St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Iona
St. John’s Returns to Red Storm Field to Host Iona on Thursday
3/11/2026 12:19:00 PM | Softball
The Johnnies welcome the Gaels to Queens for the fifth straight season
QUEENS, N.Y. — The St. John's softball team will return to Red Storm Field on Thursday afternoon to take on Iona in a midweek matchup. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. in Queens and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Elanna Lysiak delivered a historic performance against UConn on March 8, going 4-for-7 with two triples and a grand slam while driving in seven runs across the doubleheader. The senior's seven RBIs marked a program record and career high, highlighting a productive weekend at the plate for the Red Storm.
London Slade also continued her strong season, collecting four hits in the series, including her second four-hit performance of the season against the Huskies on March 8. Slade is also one of 11 players in NCAA Division I who has not struck out this season.
The Johnnies (15-8, 1-2 BIG EAST) enter the contest after opening conference play against UConn over the weekend. St. John's picked up its first BIG EAST victory of the season during the second game of Sunday's doubleheader before the Huskies claimed the series finale on Monday afternoon.
In the series finale, the Red Storm recorded eight hits with Sarah Post driving in the team's lone run with a single in the sixth inning. Ana Serafinko tossed a complete game in the circle, striking out four over seven innings of work.
Serafinko remains one of the nation's top strikeout pitchers, ranking third in NCAA Division I with 110 strikeouts while sitting 16th nationally in innings pitched (74.2) this season. The senior also ranks 10th nationally with seven complete games and enters Wednesday's contest with 586 career strikeouts, just four shy of breaking the St. John's program record.
Headlined by Serafinko and Loreley Francia, the Red Storm pitching staff has been one of the nation's most productive units. St. John's ranks 12th in NCAA Division I in strikeouts per seven innings (7.65), 37th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.45) and 44th in team ERA (3.07) while recording three shutouts this season.
Offensively, Jess Bianco ranks 43rd in NCAA Division I with 30 hits this season. The senior has also swiped 104 career stolen bases, which ranks third among active Division I players.
The Red Storm has also flashed its ability to manufacture runs this season, ranking 17th nationally in triples per game (0.39). Earlier this year, St. John's also recorded one of the rarest defensive feats in the sport, turning a triple play to become one of just three teams in NCAA Division I to do so this season alongside Loyola Chicago and Boise State.
Earlier in the campaign, the Johnnies also owned a 13-game neutral-site winning streak, which tied No. 1 Tennessee for the longest active neutral-site winning streak in NCAA Division I at the time.
Iona was selected fourth in the 2026 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll and returns Preseason All-MAAC selections Brooke Acker and Hailey Guerrero. The Gaels recently secured a MAAC series victory over Rider, highlighted by a four-RBI performance from Sara Piña in the series finale.
St. John's leads the all-time series against Iona, 23-7, and claimed the most recent meeting between the programs with a 6-1 victory over the Gaels at Red Storm Field last season.
Following the matchup with Iona, the Johnnies will host Harvard and Army twice on March 14-15 at Red Storm Field in Queens. All four contests will be streamed on ESPN+, and live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com.
