LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball gears up to host reigning Northeast Conference Champion LIU March 29-30. The series starts on Friday, March 29 with a doubleheader at 1 p.m.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Olivia Ulam is coming off back-to-back NEC Player of the Week selections after she started conference play 12-for-21 with eight runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs through the first two weeks. Ulam leads the conference with 24 runs, 12 doubles and 24 RBIs this season. Her doubles are tied for 11th in the NCAA Division I.
» Grace Vesco is tied for 35th in the NCAA with 91 strikeouts this season, which ranks second in the NEC. She is eighth in the country with 3.46 hits allowed per seven innings this season. She is one of two non-Power Five pitchers in the top-10. She also ranks third in the NEC with a 1.81 ERA.
» Rachel Marsden ranks fifth in the conference with a 2.26 ERA and sixth with 70 strikeouts. During the Stonehill series, she became the third pitcher in program history to eclipse 500-career strikeouts and now stands at 508. 
» Ashley Orischak leads the NEC with a .778 batting average in conference play and adds three runs scored, one double and two RBIs. She is third in the conference overall with a .357 batting average.
» As a team, Saint Francis leads the NEC with a .281 batting average and has the lowest combined team ERA at 2.43.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis took a series sweep over Stonehill to begin conference play 6-0. The series started with a 12-3 Red Flash run-rule victory in six innings after Saint Francis scored eight runs in the fourth inning and four in the sixth. Saint Francis followed the next day with a 3-0 victory behind a combined one-hitter from pitchers Vesco and Allie Braly. The latter earned her second collegiate save after she recorded the final two outs. The series concluded with a 1-0 victory after Ulam hit a solo home run in the fourth inning that provided all the offensive damage. 
 
Scouting LIU
The Sharks hold a 17-12 overall and 5-1 conference record that is second in the NEC through the first two weeks. LIU took a 2-1 series win over Stonehill after the Skyhawks earned a 4-3 victory in 10 innings to conclude that series. The Sharks followed with a series sweep on Central Connecticut. LIU has scored no more than five runs in a conference game this season and has allowed two of fewer runs in five of its six appearances. Dallas Andrews leads the Sharks with a .347 batting average, 17 runs scored, six doubles and 12 walks. Alyssa Polemeni leads with three home runs, while Mari Narvaiz has a team-high 15 RBIs. The pitching staff is led by Alyssa O'Donnell's 2.09 ERA and she adds five wins and 27 strikeouts in 60.1 innings pitched. Lindsey Cowans has a 2.86 ERA with a team-high nine wins and 71 strikeouts in 110.0 innings pitched. LIU is second in the conference with a 2.50 team ERA and third with a .264 team batting average.
 
All-Time vs. LIU
LIU holds a 47-33 all-time advantage in the rivalry since the first meeting in 1988. Last season, LIU defeated Saint Francis 7-3 in the NEC Tournament to snap a streak of five consecutive NEC titles for the Red Flash between 2017-22. Saint Francis defeated LIU in 13 of the previous 15 matchups prior to its most recent two-game skid against the Sharks. The two programs have accounted for every NEC Regular Season and NEC Tournament title across the last seven seasons.
 
Around the NEC
Saint Francis (6-0) remains the final undefeated team in conference play after a series sweep of Stonehill (1-5). LIU (5-1) swept Central Connecticut (2-4) to stay in second in the conference standings. Sacred Heart (4-1) defeated FDU (2-3) in both games played last weekend before game three was postponed. Le Moyne (2-4) won its first NEC series in program history 2-1 over Merrimack (1-2). On Easter weekend, Central Connecticut visits Le Moyne, Merrimack visits Wagner, LIU visits Saint Francis and Stonehill visits Sacred Heart.

Next
Saint Francis returns from its brief Easter break with a 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2 at UMBC.