stolen base leaders in the NEC.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis had a 2-3 weekend at the Liberty Softball Classic. The Red Flash started the weekend with a 2-0 loss against Penn State after a two-hour rain delay struck in the second inning. Saint Francis followed with a 4-0 loss to Liberty to end the day Friday and a 2-0 loss to the Flames to begin Saturday's games. The Red Flash then defeated Penn 7-6 behind a three-run walk-off home run from Ulam in the seventh inning. Saint Francis hit three home runs during the game against Penn. Saint Francis concluded the weekend with a 6-1 victory over Morgan State behind a four-run second inning.
 
Scouting Central Arkansas
The Bears hold a 4-10 record and have won two games in a row heading into the weekend. Kylie Griffin has a team-high .395 batting average, .477 on-base percentage and seven runs scored. Morgan Nelson has a team-high one home run and 12 RBIs with a .237 batting average. Bailie Runner leads the pitching staff with a 4.72 ERA in 46.0 innings pitched. Julia Petty leads with 17 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched. The staff has a combined 5.85 ERA and .346 batting average against. The Bears are reigning Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) champions and were selected first in the 2024 Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
Scouting Chattanooga
The Mocs hold a 9-7 record and losses in three of its last four games heading into the Adam Brown Shamrock Classic. Kendall Forsythe leads the charge with a .405 batting average, one triple and is second on the team with 10 RBIs. Kalili Phillips leads the team with three home runs and 11 RBIs, while Olivia Lipari adds three home runs and 10 RBIs. Riley Lamb leads the pitching staff with a 3.29 ERA. Taylor Long adds a 3.42 ERA with a team-high five wins, 41 strikeouts and .200 batting average against in 30.2 innings pitched. The Mocs earned five Preseason All-Southern Conference (SoCon) selections and was picked fourth out of eight programs in the preseason poll.
 
All-Time vs. Central Arkansas
Saint Francis and Central Arkansas will play for the first time in program history. Central Arkansas is Saint Francis' second ASUN opponent after an 8-5 victory over Bellarmine on Feb. 10. Saint Francis is Central Arkansas' only NEC opponent of the season.
 
All-Time vs. Chattanooga
Chattanooga is 2-0 against the Red Flash with the meeting coming between 1992-94. In 1992, the Mocs took a 9-0 victory before a 4-2 win in 1994. Chattanooga is Saint Francis' second SoCon opponent this season after defeating Wofford twice. Saint Francis is Chattanooga's first NEC opponent of the season and will also face LIU on March 9.

Next
Saint Francis has its first midweek game on Wednesday, March 6 at Arkansas - Pine Bluff.