JERSEY CITY, N.J.— The Saint Peter's Peacocks softball team (1-5) are set for a busy week, playing seven games across three series. Saint Peter's begins the stretch by hosting Rutgers Tuesday, March 10, before traveling to face the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) on Wednesday, March 11. The Peacocks close the week with a three-game series against UPenn in Philadelphia.
Against Rutgers, first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Jaroschak Field, with game two set for 3 p.m.
The Peacocks will then take on Maryland Eastern Shore in a midweek doubleheader at Hawk Stadium in Princess Anne, Maryland, with games slated for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Saint Peter's concludes the week at Penn Park 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 opened MAAC play last weekend, dropping a three-game series to the Quinnipiac Bobcats softball, 5-4, 10-2, and 8-0.
On Saturday, Saint Peter's finished with eight hits but struggled to capitalize with runners in scoring position, leaving seven runners stranded.
Paige Seemon paced the offense with a 2-for-3 performance, launching the Peacocks' first home run of the season.
On Sunday,
Danni Forrester launched her first collegiate home run, while
Hannah Klotz led the offense with the lone multi-hit performance of the day. Quinnipiac struck early in both contests, scoring six runs in the second inning of game one and opening game two with a grand slam. The Bobcats out-hit Saint Peter's 18-7 across the doubleheader, while the Peacocks again struggled to capitalize with runners in scoring position, leaving 16 on base compared to Quinnipiac's nine.
ABOUT THE PEACOCKS
Saint Peter's has four players batting over .300, with
Hannah Klotz pacing the offense with a .368 average and .821 OPS through six starts.
In the circle,
Gabriella Rivera has provided strong relief, posting a 4.20 ERA and 1.80 WHIP.
Against conference opponents,
Carlee Charles is the only Peacock batting over .400 with a .429 average and .985 OPS through three starts as the designated player.
Brielle Coppola holds a 1.24 ERA and .96 WHIP against MAAC opponents, limiting batters to a .227 average.
ABOUT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutger's enter the matchup at 11-10 after opening the season with four tournaments and a three-game series.
At the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic, Rutgers posted a 3-2 record, defeating North Carolina Central, South Alabama, and Notre Dame while falling to No. 4 Tennessee and Southeastern Louisiana.
At The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament, the Scarlet Knights split the weekend, dropping two games to No. 19 Mississippi while defeating North Texas and Murray State.
Rutgers went 2-3 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, earning wins over Bethune-Cookman and UC San Diego while falling to Cal State Fullerton, Loyola Marymount, and Utah. During the Unconquered Invitational, Rutgers swept Florida Gulf Coast before dropping a doubleheader to No. 10 Florida State.
Over the weekend, the Scarlet Knights traveled to face Maryland to open Big Ten play, going 2-1 in the series.
Infielder Riley Hwang leads the Scarlet Knights offensively, batting .388 with a .973 OPS. Through 20 starts, she has recorded 19 hits, 10 runs scored, and six RBIs.
In the circle, Kelsey Hoekstra is 3-2 through nine starts with a team-best 1.66 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 46.1 innings pitched, tallying 48 strikeouts while holding batters to a .237 average.
Entering her eighth season at the helm is Kristen Butler.
ABOUT THE HAWKS
UMES enters the contest 4-11 after competing in one tournament, three doubleheaders, and a three-game series.
At the HBCU Invitational, the Hawks dropped four straight contests to Hampton, Alcorn State, Southern, and Fort Valley State. UMES earned its first win of the season by sweeping Virginia to close out February.
To start March, the Hawks dropped a doubleheader to North Carolina but bounced back to win both games against Johnson C. Smith. The Hawks are looking to snap a five-game skid after being swept by Holy Cross and Drexel last week.
UMES has six players batting over .300, with Lola Meyer leading the offense with a .385 average and .954 OPS. Through 14 starts, she has recorded 15 hits, eight runs, and four doubles.
In the circle, Paris Richards has provided steady relief, tossing 27.1 innings while posting a 4.35 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP.
Leading the Hawks in his fourth season is Aaron Robinson.
ABOUT THE QUAKERS
UPenn is 6-9 to start the season after competing in three tournaments.
At the Low Country Classic, the Quakers posted a 3-2 record, defeating UMass, Sacred Heart, and Charleston Southern while falling to Western Carolina and the College of Charleston. At the Longwood Tournament, UPenn again went 3-2, dropping a game to Longwood while defeating Hampton and Mount St. Mary's, and splitting with Youngstown State.
The Quakers are looking to snap a five-game skid after dropping contests to Ohio, Western Carolina, and Robert Morris at the Catamount Classic.
Penn will host North Dakota in a midweek matchup Wednesday before taking on Saint Peter's.
The Quakers have two players batting over .400, with Gigi Ganje leading the offense with a .451 average and a 1.598 OPS. Through 15 starts, she has recorded 23 hits, 16 runs, six doubles, nine home runs, and 21 RBIs.
In the circle, Ainsley Pemberton holds a 2-3 record with a 3.88 ERA and 1.73 WHIP through seven starts while striking out 19.
The head coach of the Quakers, entering her third season, is Christie Novatin.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Against Rutgers, Saint Peter's is still searching for its first win and sits 0-3 in the all-time series. The most recent meeting between the programs came in 2023.
Saint Peter's holds a 13-7 all-time advantage against the Maryland Eastern Shore and enters the matchup riding an eight-game win streak dating back to 2022. In last season's meeting, the Peacocks swept the Hawks by a combined score of 22–2.
Game one marked Saint Peter's largest margin of victory during the 2025 season, scoring 19 runs in five innings.
Olivia Christopher led the offense, going 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBIs, while
Steph Bendzlowicz finished 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs, and a double.
Ava White earned the win, allowing just three hits while striking out three.
This weekend will mark jsut the second meeting between Saint Peter's and UPenn and the first matchup in nearly 20 years. The Peacocks are 0-1 in the series, with the Quakers taking the previous meeting 3-1 in 2007.
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