Softball | 4/30/2026 10:34:00 PM
FIRST PITCH
After 45 games featuring trips to South Carolina, California, Texas, and various locations in the NEC, Saint Francis softball prepares for its final three-game series of the 2026 season with a last stop in Staten Island, New York, to take on Wagner in the final weekend of NEC play. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday, May 2, at 1 p.m.
WAGNER SCOUTING REPORT
Entering the weekend with an overall record of 17-25, including a 12-9 mark in Northeast Conference (NEC) competition, the Seahawks were picked fourth in the NEC's 2026 preseason poll. Under Head Coach Glenn Moore, the Seahawks return all three of their All-NEC players. Sophomore infielder Taylor Reynolds was named to the First Team and joined fellow sophomore infielder Alayna Giampolo on the All-Rookie Team. Junior pitcher Karson Zavala earned Second Team honors after setting the Wagner single-season record for strikeouts with 157.
LAST TIME WE PLAYED THE SEAHAWKS
The last encounter between these two teams occurred on Senior Day of the 2025 season. In that game, Saint Francis completed a sweep of Wagner, winning 2-1 in the series finale.
HEAD TO HEAD
Having met 72 times before this weekend, Saint Francis leads the all-time series with 46 wins. The Red Flash are on a six-game winning streak, outscoring the Seahawks 36-9 in those games.
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.
BY THE NUMBERS
Throughout the season, the Red Flash have demonstrated their prowess with the long ball, ranking first in the NEC with 41 home runs. Saint Francis also ranks among the conference's top five in six offensive categories: runs (fifth, 179), RBIs (fifth, 166), total bases (third, 469), and slugging percentage (second, .415).
ON-BASE MACHINE
Hitting out of the top of the lineup all season, Junior Aliya Garroway has consistently found a way to get on base throughout the entire season. This past weekend against LIU, the veteran extended her on-base streak to 32 straight games, the most in program history since Jordan Seneca set the record in 2017 with 31 straight games.
THE ARIZONA ACE
At the center of the Saint Francis offensive attack is sophomore Sofia Zielinski, who currently leads the team in six categories: batting average (.443), hits (51), home runs (11), total bases (93), and slugging percentage (.809). Earlier this season, she broke her personal single-season best of nine home runs and became just the 19th player in program history to hit 10 or more homers in a season, dating back to 1999.
PRE-SEASON POLL
Entering the 2026 season as the reigning champions after winning their second consecutive NEC title, Saint Francis was selected to finish sixth out of nine teams in the NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
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).
