St. Francis softball team looks strong in home opener series, eyes bounceback year in NEC

Mar. 18—LORETTO — Most of last year's seniors who still had eligibility remaining already had committed to Coach Jess O'Donnell to return for another season with the St. Francis University softball team before they were upset in the Northeast Conference tournament.

The shocking outcome turned the decision by Grace Vesco, Rachel Marsden, Lauren Aubry and Ashley Wruble from a choice into a mandate.

"This is a special team, and we knew, as fifth years, if we were going to do anything, we had to come back and win that conference championship since last year we didn't meet that goal," Vesco said Sunday afternoon after striking out eight Le Moyne hitters and shutting out the NEC-newcomer Dolphins at Red Flash Softball Field.

"We're hungry this year and ready to get after it."

After a successful pre-conference schedule that included a win over Nebraska, St. Francis feasted on the Dolphins in their first home series under new coach Beth Krysiak.

Olivia Ulam doubled twice, scored twice and drove in two runs as the Flash won their second straight game via the mercy rule to sweep the three-game set, something they hope is just an appetizer.

The main course would be the program's sixth conference championship in seven years.

St. Francis improved to 16-11 overall.

"We're feeling really good. We have a lot of confidence, too," said Ulam, a senior first baseman who has 11 doubles this spring. "This sets a tone for the year. Usually, after we get into conference, we have a different type of confidence in our team.

"We put last year behind us, but it also makes us work to be better because we don't want to settle with that. We're ready for a new year."

One weekend into the season, things are looking good.

St. Francis and Sacred Heart are the only two teams that are 3-0 in conference play. The Red Flash are leading the conference in ERA, opponents' batting average, shutouts, runs scored, on-base percentage, doubles and stolen bases.

Ulam leads the NEC in runs and is tied with teammate Savannah Nash, a sophomore, for the top spot in RBIs.

Vesco tops the conference in wins and opposing batting average, and is second in strikeouts and third in ERA, while Marsden has been named NEC pitcher of the week twice.

The Red Flash not only beat Nebraska earlier this month, but also almost did it twice, falling just a run short. Nebraska is 15-12 and holds a win over nationally ranked Oregon.

While most of the players decided to stay after last year, the coaches changed.

Krysiak inherited the Red Flash's proven, formidable core when O'Donnell landed a job at Kent State this past June.

A former college catcher at Centenary in Louisiana, Krysiak was the pitching coach at Columbia for the past four years.

"It was a job I definitely was interested in from the jump, knowing they know how to win here," Krysiak said. "Every year is a new team with new dynamics, especially with a new coach coming in. We just had to find some team chemistry early on, which led to some of the inconsistency early on. I think they've definitely found it now.

"I'm really excited to see us keep rolling through conference."

That should see a major test in two weeks.

The Flash host preseason conference favorite and defending champion Long Island — always its biggest competition — on Easter weekend. The winner of that series will have a leg up in pursuit of the top seed and the right to host the NEC tournament.

Not only did Krysiak benefit from the plethora of quality returnees, but she also got a jump on things from O'Donnell's last recruiting class.

Three different Red Flash freshmen have won conference rookie of the week this season; designated player Aliya Garroway pulled off a double with both that honor and player of the week for March 12.

Kaylie Walters has stepped into the void at shortstop for the Red Flash, flashing range and a solid arm and reaching base at the fourth-best clip in the conference right now.

The freshman from the Philadelphia suburbs had four hits in the Le Moyne series, going 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI in the finale.

"I just have to trust myself and believe I can make an impact," Walters said. "We play with a lot of grit. We know how to make it happen, even if it starts to get hard."

Krysiak didn't even need to employ Marsden, the two-way sensation who is looking to make first-team all-NEC for the fourth year in a row, to administer the finishing touches to Le Moyne.

The Red Flash scored three times in each of their last two at-bats to end the game via the eight-run rule with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Aubry crossing the plate on Wruble's groundout to first with the final run.

Aubry and Ashley Orischak each also had two hits in the win. Aubry scored twice, as well, while Wruble knocked in two runs.

St. Francis broke out with two runs in the bottom of the first on three hits. Ulam doubled in Walters with one out and then scored on Lexi Hernandez's blooper that dropped in front of the right fielder.

Ulam's second double highlighted a three-run Flash fifth, driving in Orischak with St. Francis' fourth run. It was one of three doubles in the frame, Orischak and Aubry coming up with the others.

Vesco came up big to get out of a jam after walking the first two Dolphins in the top of the third. First, she caught Jillian Dunn straying too far off third base and threw behind her for the second out. Then she fanned Audrey Bednerski to end the threat.

"We're getting back into the swing of things," Ulam said.