LEADING OFF
Loyola Chicago hosts Fordham in the last series of the regular season on Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3. The Ramblers head into the weekend at the top of the Atlantic 10 with a 17-4 record in league play and a 25-20 overall ledger.
GAME SCHEDULE
- Saturday, May 2 vs. Fordham – 12 p.m. | 2:30 p.m.
- Sunday, May 3 vs. Fordham – 12 p.m.
QUICK HITS
- Loyola made history after earning the program's first-ever A-10 Regular Season Championship and eighth overall (fifth outright). The Ramblers will earn the top seed in the conference tournament next week.
- Freshman pitcher Anna Kiel (10-5) earned back-to-back A-10 weekly honors after going 1-0 with a 0.81 ERA in Loyola's 2-1 weekend at George Mason. The southpaw pitched 8.2 innings, giving up just one earned run on eight hits while striking out eight batters, including a career-high five in game two.
- Kiel leads Loyola's bullpen with a 2.78 ERA, good for fifth in the league, while her freshman counterpart Katie Geydoshek has the team-high 53 strikeouts.
- Redshirt junior Liz Sedakis and junior Nat Lesnicki lead the Ramblers' offense with 33 and 29 RBIs, respectively. Lesnicki paces Loyola at the plate with a .381 batting average, placing her third in the A-10; she also ranks second in hits (53) and fifth in doubles (11).
- Redshirt junior infielder Abbie Gregus leads the league with 13 runs caught stealing, tied for 18th in the NCAA. Lesnicki is No. 3 in the A-10 in putouts (285) while Sedakis places third in assists (94).
- 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.
SCOUTING REPORT
Currently sitting fifth in the conference standings, Fordham is 21-25 overall and 11-10 in A-10 action, securing series wins over St. Bonaventure, George Washington, Rhode Island and Saint Joseph's. Senior outfielder Neleh Nogay leads Fordham at the plate with a .386 batting average, good for second in the league. She's also the team and A-10 leader in hits (61) and runs scored (42). Junior pitcher Olivia Simcoe (10-9) is the bullpen leader with the team-best 2.54 ERA and 66 strikeouts, placing her seventh in the league.
SERIES HISTORY
The Rams hold the all-time series advantage 5-4 over the Ramblers. Last year, Fordham swept the regular season series against Loyola and downed the Ramblers in the first round of the A-10 Tournament. Two of Loyola's four wins over Fordham happened in extra innings back in 2024.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Stream the series on ESPN+. Follow Loyola on Instagram and X/Twitter @RamblersSB for in-game updates.
