LOUDONVILLE, NY – After playing its first 28 games of the 2022 season away from home, Siena Softball (15-13, 4-0) will finally take the field at home for the first time this week. Following two straight days of rained-out action, the Saints will dive back into MAAC play by hosting Fairfield on Monday, April 11, and will play host to Patriot League foe Colgate on Tuesday, April 12. Game times for both days are set for 2 & 4 PM at the Siena Softball Field.
 
Siena's first two home series of the year will mark the first time ever that Siena Softball home games will be aired on the ESPN Family of Networks. Brett Bosley and Donna Conrad will have the call on Monday, while the "Voice of the Saints" Emmanuel Berbari and Bosley will call the action on Tuesday. Live stats will be available for all games, while In-game updates will be provided via the team's official twitter page @Siena_Softball. Join the conversation by using the hashtags #MarchOn, #SienaSaints, and #MAACSoftball.
 
Starting Lineup: Siena Home Opener Quick Hits
 

• Having not competed in six days due to three straight doubleheader rainouts, Siena will retake the field off to its best conference start in program history. The Saints are the last remaining undefeated team in the MAAC after earning doubleheader sweeps over Saint Peter's and Manhattan to begin their 30^th season of league play last weekend. As of Sunday, Siena remains as one of 14 teams nationally who remain undefeated in conference play
• Siena completed a six-game win streak from March 30 – April 4 and earned wins in nine of ten games overall from March 24 – April 4 before falling in a doubleheader sweep at Central Connecticut State last Tuesday.
• The Saints will look to improve from a 10-6 home record in 2021, and continue a streak of two straight seasons with double-digit home wins. Siena's delayed home opener marks its latest start to home play since 2015 and the first time starting home action in the month of April since 2017, both of which also featured Fairfield as the opponent.
• The Saints have played road warriors prior to returning to the Capital Region, going 11-5 in a 16-game road trip over the last three weeks. As of Sunday, Siena is one of only eight programs nationally with 11 or more true road victories this season, and has tied the program record for road wins set in 2014. Siena's road victories have come in seven different states and provinces, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
• Two Saints earned MAAC weekly honors last week, with senior Ava Fitzmaurice being named the MAAC Player of the Week and freshman Kyleigh Potter taking home MAAC Rookie of the Week. Both Fitzmaurice and Potter have earned their respective awards twice this season thus far.
• The Saints lead the MAAC in doubles (30) and fielding percentage (.972) as of Sunday, with Fitzmaurice ranking as the league's top producer of triples (three) and as the toughest player to strike out in the league statistically.
• Siena holds an 8-22 record in home openers since joining the MAAC in 1991, and will look to snap a three-game losing skid when commencing home play. The Saints last a home opener in 2017, as part of a doubleheader sweep of Fairfield.
• Under the direction of second-year head coach Casey Bump, the Saints were picked to finish seventh in the 2022 MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Saints will aim to finish inside the top-6 in the MAAC and advance to what would be its fifth straight MAAC Tournament appearance in eligible seasons.
• Coach Bump is 2-4 all-time against Fairfield, and will get her first crack at the Raiders as a head coach on Tuesday.

 
On Fairfield

• Led by 25^th year head coach Julie Brzezinski, the Stags will have not played in nine days heading into Monday, with their last four series postponed due to weather including both this past weekend. At 6-16 overall, the Stags will look to enter the win column in MAAC play after being swept by Rider on April 2 on the road.
• Fairfield enters Monday batting .227 as a team and led by Haley Undergraff, who has batted .322 with 19 hits and six RBI in all 22 games this season. The Stags were picked to finish second in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, while receiving one first-place vote. Outfielder Kaitlin Hoffman, designated player Megan Forbes, and pitcher Katie Kudlacik were all selected to the Preseason All-MAAC team.
• Fairfield holds a 43-23 advantage in the all-time series between the two, which began in 1993. The Stags have won the last two, three of the last four, and four of the last six overall, including a doubleheader sweep over the Saints in last year's MAAC Quarterfinals. Siena earned a split with Fairfield in the team's last meeting at Siena on April 19, 2019, while the Saints' last four victories over the Stags have come in shutout fashion.

On Colgate

• Colgate and Siena will face off for the first time since 2019 and the first time in Loudonville since 2010, with the Raiders carrying in a 14-17 overall record and a 4-2 mark in Patriot League play. Colgate took two of three games in a conference series this past weekend at common opponent Lafayette, including a 9-5 rubber match victory on Sunday.
• Colgate is batting .236 as a team as of Sunday and leads the Patriot League in both doubles per-game (1.50) and double plays per-game (0.32). The Raiders are 5-5 against common opponents of Siena this season, including two losses at the hands of Rutgers, a split with UAlbany, and a series win over Holy Cross.
• Colgate leads the all-time series, 41-16, between the pair, which acts as Siena's second-oldest rivalry with a current NCAA Division I opponent dating back to 1978. The Raiders took a doubleheader sweep at home over Siena in 2019, and have won four of the last five meetings. Siena has emerged victorious in the last five games played in Loudonville, having last lost to Colgate at home on April 24, 2002.

 
On Deck Circle:
 
Siena is currently scheduled to play ten games over the next six days, including forthcoming doubleheaders at Army West Point on Wednesday, and back home against Iona on Friday and Canisius on Saturday.