Softball | 2/26/2026 11:40:00 AM

FIRST PITCH 
Saint Francis softball continues the 2026 season as it heads to San Antonio, Texas, from Feb.27 to March 1 to take part in the Birds Up Bash at Roadrunner Field. In this five-game series, the Red Flash will face UT Arlington, New Mexico State, North Dakota, and the host team, UTSA. Game one is scheduled for Friday against UT Arlington's Mavericks, with a pitch set for 10 a.m.

STRAIGHT FROM THE COACHES' OFFICE
Coach Bill Vasko once again sat down for his weekly interview to provide a progress report on the season. While the record may not yet reflect it, his message to the team remains unchanged: trust the process."The two losses to Quinnipiac and Maine were disappointing," Vasko said. "I thought those were teams we could compete with a little better than we did, both in the circle and defensively. That was deflating, especially because we've played well in stretches."

Despite the setbacks, Vasko believes progress is being made."We're starting to feel a little mental fatigue with where we're at, and that's natural," he said. "Now we're heading into a spring break trip with 10 tough games against strong opponents before we open conference play. We knew it was going to be difficult to scrape out wins before conference play."

Vasko acknowledged the challenge of staying motivated without seeing wins in the standings."The message is still the same," he said. "It just stings not seeing the results on the scoreboard, even though the players have done everything I've asked and we've improved. At some point, you want to see a positive outcome to keep the momentum going. The outcomes are more positive — they're just not showing up as wins yet."

He also pointed out that the struggles are not unique to Saint Francis."If you look around the Northeast right now, everyone is in a similar spot," Vasko said. "The preseason No. 1 pick is 0-14 as well. We're all kind of even at this point." As conference play approaches, Vasko remains confident that the foundation being built now will translate when it matters most.

SCOUTING UT ARLINGTON 
Coming into the 2026 season, the Roadrunners will look to build on a 21-34 record from the 2025 campaign that featured significant roster gains. UTSA is one of three NCAA Division I teams to return 100% of last year's innings, including sophomore Ava Eldridge, who posted a team-high eight wins and 47 strikeouts. Eldridge and classmate Kaylie Olivarez both made headlines, each winning American Pitcher of the Week honors during the season.

THE LAST TIME WE MET THE MAVERICKS
This is the fifth meeting between these two programs on the diamond. Saint Francis leads the all-time series with two wins. The last matchup occurred in 2017, when the Red Flash defeated UT Arlington, 5-2.

SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE
New Mexico State enters the 2026 season after finishing 27-27 last year, ultimately seeing its campaign end with two losses on the first day of the C-USA Championship. During the offseason, three Aggies received all-conference honors: Desirae Spearman was named First Team All-C-USA, Kristiana Watson earned Second Team recognition, and Tamara Carranza secured a spot on the All-CUSA Freshman Team.

THE LAST TIME WE MET THE AGGIES 
In just the second meeting between these two teams, Saint Francis aims to secure another victory. The last time these programs met was in 2017, when the Red Flash earned their first victory over the Aggies, 8-4.

SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA
Coming off a 2025 season in which the Hawks finished with an overall record of 26-30, they concluded at the Summit League Softball Championship, where North Dakota fell to South Dakota, 6-5, in extra innings.

SCOUTING UTSA  
Entering this season after a 2025 campaign in which UTSA finished with a 6-21 conference record and lost in the opening round of the conference tournament, the Roadrunners have posted a 5-9 record so far this season. They were selected ninth in the American Conference 2026 Preseason Coaches' Poll.

NEXT ON DECK
The Red Flash are back in action next weekend as they remain in the Lone Star State to participate in the San Marcos Showdown at Bobcat Softball Stadium in San Marcos, Texas. They will face Texas A&M, Tarleton, and host Texas State.

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).