LOUDONVILLE, NY – After inclement weather pushed back play from the weekend into the following week, Siena Softball is finally set to commence home action on Monday. The Saints (14-8) will host Saint Peter's on Monday, April 3 and Manhattan on Tuesday, April 4 at Siena Softball Field, with each doubleheader set for Noon & 2 PM.

Both doubleheaders will be streamed live on Siena All-Access. 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: Quick Hits
 

• The Saints won their first six games of the year for their best start in program history, and are coming off a doubleheader sweep of Sacred Heart in their most recent action last Wednesday. Siena took home 2-0 and 3-0 shutout victories to record their third consecutive doubleheader sweep over the Pioneers and their first doubleheader shutout sweep of an opponent since 2015.
• Siena is currently scheduled to play 18 home games at Siena Softball Field, and will begin a six-game home stand on Monday. Aside from conference doubleheaders on consecutive days, the Saints are also scheduled to host Binghamton on Thursday, April 6 before heading to Buffalo to battle defending MAAC champion Canisius on Saturday.
• The Saints begin their 31^st season of MAAC action after finishing third in regular season play in 2022 with a record of 14-6. The team finished 10-3 overall at home last year, including 7-3 in MAAC home games, and went on to advance to the program's first-ever MAAC Championship Game appearance
• Siena currently leads the league in doubles (33) and doubles per-game (1.50), while ranking second in batting average (.267), hit batters (7), on-base percentage (.355), scoring (4.36 runs per-game), and stolen bases per-game (2.09).
• Individually, sophomore McKenzie Swinson ranks second in stolen bases per-game (0.63), good for 31^st nationally, and is already tied for the seventh-most swiped bags in a season in program history with 12. As a team, Siena has already stolen the fourth-most bases in a season in program history (46), and needs four more swipes to move into third.
• The team is led in both batting and fielding by graduate student and 202 Second Team All-Region selection Ava Fitzmaurice, who is batting .347 with 25 hits while holding a 5-3 record and a 1.98 ERA in the circle. The Greenville, New York native also leads the team in doubles (five), RBI's (15), total bases (38), strikeouts thrown (32), and is tied for the team lead in home runs (two).
• Preseason All-MAAC outfielder Isabella Pardo – who was a Second Team All-MAAC selection last season while setting the single-season program record for hits – recorded her 100^th collegiate hit on March 2 against Sacramento State. Several saints are also nearing the 100-hit mark in a Siena uniform, including graduate student Sabrina Vargas (94), senior Emma McLaughlin (89), senior Angelina Stile (78), and Fitzmaurice (76).
• Siena swept the first MAAC Weekly Awards of the 2023 season, with Fitzmaurice taking home Player of the Week, senior Nicole Patille earning MAAC Pitcher of the Week, and first baseman Emma Petersen winning MAAC Rookie of the Week honors.
• Picked to finish fifth in the 2023 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Siena returned nearly its entire offense from last season, including 16 letterwinners.

On Saint Peter's

• At 16-7, the Peacocks have tallied the most wins among MAAC programs this season, and enter Monday's action after sweeping Wagner on the road last Wednesday to the tune of 5-3 and 12-1 victories.
• The team embarked on a nine-game winning streak from February 28 – March 8, and will now look to follow up on its most successful MAAC campaign since 2007 last year, despite having not qualified for postseason play since then.
• Led by seventh-year head coach and reigning MAAC Coach of the Year Chris Stelma, the team returns 2022 Second Team All-MAAC selection Cara McNulty, as well as MAAC All-Rookie Team honoree Dakota Pitts – who became the team's first All-MAAC selections since 2007.
• Saint Peter's currently leads the league in batting average (.291), doubles (33), fielding percentage (.976), scoring (4.70 runs per-game), and slugging percentage (.696). Individually, Jess Forte is the league leader in batting average (.441), and runs per-game (0.95).
• Siena owns a 36-28 all-time advantage in the head-to-head series, and will carry an 18-game win streak into Monday's doubleheader. The last Saint Peter's win over the Saints came in 2014.

On Manhattan

• Manhattan enters league action at 3-20 on the season, with its last win coming on March 11 in a 4-2 triumph over Buffalo. The Jaspers will look to snap an 11-game losing skid and win its first true road game of the year (0-8).
• The team is in the midst of an eight-game road trip, having lost doubleheaders at Hartford and Fairleigh Dickinson last week.
• The 2021 MAAC Champions are led by seventh year head coach Cat Clifford, and will look to return to postseason action after missing out due to a 7-13 conference mark last year.
• Picked to finish eighth in the league in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Jaspers saw senior infielder Lauren Rende named a Preseason All-MAAC selection.
• Manhattan owns a 43-26 all-time advantage in the series, but Siena has won three-in-a-row. Tuesday's action will mark the first meetings in Loudonville for the pair since 2018.

On Deck Circle:
 
Siena will continue the week at home on Thursday, April 6 with a non-conference doubleheader against Binghamton at 2 & 4 PM. The Saints and the Bearcats are scheduled to face off for the first time since 2012.