LEADING OFF
Loyola Chicago earned the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament after clinching the regular season for the first time in program history. The Ramblers finished 26-22 overall and 18-6 in league play, five more games than any other A-10 team.
Loyola takes on the winner of No. 4 Fordham and No. 5 Saint Joseph's on Thursday, May 7 at 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 team tied a program-best single-season conference wins record (18).
- In the regular season finale, the Ramblers defeated the Rams 10-8 on senior day, led by redshirt sophomore Liz Sedakis, who went 2-for-4 with a season-high four RBI, a double and a home run.
- Freshman pitcher Anna Kiel leads Loyola's bullpen with a 2.80 ERA, good for sixth in the league, and 54 strikeouts. She recorded a career-high six strikeouts at George Mason (April 25).
- Sedakis and junior first baseman Nat Lesnicki lead the Ramblers' offense with 37 and 29 RBIs, respectively. Lesnicki paces Loyola at the plate with a .377 batting average, placing her third in the A-10. She also ranks second in hits (55) and sixth in doubles (11).
- Redshirt junior infielder Abbie Gregus leads the league with 14 runs caught stealing, tied for 12th in the NCAA. Lesnicki is No. 4 in the A-10 with 297 putouts while Sedakis places third in assists (100).
- The Ramblers were picked to finish sixth in the A-10 Preseason Poll.
- Loyola returned 13 letterwinners and welcomed eight newcomers, including six true freshmen and two transfer students.
SCOUTING REPORT
Fordham earned the fourth seed in the tournament after finishing 23-26 overall and 13-11 in A-10 play. The Rams most recently secured the series against Ramblers after sweeping the doubleheader. Senior outfielder Neleh Nogay leads Fordham's offense with a .393 batting average, 66 hits and 46 runs. From inside the circle, junior pitcher Olivia Simcoe has the team-best 2.58 ERA, good for third in the A-10, and 70 strikeouts, placing her seventh.
Saint Joseph's clinched the fifth seed with a 24-23 overall ledger and going 13-11 in A-10 action. The Hawks most recently lost their series against the Dayton Flyers, getting shutout in games one and three. Saint Joseph's is the conference leader in fewest bases on balls with 113, averaging 2.49 walks per seven innings. Junior pitcher Julia Shearer (3.01 ERA) ranks third in the NCAA, allowing just 10 bases on balls.
SERIES HISTORY
Loyola fell 3-2 in the regular season series finale against Fordham and swept Saint Joseph's in the beginning of April. The Rams hold the series advantage 7-5 with the Ramblers while the Maroon and Gold are 11-5 against the Hawks.
Last season, Loyola met both Fordham and Saint Joseph's on day one of the 2025 tournament, falling to the Rams in the opener then getting knocked out by the Hawks.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Stream the A-10 Tournament on ESPN+. Follow Loyola on Instagram and X/Twitter @RamblersSB for in-game updates.
