JERSEY CITY, NJ– The Saint Peter's softball team (4-12, 1-5 MAAC) is set for another busy week, playing seven games across three series.
Saint Peter's begins the stretch by hosting Manhattan on Tuesday, March 24, for a MAAC showdown before welcoming the FDU Knights for a nonconference midweek matchup on Thursday, March 26. The Peacocks close the week with a three-game series against conference foe Siena in Loudonville, N.Y.
Against Manhattan and FDU, first pitch of the doubleheaders is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Jaroschak Field, with game two to follow at 3 p.m. on both Tuesday and Thursday.
Saint Peter's concludes the week at Siena Softball Field with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m., followed by game two at 2 p.m. The series concludes Sunday at noon.
LAST TIME OUT
The Peacocks' doubleheader against UMaine was canceled due to inclement weather.
Against Marist, Saint Peter's finished 1-2 on the weekend but turned in several impressive performances. The Peacocks held Marist to its third-lowest scoring MAAC game of the season in the opening matchup and took down the reigning conference champions in game three for their first MAAC win of the season, handing the Red Foxes their first conference loss since April 19.
In the circle,
Morgan Lipansky started the first and final games of the series, totaling 10 strikeouts on the weekend while holding the top of Marist's lineup hitless in game one (0-for-9).
Four different Peacocks recorded multi-hit performances, with
Summer Solitaria and
Angela Tremarco leading the offense with four hits apiece over the weekend. Solitaria went 3-for-4 in the final game of the series, adding a double and two RBIs, while Tremarco posted back-to-back multi-hit games with two runs, a double, and an RBI.
ABOUT THE PEACOCKS
Saint Peter's snapped a five-game skid with its first conference win of the season, defeating the reigning MAAC champions.
After the weekend,
Summer Solitaria paces the Peacock offense with a .455 batting average and a 1.000 OPS. Against conference opponents, Saint Peter's has three players batting over .300, with
Angela Tremarco leading the group with a .462 average and a 1.071 OPS through six starts.
In the circle,
Morgan Lipansky leads the pitching staff with a 5.36 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts across 32.2 innings pitched.
ABOUT THE JASPERS
Manhattan (6-18, 2-4 MAAC) finished February with a 3-12 record after competing in three tournaments, going 1-4 at the UIW Tournament, 2-1 at the Elon Softball Invitational, and 0-5 at the Mustang Classic.
After closing February on a seven-game skid, the Jaspers split with New Haven to begin March, took one game from Rider to open conference play, and won the final game of their weekend series against Sacred Heart.
Utility player Brianna Estevez leads the Jaspers offensively, batting .375 with an .886 OPS through 24 starts. She has tallied 33 hits, 11 RBIs, and six extra-base hits on the season.
In the circle, Sophia Kiseloski (2-0) paces the pitching staff with a 3.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through 10 innings pitched, holding batters to a .250 average.
Head coach Bridget Hurlman is in her third season at the helm.
ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
FDU enters the matchup 3-17 after competing in three tournaments and three head-to-head series.
The Knights finished February 1-7, dropping all five games at the USD/UCSD Co-Host Tournament and going 1-2 at the George Mason Tournament. To begin March, FDU went 2-3 at the Spartan Round-Up, sweeping Norfolk State but falling to North Dakota and Holy Cross.
FDU is currently trying to snap a seven-game skid after dropping games to Stony Brook, Central Connecticut State, and Rutgers. The Knights are still searching for their first series win of the season.
FDU will host Monmouth in a midweek matchup on Tuesday before traveling to face Saint Peter's.
Sophomore Mikayla Conklin leads the offense with a .318 batting average and a .771 OPS through 20 starts, totaling 14 hits, three extra-base hits, and eight RBIs.
In the circle, MaryJane Limon (1-1) leads the pitching staff with a 4.47 ERA and 2.04 WHIP across 31.1 innings pitched, recording 18 strikeouts.
Head coach Chris Foye is in his sixth season with the program.
ABOUT THE SAINTS
Siena (10-9, 3-3 MAAC) closed February with a 4-6 record after competing in two tournaments, posting 2-3 finishes at both the CSU Kickoff and the Make It Happen Games.
The Saints have played four series in March, finishing 1-2 against Sacred Heart to open conference play, defeating UAlbany and Wagner, and taking two of three games against Iona.
Siena will travel to Canisius for a MAAC doubleheader on Tuesday before hosting Saint Peter's.
The Saints have two players batting over .300 with OPS marks above 1.000. Emma Peterson leads the offense with a .368 average and 1.033 OPS through 19 starts, totaling five doubles and five home runs. She ranks sixth in batting average and second in slugging percentage (.708) in the conference.
Gracie Goewey also bats .368 with a 1.048 OPS, adding four extra-base hits and seven RBIs through 14 starts.
In the circle, Violet Marta (7-5) leads the pitching staff with a 2.40 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 61.1 innings pitched, ranking third in ERA and wins in the MAAC.
Head coach Casey Bump is in her sixth season at the helm.
ALL TIME SERIES
Saint Peter's is 8-34 all-time against Manhattan, with the Jaspers winning the last four meetings. The Peacocks' most recent victory in the series came in 2024, a 5-2 win.
Saint Peter's is 4-23 all-time against FDU. Last season, the Peacocks and Knights split their doubleheader matchup.
In the win, Saint Peter's rallied for five runs in the sixth inning to secure a 9-5 victory.
Ashley Murphy tied the game with an RBI single to center field before
Olivia Christopher delivered the go-ahead run with a single to left.
Brielle Coppola secured the win in the circle, pitching six innings while allowing one earned run and striking out six.
Saint Peter's is 11-41 all-time against Siena. The Saints have won the last 26 meetings dating back to 2014. The Peacocks' last victory in the series came in 2014, a 9-3 win.
AROUND THE MAAC
Quinnipiac and Marist are tied for first place in the conference standings with 7-1 records. Quinnipiac enters the week riding a three-game winning streak, while Marist recently suffered its first conference loss.
Sacred Heart sits in third at 7-2, followed by Fairfield and Mount St. Mary's at 5-3. Siena and Rider round out the top six with 3-3 records.
This week's MAAC matchups include:
Tuesday:
Manhattan vs. Saint Peter's, Marist vs. Mount St. Mary's, Merrimack vs. Quinnipiac, and Siena vs. Canisius
Wednesday:
Rider vs. Niagara
Weekend Series:
Iona vs. Merrimack, Fairfield vs. Canisius, Quinnipiac vs. Rider, Mount St. Mary's vs. Manhattan, Sacred Heart vs. Niagara, and Saint Peter's vs. Siena
For continuing coverage of Saint Peter's University Athletics, visit SaintPetersPeacocks.com and follow the Peacocks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
