Softball Welcomes Wagner to Jersey City for Home Opener

Series Info
Series: Saint Peter's (10-5, 0-0 MAAC) vs. Wagner (3-12, 0-0 NEC)
Date: Wednesday, March 11, 2022
Location: Jersey City, N.J. | Jaroschak Field

First Pitch

• The Saint Peter's University softball team will play their first home games of 2022 Wednesday as they welcome Wagner to Jersey City for a mid-week doubleheader.
• The Peacocks head into the weeked with a 10-5 start, the best for the program since 2007 while Wager has started the season 3-12, most recently earning a split against Santa Clara on Saturday.

Looking Back at Howard

• Led by a six-RBI day from Cara McNulty and a never-say-die attitude, the Saint Peter's softball team earned a split on the road Friday against Howard University, defeating the Bison 7-6 in game one before falling 6-5 in game two on a walk-off home run.

• McNulty was dominant at the plate collecting three hits in seven at-bats while driving in six runs including four in the game one victory. She also became the second Peacock to go deep this season, hitting a home run in the first inning of game one to put SPU on top.
• Olyvia Smith also had a multi-hit day for the Peacocks in game one going 2 for 4 with a run scored.
• Katie Sciglimpaglia and Dakota Pitts were instrumental in run scoring opportunities for SPU, combining to score six of the 11 total runs in the doubleheader.
• Anja Solveig Kane had a big day driving in runs with three RBI in two contests including a pair on a double in game two.
• Christina Colon, Kristen Brennan and Kasidy Slusser combined to allow just four earned runs across eight innings in the first game of the day to help the Peacocks earn the victory.
• Maiah Skakal was the lone SPU player with multiple hits in the second contest of the day going 2 for 3 with a run scored. 

Returning Talent Around the Diamond

• SPU returns a wealth of talent to the 2022 squad from last season including nine position players who saw action in at least 20 games a season ago.
• Brandi Feeney highlights the returning talent as she enters her junior year with the Peacocks. Last season, Feeney hit a team-high .321 and also led the team with 14 RBI, two homers, four doubles and 13 runs scored.
• Junior Olyvia Smith is also back for her third season in an SPU uniform after joining Feeney hitting above .300 with a .301 average in 2021. Also a strong option with her speed, Smith was tied for the team lead with five stolen bases in just six attempts last season.
• Seniors Katie Sciglimpaglia and Anja Solveig Kane also return to the roster in 2022 after being the lone two Peacocks to start all 30 games on the year. In total, the duo has started 187 games in their careers.
• Juniors Sophie Wilson and Cara McNulty and sophomore Maiah Skakal are all back for another season as well for SPU. Wilson returns after hitting .290 a season ago while also sitting second on the team with a .419 slugging percentage and a .781 OPS. 
• McNulty and Skakal, meanwhile, were staples in the lineup combining for six doubles, a triple, a home run and 13 RBI in 2021.

In the Circle

• The Peacocks return every pitcher from last year's team including Senerchia who finished last season with a team-best 4.27 ERA.
• Senerchia had a 1.48 WHIP across 57.1 innings in the circle and led the team in strikeouts, IP and opponents' batting average last season.
• Junior Taylor Rondon is back after her 2021 season where she was second on the team with a 4.98 ERA in 11 appearances.
• Also returning is junior Kristen Brennan who was tied with Senerchia for the most appearances in the circle last season. Brennan was second on the team with a 1.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio last season.
• Colon was the Peacock who saw the most action in 2021 and is back for another campaign after pitching in 18 games last season. Colon was in the circle and earned the victory for the Peacocks in the 6-5 win over Quinnipiac for one of two total victories a season ago.

New Faces

• Junior college transfers Aubrey Ketcham and Kourtney Ketcham figure to have large roles in the offense for the Peacocks in 2022. The Ketcham sisters combined to steal 30 bases last season and were both selected to the NJCAA All-Region team.
• Last season at Herkimer County Community College, Aubrey Ketcham hit .416 with six doubles, two triples and a home run. She was named the Outstanding Defensive Player at the 2019 NJCAA Division III Championship.
• Kourtney Ketcham, meanwhile, hit .425 for HCCC last season with 13 RBI and 27 runs scored. She had 12 multi-hit games on the year in 25 games and hit safely in 18 of them.
• Freshman Dakota Pitts is expected to figure into the starting rotation both in the circle and on the field. Pitts enters her SPU career as a two-time First Team All-County selection out of Patterson Mill High School in Bel Air, Md. 
• Fellow freshmen Kasidy Slusser, Lexi Ross and Nicole Antuna are all also expected to make an impact in their first seasons on the field with SPU.

Up Next

• The Peacocks will stay in the state of New Jersey over the weekend as they head to Piscataway to compete in the Rutgers Softball Tournament with games against Rutgers, Stony Brook and Holy Cross.

For continuing coverage of Saint Peter's University Athletics, visit SaintPetersPeacocks.com and follow the Peacocks on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.