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Merrimack is 0-5 so far this season, falling to Brown, Toledo and UNCG.
Sam Russalesi leads batting with a .286 batting average. Sydney Samuel has 14 putouts to lead the Warriors. The Merrimack bullpen is led by Anna Gedacht with a 4.20 ERA, pitching 10 innings.
LAST TIME WE MET THE WARRIORS
Saint Francis is 13-1 against the former Northeast Conference member.
The Red Flash defeated the Warriors 1-0 in nine innings to conclude last year's regular season and to complete a perfect 24-0 conference record.
THE WORD ON OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes are 13-4-1 overall, going 4-1 at the Bulldog Classic last weekend. They are currently receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA polls.
Jasmyn Burns leads batting with a .510 batting average and 26 hits. Lorin Boutte has a 2.65 ERA, pitching 42.1 innings.
LAST TIME WE MET THE BUCKEYES
This will be Saint Francis's first time playing Ohio State. The Red Flash are 18-58 against Big Ten schools.
THE WORD ON TEXAS
Texas boasts a 21-1 record, only falling to Stanford on Feb. 21. ESPN.com/USA Today has the Longhorns ranked No. 2 with the NFCA/GoRout Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll placing them first with 22 first-place votes.
Kayden Henry leads Texas's batting with a .492 batting average and 27 runs scored so far this season. Teagan Kavan has pitched 55 innings for the Longhorns, with seven wins and a 1.91 ERA.
LAST TIME WE MET THE LONGHORNS
Saint Francis is 0-1 against Texas.
The Red Flash played the Longhorns in the 2021 NCAA Tournament in the Texas Regional with Texas winning 12-0 in five innings. Saint Francis also played in the Texas Regional last season, although the two teams did not meet.
THE WORD ON KENT STATE
Kent State is 5-14 this season, going 2-3 in the Mizuno Showdown in Chapel Hill, N.C. last weekend.
Delaney Robeson leads the Golden Flashes with a .458 batting average and 19 RBIs on the season. Kent State's pitching staff is led by Delaney Nagy with a 6.72 ERA and pitching 33.1 innings.
LAST TIME WE MET THE GOLDEN FLASHES
The Red Flash are 1-3 against the Golden Flashes, splitting their last meeting in 2019.
Saint Francis took game one 5-4, but Kent State won the second 6-2.
THE WORD ON OAKLAND
Oakland is 4-7 and currently on a four-game losing streak after dropping two doubleheaders against North Alabama.
Brooklyn Plitz leads batting for Oakland with a .324 batting average and eight runs scored. The Grizzlies' leading pitcher is Alyssa Balcom with an ERA of 3.26 in 34.1 innings pitched.
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LAST TIME WE MET THE GRIZZLIES
Saint Francis has yet to face Oakland. The program has a long history with Horizon League teams, going 57-90-1 against members.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis went 2-5 in the FIU Classic and a split doubleheader against Florida International and Florida Gulf Coast, defeating Toledo and Eastern Illinois.
Sofia Zielinski was named the Northeast Conference Player and Rookie of the Week 4-for-12 with two doubles and a home run in the FIU Classic, good for a .750 slugging percentage and a team-most .467 on-base percentage. In left field, she recorded 12 putouts. She was joined by
Addison Deal as Prime Performers after pitching a total of six innings, allowing just three hits, one earned run and three walks. She also struck out two batters.
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UP NEXT
The Red Flash will open the 2025 NEC schedule at home against Stonehill on March 15-16.
