The UConn softball team will face the St. John’s Red Storm in a home weekend series that will decide the fate of Big East conference standings. The teams have the same conference record, so either of them will need to win two out of three games to claim first place in the Big East conference.
Connecticut (17-4, 31-15) recently had a dominant three-game sweep of Georgetown, outscoring the Hoyas 24-7 in the last two games of the series. This success continued in a nine-game winning streak, which was snapped by a 10-5 loss to Boston College on April 29. The Huskies look to regain their momentum in this pivotal series.
To do so, UConn needs its potent offense to shine against St. John’s excellent pitching, including the trio of Grace Jenkins, Kaitlyn Breslin and Cat Petteys. All three players boast batting averages of over .400, at least 10 home runs and 37 runs batted in or more. Jenkins leads the team in all of these categories and has smacked 18 home runs on the season, including two in the losing effort to Boston College last time out.
In the circle, Payton Kinney has been the most reliable presence for the Huskies. In 28 appearances and 20 starts, she has put together an 11-3 record with a 2.23 earned run average.
In the other dugout, St. John’s is riding a three-game winning streak after sweeping Villanova. Their best hitter is senior shortstop London Jarrard. She currently has a .429 batting average with 13 home runs and 57 runs batted in. Junior Elanna Lysiak is also an important contributor, batting .309 with 33 RBIs.
The Red Storm’s pitching is anchored by junior Loreley Francia. Francia has made 26 starts in 33 appearances, hurling 146 innings for an ERA of 1.77. Junior Ana Serafinko has similarly been a strong presence, earning Big East Pitcher of the Week on April 28. Serafinko has a 2.29 ERA with a 19-7 record.
The three games in the series will be played at Burrill Family Field at the Connecticut Softball Complex. The first game will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday, while the second will be played at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Saturday’s game was moved up to its current time because of fears over inclement weather. The final game of the series, which will close out UConn’s regular season, is scheduled for 1 p.m.