St. John's University Athletics
Wednesday, March 12
Queens, N.Y. (Red Storm Field)
2 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
Iona
St. John’s Welcomes Iona for Home Opener
3/11/2025 1:50:00 PM | Softball
The Red Storm are set to open play in Queens after winning 14 of its last 16 contests
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's softball team is set to open play at Red Storm Field when it welcomes Iona on Wednesday afternoon.
The contest is set for a 2 p.m. start in Queens and will be streamed on FloSports with Johnny Gadamowitz on the call. Live Stats will be provided at RedStormSports.com.
The Red Storm enter Wednesday with a 16-8-1 record after most recently wrapping up its spring break trip with a 4-1 record in Northern Florida, picking up wins at UNF and Jacksonville while tallying two victories against Mercer.
The Johnnies have won 14 of their last 16 contests dating back to its matchup with Loyola-Chicago on Feb. 16. On Saturday, St. John's eight-game winning streak was snapped against Army. It marked the program's longest since the 2019 season.
St. John's pitching staff has been among the best in the country in punchouts this season, ranking second in the nation with 9.05 strikeouts per seven innings. The staff is led by juniors Ana Serafinko and Loreley Francia, who have racked up 101 and 94 strikeouts, respectively. Serafinko ranks sixth in the country, while Francia is 12th nationally in the category.
On Monday, Serafinko was tabbed to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after going 2-0 inside the circle with 16 strikeouts in 13.1 innings this past weekend. The Chino Hills, Calif., product was stellar against UNF, holding the Ospreys to just three hits while striking out nine batters in a complete game shutout effort to give St. John's a 1-0 victory. Serafinko has recorded six triumphs and holds a 2.41 ERA in 66.2 innings pitched this season.
Francia picked up two wins last weekend, bringing her total to a team-high nine on the year. The right-hander boasts a team-low 1.36 ERA in 77.1 innings pitched and tossed five complete games already this season.
London Jarrard continued to lead the Red Storm offense, going 8-for-16 (.500) with a home run and four RBIs. The shortstop ranks second in the BIG EAST with a .425 batting average and has tallied eight doubles, three home runs and 26 RBIs. Jarrard enters the week just seven hits shy of reaching the 200-career hit milestone.
Junior Jess Bianco has been a threat on the basepaths all season, recording a team-high 35 hits to hold a .412 batting average across the first 25 games. The lead-off hitter has also notched 25 runs scored and 15 stolen bases to pace the squad.
Iona enters Wednesday with a 4-9 record after dropping its home opener to Fordham, 10-2, last week. The Gaels finished last season with an 18-29 record and a 14-10 mark in the MAAC. In the conference tournament, Iona fell to Niagara to conclude its 2024 campaign.
Junior Hailey Guerrero leads the Iona lineup with a .375 batting average to pair with five home runs and 11 RBIs. On March 1, the Bellmore, N.Y., native went 3-for-4 with two homers against Central Connecticut State. Inside the circle, Allison Hope tops the Gaels pitching staff with a 3.87 ERA and ranks second with 24 strikeouts.
St. John's and Iona will meet for the 30th time in history and for the fourth consecutive year on Wednesday. The Red Storm lead the all-time series with a dominant 22-7 record against the Gaels.
The Johnnies have won the previous three contests against Iona, including last season's meeting at Donald E. Walsh Field. Francia dazzled inside the circle, allowing just one hit and striking out 10 batters in a complete game shutout effort to give St. John's a 5-0 victory.
Following Wednesday's contest, St. John's will continue its homestand and begin BIG EAST play when Georgetown comes to Queens for a three-game set from March 14-16.
The contest is set for a 2 p.m. start in Queens and will be streamed on FloSports with Johnny Gadamowitz on the call. Live Stats will be provided at RedStormSports.com.
The Red Storm enter Wednesday with a 16-8-1 record after most recently wrapping up its spring break trip with a 4-1 record in Northern Florida, picking up wins at UNF and Jacksonville while tallying two victories against Mercer.
The Johnnies have won 14 of their last 16 contests dating back to its matchup with Loyola-Chicago on Feb. 16. On Saturday, St. John's eight-game winning streak was snapped against Army. It marked the program's longest since the 2019 season.
St. John's pitching staff has been among the best in the country in punchouts this season, ranking second in the nation with 9.05 strikeouts per seven innings. The staff is led by juniors Ana Serafinko and Loreley Francia, who have racked up 101 and 94 strikeouts, respectively. Serafinko ranks sixth in the country, while Francia is 12th nationally in the category.
On Monday, Serafinko was tabbed to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after going 2-0 inside the circle with 16 strikeouts in 13.1 innings this past weekend. The Chino Hills, Calif., product was stellar against UNF, holding the Ospreys to just three hits while striking out nine batters in a complete game shutout effort to give St. John's a 1-0 victory. Serafinko has recorded six triumphs and holds a 2.41 ERA in 66.2 innings pitched this season.
Francia picked up two wins last weekend, bringing her total to a team-high nine on the year. The right-hander boasts a team-low 1.36 ERA in 77.1 innings pitched and tossed five complete games already this season.
London Jarrard continued to lead the Red Storm offense, going 8-for-16 (.500) with a home run and four RBIs. The shortstop ranks second in the BIG EAST with a .425 batting average and has tallied eight doubles, three home runs and 26 RBIs. Jarrard enters the week just seven hits shy of reaching the 200-career hit milestone.
Junior Jess Bianco has been a threat on the basepaths all season, recording a team-high 35 hits to hold a .412 batting average across the first 25 games. The lead-off hitter has also notched 25 runs scored and 15 stolen bases to pace the squad.
Iona enters Wednesday with a 4-9 record after dropping its home opener to Fordham, 10-2, last week. The Gaels finished last season with an 18-29 record and a 14-10 mark in the MAAC. In the conference tournament, Iona fell to Niagara to conclude its 2024 campaign.
Junior Hailey Guerrero leads the Iona lineup with a .375 batting average to pair with five home runs and 11 RBIs. On March 1, the Bellmore, N.Y., native went 3-for-4 with two homers against Central Connecticut State. Inside the circle, Allison Hope tops the Gaels pitching staff with a 3.87 ERA and ranks second with 24 strikeouts.
St. John's and Iona will meet for the 30th time in history and for the fourth consecutive year on Wednesday. The Red Storm lead the all-time series with a dominant 22-7 record against the Gaels.
The Johnnies have won the previous three contests against Iona, including last season's meeting at Donald E. Walsh Field. Francia dazzled inside the circle, allowing just one hit and striking out 10 batters in a complete game shutout effort to give St. John's a 5-0 victory.
Following Wednesday's contest, St. John's will continue its homestand and begin BIG EAST play when Georgetown comes to Queens for a three-game set from March 14-16.
Players Mentioned
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