Softball | 2/19/2026 2:29:00 PM

FIRST PITCH 
Saint Francis softball continues the 2026 season as they head to Hampton, Va., to participate in the Battle of the Bay tournament at Lady Pirates Softball Stadium against Quinnipiac, Maine, Norfolk State, and host team Hampton University. Game one for the Red Flash is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, with first pitch at 10 a.m. against the Bobcats of Quinnipiac.

STRAIGHT FROM THE COACHES OFFICE 

As always, Coach Bill Vasko sat down for his weekly review of the Red Flash from the previous week. This week, he shared his message with the team.

"Coming back after a trip, I mean, 0-5, it's obviously a little bit deflating, especially when it's the second week in a row. But based on the scores and who we played, we were much more competitive this past weekend than we were the first weekend. I know everyone, from coaches to players, is frustrated with not getting any wins this past weekend, given that we played better. But I've told the team not to focus on the result; focus on the process."

Coach later addressed the three recently named NEC Prime Performers: sophomores Sofia Zielinski and Morgan Pasternak, and junior Aliya Garroway. "In terms of people who stood out, our prime performers selected for the conference did a great job—not only at the plate but also in the field and in terms of leadership. I think those three players are ones we identified going into the season as being a big part of what we do at the plate, especially defensively, and in terms of their leadership since they are returners from last year's team and were big contributors."

Following that statement, Coach Vasko highlighted players who improved last weekend against tough matchups. "I thought Ella did a great job stepping up. She pitched nearly two complete games and did exactly what we needed her to do: chew up a lot of innings and keep us in the game against good competition. I would also say that both freshman Zoe Kesterson and junior Olivia Kolowitz had much better weekends overall. Our pitchers hit their spots more consistently, putting themselves in good positions to succeed against opposing batters. The defense is the next item we need to clean up. Overall, having some positives to build off of, being more competitive against a tough schedule, was really good."

SCOUTING QUINNIPIAC 
Quinnipiac is coming off a 2025 season to remember, posting one of its best conference records in the past eight seasons, finishing 14-11 in conference play for an overall record of 19-27. Recently, they were voted to finish No. 7 in the 2026 MAAC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Additionally, Mary Fogg earned a spot on the Preseason All-MAAC squad as an outfielder following a standout junior season for the Bobcats. She started 38 games and led the team in batting average (.333), hits (40), and multi-hit performances (9), while also being named Second Team All-MAAC.

THE LAST TIME WE MET THE BOBCATS  
The last time these two ball clubs met was in 2015, when the Red Flash routed the Bobcats in a 13-7 affair at LU Softball Field in Lynchburg, Va. This is just the tenth encounter between the two teams, tied at five games apiece.

SCOUTING HAMPTON 
Coming off a 15-34 2025 final record, Head coach Michelle Gardner brings back 15 of 19 letterwinners from last year's team, including all nine positional starters and three of the six pitchers who saw action in 2025. That 2025 club surpassed the overall and Mid-American Conference win totals for the previous two years combined. BGSU went 16-36 last spring, after posting a combined record of 15-79 in the 2023 (9-41) and '24 (6-38) campaigns.

SCOUTING MAINE 
Maine went 12-37 overall, and 3-17 in America East play in the 2025 season in the first year of head coach Kimberly Stiles … the Black Bears' 12 wins marked a seven-game improvement from 2024.  Some of the key players to watch from this maine team are Alysen Rieth who returns to the team for fourth year in the America East with a career-high 121 strikeouts and had at least five strikeouts in 10 games. Rieth was third with a team-leading 143.1 innings pitched and tied for fourth in the conference with a career-high 11 complete games. Behind the plate, Morgan Pool is back after throwing out a nation-leading 25 runners on base. Pool was also fifth in the America East with a .992 fielding percentage, making just two errors in 242 chances.

THE SCOUTING NORFOLK STATE 

Coming off a 2025 with an overall record of  22-23 with a conference record of 14-7, putting them in second place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.  The Spartans bring in a first-year head coach named Tatjana Matthews, who brings back the Spartans who return All-MEAC selections Maya Johnson, Qween Edmonds, and Kailey Bryant, along with third-team honoree Amaya McPherson.

THE LAST TIME WE MET THE SPARTANS  
This is only the third time ever that these two ball clubs will go face-to-face on the diamond, the all-time win record being tied at one win apiece. The last encounter occurred in 2011, when the programs participated in the Norfolk State Spartan Clash. The Red Flash claimed the victory, pacing the Spartians in a 7-0 shutout victory.

NEXT ON DECK
The Saint Francis Red Flash softball team is back in action next weekend as they participate in the Birds Up Bash in San Antonio, TX, on Friday, Feb.27-March 1 at Roadrunner Field to take on UT Arlington, New Mexico State, North Dakota State, and the host team, UTSA.

FLASH QUOTES 
Three-time NEC Prime Performer Garroway discussed the importance of her performance for securing a third Prime Performer award and how she can keep up the pace for another successful season. "I think it's about getting off to a quick start. In the past, I've had slower starts, but it's nice to begin early and hopefully stay consistent throughout the year, not just at the beginning. Over the weekend, I felt much more comfortable, and I believe I helped the team by seeing the ball well. I swung at a lot of pitches in the zone and didn't chase too many outside of it. I think seeing strikes is my biggest concern. With more practice every day, continuing the same drills and maintaining the same mindset at the plate, I can keep it up."

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).