Softball Travels to Western New York This Weekend

GAMES 49/50
Saint Peter's (7-41, 1-13 MAAC) vs. Niagara (8-27, 5-7 MAAC )
Date: Saturday, April 27
Time:12 p.m. / 2 p.m.
Location: Niagara Softball Field - Niagara University, NY
 
GAMES 51/52
Saint Peter's (7-41, 1-13 MAAC) vs. Canisius (10-27, 4-8 MAAC)
Date: Sunday, April 28
Time: 12 p.m. / 2 p.m.
Location: Demske Sports Complex - Buffalo, NY
 
Opening Pitch:

• The Saint Peter's softball team will travel to Western New York this weekend for two MAAC series. 
• The team will play in a doubleheader against Niagara on Saturday starting at 12 p.m.
• On Sunday the Peacocks will face Canisius in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. 
• The Peacocks enter the weekend 7-41 after falling 7-0 to LIU on Thursday afternoon.
• The Peacocks scored a season-high 13 runs against UMES on April 18. 
• The Peacocks picked up their first conference win of the season on Saturday, April 13 against Rider, winning 7-6 (10 innings) in game two of a doubleheader.

Scout on Niagara:

• Niagara currently sits at 8-27 and 5-7 in the MAAC this season.
• The last game for the Purple Eagles was against Albany.
• Niagara won the first and lost the second game against the Great Danes.  
• The Peacocks have an all-time record of 25-30 against Niagara. 
• The last time the Peacocks beat Purple Eagles was on April 12, 2014.

Scout on Canisius:

• Canisius is 10-27 overall and 4-8 in the MAAC.
• Last time out for the Golden Griffins was a doubleheader versus St. Bonaventure, with Canisius winning both games.
• Canisius will meet the Manhattan Jaspers for a MAAC series on Saturday before meeting Saint Peter's Sunday. 
• The Peacocks have an all-time record of 9-53 against Canisius. 
• The last time the Peacocks beat the Golden Griffs was on April 13, 2014.

13-Run Explosion 

• The Peacocks erupted for a season-high 13 runs against UMES in non-conference play on Thursday, April 18. 
• It was the first 13-run game for the program since scoring 13 against Iona on May 4, 2013.

Walking-Off in Extras

• The Peacocks earned an extra-inning win over the Rider Broncs on Saturday, April 13.
• Tied at 6-6 after seven innings, the game went into the 10th inning still knotted up.
• Harley Connors started the 10th with a double to center field before Alina Guevara hit her second double of the game to score Connors for the 7-6 walk-off win.

Going Yard

• Theamaris Ramirez is leading the Peacocks with three homeruns so far this season.
• In the series against Hartford, Ramirez hit a homerun in both games.
• It is the first time this season a player homered in back-to-back games. 
• Ramirez was named the Saint Peter's April Student-Athlete of the Month for her efforts. 

Welcome Back

• The Saint Peter's softball team will return 12 players this season, including five seniors. 
• The five seniors are Harley Connors, Sydney Ramsey, Barbara Verrastro, Tiffani Lambert, Schieler Collins.
• The four juniors are Georgia Verrastro, Alina Guevara, Theamaris Ramirez, Taylor White.
• Three sophomores are Alyssa Adams, Natasha Solano, Taylor Lewis.

New Additions

• The Peacocks welcome five new players: 
• Katie Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, CT), Marissa Morales (Wolcott, CT),  Alyssa Mido (Edison, NJ), Anja Solveig Kane (Manchester Twp, NJ) and Sydney Senerchia (Northford, CT). 

MAAC Preseason Poll

• The Saint Peter's softball team was picked 11th in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Meet the Heach Coach

• Chris Stelma will begin his third season at the helm of the Saint Peter's Softball team. Last season, 2018, the team went 7-41. 
• They earned their first win of the season against Rider at the Coppin State Eagle Classic in Maryland.
• In Stelma's first season (2017), the team recorded 115 runs with six wins, including four conference wins. 
• The Peacocks earned a series sweep for the first time in three years when they swept Rider in the final two games of the season, and improved their batting average from .199 in 2016 to .247 in 2017.
• Before Saint Peter's, Stelma served as an assistant coach at Division III, William Paterson University in New Jersey during the 2016 season. 
• Prior to joining William Paterson, he was the owner of Fielder's Choice Baseball/Kaboom Softball in Andover, where he coordinated training, league play, tournaments and facilities, and served as the head coach of the U18 Showcase baseball and softball teams. Stelma was the baseball head coach at his alma mater, County College of Morris, during the fall of 2007.
• Stelma earned a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Rhode Island in 2006. 
• While at URI, Stelma was a member of the baseball team where he played two seasons at shortstop for the Rams, making 31 starts and appearing in over 40 games. 
• Prior to transferring to URI, Stelma began his collegiate career at County College of Morris where he played for current Saint Peter's assistant coach Ed Moskal in 2003. 
• He was named All-Region and All-Garden State Conference at County College of Morris and ranked in the top 15 among JUCO hitters in 2003.

Meet The Coaching Staff: 

• Assistant coaches Suzanne Ruffo and Alyssa Ruiz.