St. John’s Gears Up for the Madeira Beach Invitational III

            QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 28, 2019) – The St. John's softball team returns to action at the Madeira Beach Invitational III on Friday, March 1, kicking off its spring break trip with the first of two premier tournaments.

            The Red Storm opens the weekend with ACC foe Boston College at 11 a.m., followed by its first meeting in program history with Central Michigan slated for 1:30 p.m. The two-day tournament ends with back-to-back matchups against UT Chattanooga at 4:30 p.m. and Georgia Southern at 6:30 p.m. before St. John's heads to Clearwater, Fla. The Johnnies will take on South Dakota State and the University of Pennsylvania.

            After tying the program record for strikeouts in a game (15) at the FAU "First Pitch" Classic, senior Madison Morris continued her dominant stretch in Gamecock territory. The Hampton, Va., native opened the weekend with a near-perfect game against UNC Greensboro, allowing just two hits in the Red Storm's 6-0 victory over the Spartans. Following her two-hit performance, the 5-foot-9 right hander struck out 11 batters against Campbell last weekend.

            Freshman Peyton Cody had a stellar weekend at the Gamecock Invitational, leading the team with five RBIs and a 1.333 slugging percentage over the four-game slate. The rookie catcher was called upon to pinch-hit with the bases loaded and she did not disappoint. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native roped a line drive to right-center, clearing the bases on a three-run triple. In response, Cody was given the starting nod against Campbell on day two where she whacked her first career home run, a solo shot, to straight-away center field. Cody would tack on another pinch-hit RBI against South Carolina on a sacrifice fly.

            Junior Natalie Giroux has been nearly flawless at the plate with runners on, going 5-for-6 with two doubles and three RBIs. The Red Storm outfielder recorded one of her two RBI doubles against No. 14/14 South Carolina. Giroux also tallied the first multi-hit game of her career against Campbell, posting a 2-for-3 performance with an RBI single. The Presque Isle, Maine native has reached base safely in four straight games heading into Madeira Beach.

            Boston College comes into its 60th matchup with St. John's posting a 3-7 record on the season. The Eagles have won three of its last four matchups against the Red Storm, scoring a combined 12 runs in those four games. The last time these two teams met was on Feb. 22, 2016, when Boston College defeated the Johnnies, 5-4. St. John's Christina Melendez and Boston College's Lexi DiEmmanuele are the only two players to appear in the 2016 contest with both seniors registering at least one hit and one run scored in the game.

            Central Michigan enters the Madeira Beach Invitational III at 4-6. Chippewas' starters all have a 4.00 ERA or higher, surrendering 82 runs in 60 innings of work and allowing opposing teams to bat .325 against them. Central Michigan will face the Red Storm for the first time in program history.

            Chattanooga is off to a hot start in 2019, posting an 11-1 record while scoring six or more runs in seven wins. As a team, the Mocs have racked up 103 hits, 72 runs scored and 69 RBIs through its opening 12 games. Head Coach Kim Dean's squad is also tied for 23rd in the NCAA with a .333 batting average. St. John's and Chattanooga have matched up only one time in history. It will be 11 years and 15 days since their last meeting when the Mocs defeated the Red Storm, 11-5, in 2008.

            Georgia Southern heads to Florida with an 11-4 record and has won six out of its last seven games. The Eagles' dismantling of Morehead State, 19-2, in five innings was the largest margin of victory since 2008 when they routed Savannah State, 23-1. It was also the most runs that Georgia Southern had scored since 22 crossed the plate against Binghamton in 2015. Leading the flock is Shelby Wilson, who is batting .455 with three dingers, 10 runs scored and a team-leading 15 RBIs. All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team selection Mekhia Freeman missed the final four games of the Eagle Round Robin before returning to action in the Eagles doubleheader sweep of Furman.

            This marks the first time the Johnnies will journey to Madeira Beach. The 5th annual Madeira Beach Invitational, formerly hosted by Eastern Michigan, welcomes 37 teams across three weekends.

St. John’s Gears Up for the Madeira Beach Invitational III

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Players Mentioned

Peyton Cody

Natalie Giroux

Christina Melendez

Madison Morris

St. John's University Athletics