LEADING OFF
Loyola Chicago hosts Saint Louis in its home opener with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 21, starting at 12 p.m., and the closer on Sunday, March 22 at 12 p.m. The Ramblers then welcome the No. 17 Washington Huskies for a single game on Tuesday, March 23 at 3 p.m.
GAME SCHEDULE
- Saturday, March 21 vs. Saint Louis (DH) – 12 p.m. | 2:30 p.m.
- Sunday, March 22 vs. Saint Louis – 12 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 24 vs. Washington – 3 p.m.
QUICK HITS
- Junior Rambler Nat Lesnicki tabbed Atlantic 10 Player of the Week after going 3-for-3 with a perfect batting average, two RBIs and one double in each game of Loyola's 1-1 week. The Ramblers shut out the Dayton flyers in a 9-0 run-rule before falling at Indiana in a midweek matchup.
- Lesnicki, redshirt sophomore Liz Sedakis and freshman Anna Kiel lead the Ramblers' offense with 15, 13 and 11 RBIs, respectively.
- Rookie pitcher Kiel (4-3) leads Loyola's bullpen with a 3.82 ERA, placing her 15th in the country. Kiel ranks 40th in the NCAA in fewest walks per seven innings (1.32).
- Redshirt junior Abbie Gregus paces the league with eight runs caught stealing, good for 17th in the NCAA. The Rambler catcher is .500, catching 8-of-16.
- The Ramblers were picked to finish sixth in the A-10 Preseason Poll, receiving 38 points.
- Loyola returned 13 letterwinners and welcomed eight newcomers, including six true freshmen and two transfer students.
- Abbott entered her seventh season at the helm of the program, sporting a 125-162 career record.
SCOUTING REPORT
Saint Louis is 11-15 overall so far this season and 3-3 in A-10 play. After two wins vs. conference foe Saint Joseph's (March 13-14) and a shutout against SIUE (March 18), Saint Louis is on a three-game winning streak heading into the weekend. The Billikens pace the conference with 104 RBIs, 94 walks and 44 doubles. Senior Abby Mallo leads Saint Louis with five homeruns and is tied for first with 17 RBIs. Redshirt sophomore Anna Christ leads the Billikens' bullpen with a 2.95 ERA, good for seventh in the league.
Washington is ranked 17th in the country, per ESPN and USA Softball rankings, with a 24-6 overall record and an undefeated ledger in Big Ten play. Their stacked resume includes 12 run-rules, seven which occurred consecutively. The Huskies are on a 14-game winning streak and face the Michigan Wolverines before coming to Chicago. Junior Jadyn Glab leads the team with a .424 batting average and is one of three Huskies with at least 20 RBIs. From the bullpen, sophomore pitcher Morgan Reimer (14-1) has the team-high 1.37 ERA and 64 strikeouts.
SERIES HISTORY
Saint Louis holds the series advantage 17-9 with Loyola. Last season, the Billikens defeated the Ramblers in their two-game series.
Washington leads the series 8-1 with Loyola, most recently meeting in 2017. The Ramblers defeated the Huskies in their first matchup ever back in 1997.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Stream the Saint Louis series and single game against Washington on ESPN+. Follow Loyola on Instagram and X/Twitter @RamblersSB for in-game updates.
