The University of Pennsylvania softball team will play against Saint Joseph’s University on April 15 as the Quakers conclude their non-conference schedule.
This matchup is significant for both teams as they look to build momentum heading into the remainder of their respective conference seasons. Penn enters the contest with a record of 15-19 overall and an even 6-6 in Ivy League play, while Saint Joseph’s holds an 18-19 overall mark and is slightly above .500 in Atlantic 10 competition at 8-7.
The Quakers have historically struggled against the Hawks, holding an all-time record of 11 wins and 43 losses in the series. Last season, Penn lost to Saint Joseph’s by a score of 9-0 at Penn Park. The team’s most recent victory over the Hawks came in a two-game sweep during the spring of 2021.
Several individual players from Penn have stood out this season. Gigi Ganje recently broke the program’s home run record with her fifteenth homerun after hitting two against Monmouth. Delaney Smith leads all Ivy League players with a .480 batting average, while Jaz Johnson has stolen more bases than anyone else in the league with eleven steals so far this year. Pitcher Kelly Zybura ranks fifth among Ivy League pitchers with seven wins on the season.
Saint Joseph’s lineup features three hitters batting above .300: Meghan Sinkus (.321), Julia Shearer (.306) who has driven in thirty-one runs, and Riley York (.303) who has twenty-two runs batted in. On the mound, Taylor Trowbridge leads Hawk pitchers with five wins and a strong earned run average of just 2.54; she has allowed two or fewer earned runs over each of her last four starts.
Both teams will look to capitalize on this midweek matchup as they prepare for upcoming conference games.
