LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball wraps up its spring break in Arkansas with a trip to the Razorback Rumble. The Red Flash are schedule to play five games, which includes two games against Nebraska and one game against No. 18 Arkansas.
 
Day One Schedule Update
After evaluating the weather, Arkansas has adjusted games on Friday, March 8. Saint Francis is now scheduled to face Nebraska at 2:30 p.m. eastern time and Arkansas at 7 p.m. eastern time. If further adjustments are needed, those will be made on Friday morning.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Grace Vesco leads the pitching staff with a 1.44 ERA, 56 strikeouts and .133 batting average in 58.1 innings pitched. She is at 642 strikeouts in her career, which is 24th among active NCAA Division I pitchers.
» Kaylie Walters raised her batting average to .304 and carries an on-base percentage of .522. She is third in Division I with 20 walks and top-20 with 13 steals. She is nine steals away from tying Jordan Seneca's single season mark of 22 set in 2017.
» Savannah Nash paces the Red Flash with a .344 batting average and 15 RBIs. She is second in the Northeast Conference with six steals.
» Rachel Marsden is coming off a season-high nine strikeouts against Arkansas - Pine Bluff. On the season, she carries a 2.78 ERA with 43 strikeouts and a .212 batting average against in 55.1 innings pitched.
» Olivia Ulam is tied for eighth in the country with nine doubles that already set a single-season career-high for the junior. She is second on the team with 13 runs scored and 14 RBIs.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis defeated Arkansas - Pine Bluff in its first midweek game of the season, 8-0 in six innings. The game started with two scoreless innings before the Red Flash put together eight runs in the final four innings of the game. Hannah Bendle headlined the scoring with an inside-the-park two-run home run – the first home run of her collegiate career. Marsden recorded 12 outs in a row after the Golden Lions recorded their only hit in the second inning. Allie Braly closed out the game with a strikeout. Walters recorded the first three-hit game of her collegiate career during the run-rule victory.
 
Scouting No. 18 Arkansas
The Razorbacks enter their hosted weekend with a 17-4 record. Arkansas is ranked No. 18 in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25. Arkansas is led by Bri Ellis' four doubles, seven home runs and 22 RBIs. The Razorbacks have six players with at least 11 RBIs this season. Cylie Halvorson has a team-high 18 runs scored and adds five home runs and 18 RBIs. Morgan Leinstock leads the pitching staff with a 1.49 ERA and has 49 strikeouts and a .176 batting average against in 42.1 innings pitched. Robyn Herron adds a 1.54 ERA with a team-high 61 strikeouts and .158 batting average against in 54.2 innings pitched. The Razorbacks' pitching staff carries a 1.84 ERA combined.
 
Scouting Nebraska
The Huskers enter the weekend with an 8-10 record and have lost five of its last six games. On Feb. 24, Nebraska defeated then-No. 23 Oregon, 6-0. Billie Andrews leads the program with a .451 batting average, 16 runs scored, six doubles, six home runs and 10 RBIs. She has walked four times and carries a team-high .500 on-base percentage. Three additional players have hit at least two home runs and Peyton Cody, who has two home runs, also carries a .394 batting average. All-five of Nebraska's pitchers carry an ERA above 4.00 led by Sarah Harness' 4.07 mark. Kaylin Kinney leads the program with 22 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched. Nebraska entered the season led by two-time National Champion transfer pitcher Jordy Bahl before she suffered a season-ending injury in her Nebraska debut. 
 
Scouting Northern Iowa
The Panthers enter the Razorback Rumble with a 9-6 record and have lost four of its last five games. Three of those losses were to ranked opponents, which included 1-0 defeats to then-No. 24 Auburn and then-No. 11 Alabama. Madison parks leads the program with a .355 batting average and adds 11 runs scored, two home runs and six RBIs. Alexia Pupillo has a team-high 12 runs scored, six home runs and 15 RBIs. The pitching staff is headlined by Samantha Heyer's 1.96 ERA, 57 strikeouts and .187 batting average against in 39.1 innings pitched. The Panthers were selected first in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Preseason Poll.
 
Scouting South Alabama
The Jaguars hold a 12-5-1 record heading into the Razorback Rumble. South Alabama took a 2-0 victory over then-No. 10 Alabama and 1-1 tie against then-No. 15 Arizona in its two most recent games. The Jaguars also defeated nationally ranked South Carolina 5-2 on Feb. 24. Gabby Stagner has a team-high .429 batting average, five doubles, two triples, six home runs and 20 RBIs this season. The pitching staff carries a team ERA of 1.97, headlined by Olivia Lackie's 0.92 mark, 76 strikeouts and .130 batting average against in 60.2 innings pitched. She is top-10 in the NCAA Division I in strikeouts. South Alabama was selected second in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll behind unanimous favorite Louisiana, who just defeated No. 1 Oklahoma.
 
All-Time vs. Arkansas
Saint Francis and Arkansas will face off for the first time in program history. Arkansas is Saint Francis' first Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent since an 11-5 loss to Mississippi State in the 2018 NCAA Tournament Regionals. 
 
All-Time vs. Nebraska
Saint Francis and Nebraska will face off for the first time in program history. The games are two of four Saint Francis has against a Big Ten opponent this season with the other two against Penn State.
 
All-Time vs. Northern Iowa
Saint Francis and Northern Iowa play for the first time in program history. Northern Iowa is Saint Francis' first MVC opponent since two victories over UIC last season.
 
All-Time vs. South Alabama
Saint Francis and South Alabama match up for the first time in program history. South Alabama is the first Sun Belt opponent for Saint Francis since a 10-2 loss to James Madison last season.

Next
Saint Francis has its first home and conference games of the 2024 season March 16-17 against Le Moyne. It marks the first time in program history that Saint Francis will face Le Moyne.