St. John's University Athletics
Friday, March 8
Clearwater, Fla.
12:30 p.m.
St. John's University
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Western Michigan
Red Storm Wraps Up Spring Break at the USF Series
3/7/2019 4:17:00 PM | Softball
St. John’s will take on Western Michigan, Toledo, USC Upstate, USF and UCF
CLEARWATER, Fla. (March 7, 2019) – The St. John's softball team enters the final leg of its spring break trip as the team will remain in Clearwater for the USF Series at the Eddie C. Moore Complex, starting on Friday, March 8.
The Red Storm will open the weekend slate against first-time opponent Western Michigan at 12:30 p.m., followed by Toledo at 5:30 p.m. On day two, the Johnnies take on USC Upstate and 2018 AAC Champion South Florida, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. St. John's closes out the series with an 11:15 a.m. game against Central Florida on Sunday.
This will be the fifth time in the last nine years that the Red Storm will compete in an event hosted by USF. In the four previous appearances, St. John's has posted a 9-11 record and scored a combined 59 runs.
Marissa Rizzi and Madison Morris swept BIG EAST honors after stellar performances at the Madeira Beach Invitational III. The accomplishment marks the first time in nearly three years that St. John's had swept the BIG EAST weekly honors, as Brittany Garcia and Grace Kramer last did so in May 2016.
Rizzi secured her first BIG EAST Player of the Week honor by tearing up the Madeira Beach Invitational III. The Manorville, N.Y., native led or tied almost every batting statistical category in the conference last weekend including batting average (.538), slugging percentage (1.308), on-base percentage (.600), hits (7), runs (6), RBI (6) and home runs (3). In the following game after receiving the conference accolade, Rizzi fell a home run shy of the cycle in the Johnnies' 5-4 heartbreaker against South Dakota State. She also crossed the plate twice and drove in one run on a triple to right field.
Morris had her best weekend of the season in Madeira Beach, enough to claim the conference's weekly honor. The right-hander registered a 2-1 record with a 2.45 ERA along with 18 strikeouts in 14.2 innings of work. She allowed four runs on nine hits in her three appearances, holding the opposing team to a .173 batting average. The senior hurler leads the conference with 57 strikeouts after securing her fourth career weekly honor. She also sits at 297 punchouts for her career.
St. John's is riding a two-game losing streak heading into the USF Series. The Johnnies dropped Tuesday's matchup with South Dakota State, 5-4, and fell to the University of Pennsylvania, 4-2, on Wednesday. The Red Storm has posted a record of 2-4 while in Florida.
Western Michigan sits at 2-8 on the season heading into its opening game with St. John's. The Broncos picked up its first two wins over the University of the Incarnate Word and Binghamton, after dropping its first six games of 2019. Junior Mackenzie Swinehart leads the charge for WMU, averaging .406 at the dish with a team-high five runs. In the circle, Sydney Stefanick has recorded both of the Broncos wins. Opponents are batting .210 with five extra-base hits against the sophomore.
Entering Friday's matchup with the Red Storm, Toledo (6-8) has won two of its last three games. The Rockets took down Dartmouth twice and fell to No. 1/1 Florida State. Erin Hunt is the team's ace, tallying a 4-3 record with a 3.46 ERA and 49 strikeouts. Opponents have hit .199 off the right-hander in her seven appearances. Toledo has not recorded a win in three tries against the Red Storm. In the program's 2017 meeting, the Johnnies took down the Rockets, 4-3, on a Kaitlin Mattera walk-off single.
USC Upstate (15-3) opened the 2019 campaign by going 12-1 before losing to No. 9/9 LSU and No. 16/15 Indiana this past weekend at the Purple & Gold Challenge. With the best pitching staff in the country, the Spartans are the only team with an ERA under one (0.84). USC Upstate's leading hurler Christina Biggerstaff has registered a 9-0 record with a 0.49 ERA and 84 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .098 with four extra-base hits against the senior. Saturday's matchup will be the first meeting between the programs.
South Florida (14-9) is riding a four-game winning streak heading into the weekend, with wins over Iowa, Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Furman. USF's starting pitcher Georgina Corrick has dominated the competition this season. She has posted a 9-1 record with a 1.19 ERA. The right-handed sophomore is tied for ninth in the country with her nine victories. The Johnnies' lone win against the Bulls came nearly a decade ago when St. John's shut out USF, 2-0, at Red Storm Field in April 2009.
Central Florida (13-7) has posted a 4-2 record in March with its two losses coming from No. 1/1 Florida State. The Knights almost upset the Seminoles on Sunday before falling, 2-1, after UCF rallied in the final inning. St. John's and UCF have not faced each other since 2006. The Johnnies defeated the Knights, 7-2, on the road, posting a 2-1 record against UCF.
The Red Storm will open the weekend slate against first-time opponent Western Michigan at 12:30 p.m., followed by Toledo at 5:30 p.m. On day two, the Johnnies take on USC Upstate and 2018 AAC Champion South Florida, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively. St. John's closes out the series with an 11:15 a.m. game against Central Florida on Sunday.
This will be the fifth time in the last nine years that the Red Storm will compete in an event hosted by USF. In the four previous appearances, St. John's has posted a 9-11 record and scored a combined 59 runs.
Marissa Rizzi and Madison Morris swept BIG EAST honors after stellar performances at the Madeira Beach Invitational III. The accomplishment marks the first time in nearly three years that St. John's had swept the BIG EAST weekly honors, as Brittany Garcia and Grace Kramer last did so in May 2016.
Rizzi secured her first BIG EAST Player of the Week honor by tearing up the Madeira Beach Invitational III. The Manorville, N.Y., native led or tied almost every batting statistical category in the conference last weekend including batting average (.538), slugging percentage (1.308), on-base percentage (.600), hits (7), runs (6), RBI (6) and home runs (3). In the following game after receiving the conference accolade, Rizzi fell a home run shy of the cycle in the Johnnies' 5-4 heartbreaker against South Dakota State. She also crossed the plate twice and drove in one run on a triple to right field.
Morris had her best weekend of the season in Madeira Beach, enough to claim the conference's weekly honor. The right-hander registered a 2-1 record with a 2.45 ERA along with 18 strikeouts in 14.2 innings of work. She allowed four runs on nine hits in her three appearances, holding the opposing team to a .173 batting average. The senior hurler leads the conference with 57 strikeouts after securing her fourth career weekly honor. She also sits at 297 punchouts for her career.
St. John's is riding a two-game losing streak heading into the USF Series. The Johnnies dropped Tuesday's matchup with South Dakota State, 5-4, and fell to the University of Pennsylvania, 4-2, on Wednesday. The Red Storm has posted a record of 2-4 while in Florida.
Western Michigan sits at 2-8 on the season heading into its opening game with St. John's. The Broncos picked up its first two wins over the University of the Incarnate Word and Binghamton, after dropping its first six games of 2019. Junior Mackenzie Swinehart leads the charge for WMU, averaging .406 at the dish with a team-high five runs. In the circle, Sydney Stefanick has recorded both of the Broncos wins. Opponents are batting .210 with five extra-base hits against the sophomore.
Entering Friday's matchup with the Red Storm, Toledo (6-8) has won two of its last three games. The Rockets took down Dartmouth twice and fell to No. 1/1 Florida State. Erin Hunt is the team's ace, tallying a 4-3 record with a 3.46 ERA and 49 strikeouts. Opponents have hit .199 off the right-hander in her seven appearances. Toledo has not recorded a win in three tries against the Red Storm. In the program's 2017 meeting, the Johnnies took down the Rockets, 4-3, on a Kaitlin Mattera walk-off single.
USC Upstate (15-3) opened the 2019 campaign by going 12-1 before losing to No. 9/9 LSU and No. 16/15 Indiana this past weekend at the Purple & Gold Challenge. With the best pitching staff in the country, the Spartans are the only team with an ERA under one (0.84). USC Upstate's leading hurler Christina Biggerstaff has registered a 9-0 record with a 0.49 ERA and 84 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .098 with four extra-base hits against the senior. Saturday's matchup will be the first meeting between the programs.
South Florida (14-9) is riding a four-game winning streak heading into the weekend, with wins over Iowa, Western Michigan, Central Michigan and Furman. USF's starting pitcher Georgina Corrick has dominated the competition this season. She has posted a 9-1 record with a 1.19 ERA. The right-handed sophomore is tied for ninth in the country with her nine victories. The Johnnies' lone win against the Bulls came nearly a decade ago when St. John's shut out USF, 2-0, at Red Storm Field in April 2009.
Central Florida (13-7) has posted a 4-2 record in March with its two losses coming from No. 1/1 Florida State. The Knights almost upset the Seminoles on Sunday before falling, 2-1, after UCF rallied in the final inning. St. John's and UCF have not faced each other since 2006. The Johnnies defeated the Knights, 7-2, on the road, posting a 2-1 record against UCF.
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