FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University softball team hits the road for six games over four days during a trip to North Carolina and Virginia. The road stretch begins on Saturday, Mar. 1, with an 11 a.m. tilt at Elon. 

Game Information 
Game 1: Sacred Heart at Elon – Saturday, Mar. 1; 11:00 a.m. 
Game 2: Sacred Heart vs. UNC Greensboro – Saturday, Mar. 1; 4:00 p.m. 
Game 3: Sacred Heart vs. Elon – Sunday, Mar. 2; 11:00 a.m. 
Game 4: Sacred Heart at UNC Greensboro – Sunday, Mar. 2; 1:30 p.m. 
Game 5: Sacred Heart at Radford (DH) – Tuesday, Mar. 4; 3:00 p.m. 
Game 6: Sacred Heart at Radford (DH) – Tuesday, Mar. 4; 5:00 p.m. 
* All live video and stat links can be found on sacredheartpioneers.com

OPENING TOURNAMENT
The Pioneers opened the 2025 season at the Red and Black Classic, hosted by Gardner-Webb, on Feb. 14-16. The event was hampered by rain, as SHU played four of its intended five games, going 2-2. The Pios lost both games on its opening day, the first being a 1-0 pitching battle against Robert Morris. Sacred Heart bounced back quickly by handing GWU its second loss of the season on the 15th, 6-3. The Pioneers then bested MAAC foe Iona by a 10-7 final score in a thrilling comeback. 

KILLER KOWALSKI
Sam Kowalski got her junior season started on the right foot, throwing two gems before coming back to Connecticut with a win and a 1.35 ERA. The righty began the year by allowing one earned run over 7.0 innings with six strikeouts against Robert Morris in an excruciating 1-0 setback for the Pios. Kowalski followed that up with a win over 3.1 innings of relief against Gardner-Webb. She struck out three Bulldogs and allowed one run on her way to her first victory of the season. 

THE BATS ARE HOT
The Pioneers saw their bats come alive over their two wins at the Red & Black Classic, as the team scored 16 runs in the two contests. Following the offensive explosion, SHU ranks second in the MAAC in slugging percentage (0.436), home runs per game (0.75) and third in RBIs per game (4.25). Sophomore Savannah Moore leads the way with a .625 average, .875 slugging% and two doubles. Fellow second year Cierra Bender was also outstanding, with a whopping six RBIs. 

SCOUTING THE FIELD
The Pioneers will play Elon, UNC Greensboro and Radford during their southern trip. SHU will battle all three teams twice. 

Elon
The Phoenix have challenged themselves early in the 2025 season, as they sit at 5-8 through a challenging opening stretch of games. Elon has already played UConn, Ohio State, NC State, Clemson and North Carolina this season, suffering losses to all five. The Phoenix own wins over NC Central, Morgan State, Penn and Villanova (2x). Elon has been fueled this season by the long ball, sitting first in the CAA with 12 home runs. Chloe Hatzopoulos, Allee Seering and Kaitlyn Wells all lead the conference with three homers each. 

UNC Greensboro 
The Spartans have gotten off to a torrid start to the season, owning a 12-3 overall record. After dropping two of its first three games to Ohio State and Ohio, UNC Greensboro won 10 in a row before falling to George Washington, 2-1, on Feb. 23. The Spartans, who were picked second in the Southern Conference (SoCon) Preseason Coaches' Poll, rank top 10 in the country in home runs (3rd, 31), slugging percentage (4th, .671), walks (8th, 74), triples (9th,7) and RBIs (9th, 121). Junior pitcher Salem Ward holds a 7-1 record this year and ranks seventh in the country in victories. On the other side of the ball, Rylie Williams is eighth in DI with seven homers, while Meredith Harwood has six and Macy Michael and Jessie Shipley each have five. 

Radford 
The Highlanders are 6-9 heading into the weekend, as they will play five games at the Hokie Invite, hosted by No. 15 Virginia Tech, before meeting the Pioneers. Radford has played three ranked teams already this season, falling to No. 25 Liberty by one run, 3-2. Amanda Lee and Isabel Harrison lead the way for the Highlanders with identical batting averages of .388. Lee sits ahead of Harrison with eight RBIs, while Harrison owns a higher slugging percentage (.510) and is tied for 19th in the country with two triples. In the circle, first year Dakota Redmon paces the team with three wins, 29 strikeouts and a 3.90 ERA. 

UP NEXT
The Pioneers will head back to the Tar Heel State on Mar. 1 for two games against both Elon and UNC Greensboro. The opener of the series will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Mar. 1, at Elon.