Softball | 2/12/2026 8:00:00 AM

FIRST PITCH 
Saint Francis softball continues the 2026 season in scenic Riverside, California, participating in the Cal State Baptist Invitational from Feb. 13-15. The Red Flash is set to face Utah State, Loyola Marymount, Cal State Bakersfield, and host Cal Baptist.

SCOUTING UTAH STATE  
Utah State finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 26-26 and an 11-11 conference mark. The Aggies' roster includes four returning starters and 12 letterwinners, featuring a senior duo of catcher Grace Matej and outfielder Kya Pratt, who each earned spots on the 15-player Preseason All-Mountain West Team.

THE LAST TIME WE MET THE AGGIES 
This marks just the third overall encounter between these two clubs since the 2020 season, when they met in the Silicon Valley Classic. The last time the Red Flash faced the Aggies, Utah State defeated Saint Francis 8-0.

SCOUTING CAL BAPTIST  
Cal Baptist is coming off a 26-32 regular season in 2025 that ended in the WAC Quarterfinals. Three key players return from that squad: junior Matti Severns, sophomore Miranda De Nava, and senior Ashlee Annett, who were named to the Preseason All-WAC Team. In addition to the returners, many new faces have joined the Cal Baptist clubhouse, including new head coach Brandon Telesco, who brought in 10 freshmen and six transfers. The Lancers were recently picked to finish second in the WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

SCOUTING LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 
Loyola Marymount is coming off a 22-31 overall record, including a 7-8 mark in conference play. The Lions' roster features several familiar and new faces, with seniors Izzy Jamgotchian and Justine Lambert recognized as key standouts on the 2026 West Coast Conference Preseason Softball Team. Additionally, the Lions are projected to finish fourth in the 2026 West Coast Conference.

THE SCOUTING CSU BARKERSFIELD 
Coming off a 16-34 record in the 2025 regular season, the Roadrunners bring a squad featuring nine returners and 14 newcomers. The key returners for this team are the quartet of seniors: Marianna Narvaiz, Hannah Garcia, Alexia Castro, and Faith Steffany.

NEXT ON DECK 
The Red Flash softball team is back in action next weekend as it heads to Hampton, Virginia, to participate in the Battle of the Bay tournament against Quinnipiac, Maine, Norfolk State, and host team Hampton University. Game one is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, with first pitch at 10 a.m.

FLASH QUOTES 
This week, head coach Bill Vasko shared his thoughts on last weekend's tournament and his expectations for the team moving forward.

"When you go 0-5, you're going to be disappointed with the performance and the outcomes," Vasko said. "But there were some encouraging things. I felt we played better as the weekend progressed. I believe we took the lead in the final three games and jumped out early in all three. The last game was competitive."

Vasko also noted improvement at the plate. "As the weekend went on, the hitting got better," he said. "I know the defense will improve as we get more opportunities to identify our weaknesses and address them in practice. Now that our pitchers have a better understanding of the expectations and can see their mistakes on video, they'll improve as well."

One player who stood out was Morgan Pasternak. "Morgan definitely stood out to me on defense, and at the plate, her play was outstanding," Vasko said. "She made a lot of great plays in the outfield, had some strong throws, and swung the bat really well. After a disappointing season last year, where she didn't have as many opportunities or the success she wanted, she's been working really hard. I thought she had an outstanding weekend."

Sophomore Morgan Pasternak reflected on what it was like to hit her first collegiate home run after an already impressive weekend. "I felt really relaxed and confident, and I was just waiting for my pitch in the spot I wanted," Pasternak said. "A confident hitter is a dangerous hitter. The pitch was a little low and outside, and I just tracked it and took my swing."Pasternak said she wasn't sure the ball was out at first. "Out of the box, I was still sprinting because I didn't know if it was gone," she said. "But when I saw it go over, it felt really good. It was nice to finally get my first one."

Junior transfer Marianne Labelle, who made key contributions to the Red Flash's scoring effort last weekend, shared her experience adjusting to a new environment and the pressure to start strong. "It was definitely stressful at first," Labelle said. "I'm used to being far from home, but coming in so late in the season makes you wonder, 'Am I good enough?' I just kept telling myself, 'You belong here.'"

Labelle said her focus was simple in her first at-bat. "My mindset was just to get on base any way possible," she said. "I put the ball in play and was running down the first-base line, but there was a safety bag that I'd never played with before. I touched the wrong bag and was called out. I didn't understand what happened and went back to the bench confused."Her teammates quickly stepped in. "The girls were yelling, 'She's Canadian, she's Canadian — she didn't know,'" Labelle said. "I didn't even realize I'd gotten my first hit until later when Coach Ryan told me, 'Hey, congratulations.' That's when I got excited."
 

AT THE HELM 
Entering his first season at Loretto, Head Coach Bill Vasko aims to maintain the program's winning tradition as he becomes the 14th head coach in its history. He takes over a program that has won seven of the last eight NEC Tournament titles and appeared in seven NCAA Division I regionals. Vasko brings 15 years of collegiate softball coaching experience, including 10 years as a head coach, and 31 years in college athletics.

Upon his hiring, Vasko said, "I'm incredibly honored to be named the softball head coach at Saint Francis. This program has a strong tradition of excellence, and I'm excited to build on that legacy while helping our student-athletes grow both on and off the field. Saint Francis is a special place, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead this program into its next chapter. Our focus will be on developing leaders, continuing the championship culture, and competing with pride every time we take the field."

NEW TO THE LO' 
Late last year, Coach Vasko began building a winning-caliber team capable of competing against any opponent, both inside and outside the NEC. This effort started with the hiring of Abby Doerr and Ryan Bushey to his coaching staff. Coach Doerr brings extensive experience, having played at the highest level for programs including the University of Alabama and Oregon State University. Joining her is Coach Bushey, a graduate assistant who was a four-year infielder on the Mount Aloysius College baseball team, where he played a key role for a Mounties program that consistently competed at the top of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

THE RETURNERS
Saint Francis begins the 2026 season with six returners from last year's championship-winning squad, including three CSC Academic All-District award winners: senior Annabelle Farmer, junior Aliya Garroway, and junior Olivia Kolowitz. They are joined by sophomore Morgan Pasternak, senior Haley Brag, and sophomore Sofia Zielinski, all of whom were vital to last year's championship team.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK 
Despite the key contributions of last year's championship-winning team, Coach Vasko made several additions to the lineup to make a difference. Saint Francis welcomes a strong freshman class, including Olivia Holtzman (York, Pennsylvania, Central York), Sophia Rabatin (Lilly, Pennsylvania, Penn Cambria), Olivia Hood (New Castle, Pennsylvania, New Castle), Ella Zoss, and Zoe Kesterson (Charles Town, West Virginia, Washington).