Saturday, April 11
Fairfield, CT
1:00 PM
Sacred Heart
vs
Fairfield
Photo by: Nicholas Bosticco
Softball Hosts Crosstown Rival for Senior Day Weekend
4/10/2026 10:53:00 AM | Softball
SHU will recognize its seven seniors before Saturday’s opener at 1 p.m.
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University softball team hosts crosstown rival Fairfield this weekend for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) weekend set on Saturday and Sunday at Pioneer Park. SHU will celebrate its seven seniors before Saturday's opener at 1 p.m., while the series is set to conclude on Sunday with a noon tilt.
GAME INFORMATION
Game 1: Sacred Heart vs. Fairfield – Saturday, April 11, 1:00 p.m.
Game 2: Sacred Heart vs. Fairfield – Saturday, April 11, 3:00 p.m.
Game 3: Sacred Heart vs. Fairfield – Sunday, April 12, 12:00 p.m.
DI LEADER
Sam Kowalski left Tuesday's opener as the program leader in strikeouts with 599 in her illustrious career, passing SHU greats Jen Russell and Jamie Carlson in the process. Kowalski is now second in program history behind Debbie Tidy, who tallied 1,080 career K's in the Pios' dominant Division II run, which featured five Final Four appearances and 11 regionals. Kowalski is a four-year starter at SHU and continues to set new career-highs every season, with this year already looking like one for the record books.
SAM STATS CHECK IN
Heading into Saturday, Kowalski continues to post some of the best stats in the county. She is ranked third nationally in complete games (16), seventh in shutouts (5), and 19th in strikeouts (130). In the MAAC, she ranks first in hits allowed per seven innings (5.26) and wins (11) and is second in ERA (2.09). At the plate, she leads the conference with eight home runs and a .693 slugging percentage.
SENIOR DAY
Prior to Saturday's opener, the Pioneers will recognize the seven seniors on the team. Kowalski, Emily Heath, Nicole Henke, Sydney Hess, Natalie Aiello, Kaelyn Freed and Charlene Davis are all playing in their final collegiate seasons this year, with all of them making an impact in their tenures. Kowalski, Heath, Henke, Hess, Freed and Davis are all four-year players with the Pioneers and have seen the team win 81 games and make both the NEC and MAAC Tournaments.
SCOUTING FAIRFIELD
The Stags and Pioneers are back-to-back in the MAAC standings in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Fairfield heads into the weekend with an 8-4 conference record, coming off a doubleheader sweep of Quinnipiac in their last MAAC series. The Stags are 15-18 overall this season after dropping a midweek nonconference bout to Yale, 12-3, on Wednesday at home.
Fairfield boasts a complete team heading into the weekend, as it ranks second in the conference in on-base percentage (.373), third in scoring (4.79) and fourth in ERA (4.42). The Stags have also been a better home team than road team this season, as they are 6-3 at home and 6-9 on the road, which includes all four of their conference losses.
Leading the charge for Fairfield is senior pitcher Alyssa Weinberg, as she ranks second in the conference in strikeouts (98) and fourth in wins (9). She also maintains a 3.27 ERA and is 9-7 on the season. Pacing the offense is senior Anna Paravati and sophomore Ava Armuth. Paravati holds a .352 average with a team-best 24 RBIs and six doubles. Armuth is first or second on the team in runs (29), triples (2) and home runs (2).
SERIES HISTORY
The Pioneers and Stags have met 31 times since 2008, with Fairfield holding a slim 16-15 advantage. SHU has won the last four meetings in the series, sweeping last season's doubleheader, the first with both teams as full members of the MAAC.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Pioneers welcome Rhode Island for a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday, April 15, beginning with a 2 p.m. tilt at Pioneer Park.
GAME INFORMATION
Game 1: Sacred Heart vs. Fairfield – Saturday, April 11, 1:00 p.m.
Game 2: Sacred Heart vs. Fairfield – Saturday, April 11, 3:00 p.m.
Game 3: Sacred Heart vs. Fairfield – Sunday, April 12, 12:00 p.m.
DI LEADER
Sam Kowalski left Tuesday's opener as the program leader in strikeouts with 599 in her illustrious career, passing SHU greats Jen Russell and Jamie Carlson in the process. Kowalski is now second in program history behind Debbie Tidy, who tallied 1,080 career K's in the Pios' dominant Division II run, which featured five Final Four appearances and 11 regionals. Kowalski is a four-year starter at SHU and continues to set new career-highs every season, with this year already looking like one for the record books.
SAM STATS CHECK IN
Heading into Saturday, Kowalski continues to post some of the best stats in the county. She is ranked third nationally in complete games (16), seventh in shutouts (5), and 19th in strikeouts (130). In the MAAC, she ranks first in hits allowed per seven innings (5.26) and wins (11) and is second in ERA (2.09). At the plate, she leads the conference with eight home runs and a .693 slugging percentage.
SENIOR DAY
Prior to Saturday's opener, the Pioneers will recognize the seven seniors on the team. Kowalski, Emily Heath, Nicole Henke, Sydney Hess, Natalie Aiello, Kaelyn Freed and Charlene Davis are all playing in their final collegiate seasons this year, with all of them making an impact in their tenures. Kowalski, Heath, Henke, Hess, Freed and Davis are all four-year players with the Pioneers and have seen the team win 81 games and make both the NEC and MAAC Tournaments.
SCOUTING FAIRFIELD
The Stags and Pioneers are back-to-back in the MAAC standings in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Fairfield heads into the weekend with an 8-4 conference record, coming off a doubleheader sweep of Quinnipiac in their last MAAC series. The Stags are 15-18 overall this season after dropping a midweek nonconference bout to Yale, 12-3, on Wednesday at home.
Fairfield boasts a complete team heading into the weekend, as it ranks second in the conference in on-base percentage (.373), third in scoring (4.79) and fourth in ERA (4.42). The Stags have also been a better home team than road team this season, as they are 6-3 at home and 6-9 on the road, which includes all four of their conference losses.
Leading the charge for Fairfield is senior pitcher Alyssa Weinberg, as she ranks second in the conference in strikeouts (98) and fourth in wins (9). She also maintains a 3.27 ERA and is 9-7 on the season. Pacing the offense is senior Anna Paravati and sophomore Ava Armuth. Paravati holds a .352 average with a team-best 24 RBIs and six doubles. Armuth is first or second on the team in runs (29), triples (2) and home runs (2).
SERIES HISTORY
The Pioneers and Stags have met 31 times since 2008, with Fairfield holding a slim 16-15 advantage. SHU has won the last four meetings in the series, sweeping last season's doubleheader, the first with both teams as full members of the MAAC.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Pioneers welcome Rhode Island for a midweek doubleheader on Wednesday, April 15, beginning with a 2 p.m. tilt at Pioneer Park.
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P/INF
/ SoftballSaige Harper Paris 2024
Tuesday, April 16
Behind the Boards (MIH): Season 2, Episode 13
Friday, March 08
Behind the Boards (WIH): Season 2, Episode 14
Friday, February 23
Behind the Boards (MIH): Season 2, Episode 12
Friday, February 16
