Somerset, NJ -- After a dominant four-year run seldom witnessed in Northeast Conference (NEC) softball circles, Saint Francis U is to looking to add one for the thumb this spring.

Just the third program in conference annals to win four straight NEC Tournament crowns and shooting to become the first to collect five consecutive titles, SFU was tabbed the preseason favorite by head coaches who awarded them six first place votes. The remaining three first place votes went to perennial contender and 2021 NEC runner-up LIU, which took the second spot. Central Connecticut came in third, followed by Sacred Heart in fourth. Mount St. Mary's was chosen fifth, while the sixth and seventh position went to FDU and Wagner, respectively.  Bryant and Merrimack rounded out the poll in that order.

In her fourth year as the Red Flash's head coach, Jessica O'Donnell led SFU to a 22-2 record in NEC play and the program's third regular season title in 2021. The Flash racked up 40 wins to tie for the third most in league history. 

With all five Red Flash standouts who earned All-NEC honors returning this spring, SFU looks to stack the field once more. Grace Vesco (Uniontown, OH/North Canton Hoover), the 2021 NEC Pitcher of the Year and NEC Tournament MVP, returns for her junior season on the mound. Vesco led the league with 22 wins, a 1.00 ERA, 13 shutouts and 196 strikeouts. She posted a 2-0 record with a 0.47 ERA over three appearances in the NEC playoffs, including a no-hitter in the tourney opener. At season's end, Vesco was named to the NFCA All-Region first team. Junior Rachel Marsden (Erie, PA/McDowell) gives the Red Flash a terrific one-two pitching punch. The Erie, PA native collected first team honors along with Vesco after finishing 14-5 with a 1.62 ERA and four shutouts. Mekenzie Saban (Pittsburgh, PA/North Hills), a first-team All-NEC selection, is back at the hot corner. Last spring the graduate student led the league with a .452 average, 20 doubles, 53 runs, 76 hits and 19 stolen bases. Classmate Jordan Frank (Dubois, PA/Dubois Central Catholic), an outfielder and fellow first team honoree, hit .371 in league play. Sophomore Lexi Hernandez (Brooksville, FL/Admiral Farragut Academy) was awarded second team All-NEC plaudits in her rookie season as a designated player. She hit .333 and her 40 RBIs ranked third in the conference.

LIU brings back a pair of elite hitters in pursuit of the program's 15th NEC Championship. Graduate student shortstop Kiana Cisneros (Santa Margarita, CA/Tesoro) hit .423 and drove in 27 runs, while fellow graduate Katie Hinkle (Murrieta, CA/Murietta Valley) hit .385 and was 13-for-13 in stolen base attempts. Both earned first team All-NEC accolades, and Cisneros was voted to the NEC All-Tournament team.

The four-team NEC Softball Tournament will take place from May 12-14 at the high seed.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 41st season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.