MANCHESTER, N.H. – The nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College softball team will host cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire University this weekend, starting on Saturday, Apr. 10 with the first pitch slated for 1 p.m.

NO. 16 SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE HAWKS
Roster | Schedule & Results | 2021 Statistics | News

SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY PENMEN
Roster | Schedule & Results | 2021 Statistics | News

Saturday's games are slated for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. while Sunday's contests were moved up to 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Spectators of any kind are not allowed at the South Athletic Fields as of Saturday – for more information, please refer to the Spectator Policy.

After sweeping Assumption University on Wednesday, the Hawks head into the weekend with a 9-1 record along with a perfect 6-0 record against Northeast-10 Conference opponents. The Hawks are currently atop the Northeast Division of the NE10 and are the only program in the league without a conference loss. Saint Anselm is sitting in 16th in the most recent National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II National Coaches' Poll.

LIVE STATS will be provided for each of the doubleheaders, including LIVE VIDEO via the NE10 Now Network.

HAWKS NOTES

• The Hawks are powered by their nation-leading earned run average with 0.27, led by senior Morgan Perry (Bethany, Conn.) who has struck out 10 or more batters in her first five outings. On Saturday, she will tie Andrea Messina '03 with the most appearances in program history in a single career. Perry holds the third-best hits allowed per seven innings with 2.69 in all of Division II, two spots away from Myaisha Kelly's 2.00 from Concordia (N.Y.) who leads the nation. She also is the national leader in strikeouts per seven innings with 15.6.
• Her teammate and fellow pitcher, sophomore McKenna Smith (Old Town, Maine)m ranks 26th in the same category with 9.7.
• Saint Anselm, as a team, has recorded seven shutouts in its 2021 campaign, ranking eight in the country and first in the Northeast-10 Conference.
• Offensively, the Hawks have totaled a .311 batting average over 10 games, which ranks 74th in the country out of 256 teams.
• After knocking a grand slam in the Hawks game two victory over Assumption on Wednesday, junior Bre Klaiber (Ironton, Ohio) leads the team with a .423 batting average. She has recorded 11 hits along with six runs batted in, which three other Hawks student-athletes have equaled. Klaiber looks to extend her hitting streak to seven games with a hit in Saturday's game one contest. Klaiber also ranks sixth in the NE10 with an even .500 on-base percentage.
• Senior Abbie Murrell (Scarborough, Maine) has averaged just under one double across her last nine games. At first base, Murrell has recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, recording 33 putouts. Sophomore Kylie Fitzpatrick (Danville, N.H.) joins Murrell with a perfect fielding percentage, posting 11 assists and six putouts to help the Hawks defense keep opponents from scoring. Fitzpatrick has not committed an error in her career.
• So far in the 2021 season, the Hawks have stolen seven bases out of their 11 chances, featuring senior Shannon Colson (Rochester, N.H.) claiming a team-high three, one more than teammates Jess Persechino (Torrington, Conn.) and Erin Thompson (Newton, N.H.).

PREVIEWING THE PENMEN

• Southern New Hampshire heads into the weekend with a 1-3 record after competing against Assumption University and Stonehill College. On Mar. 25, the Greyhounds downed the Penmen by scores of 4-1 and 4-2. The Skyhawks and Penmen split their doubleheader on Mar. 27, picking up the first win of the season in game two, 6-4.
• Saint Anselm and Southern New Hampshire will face-off for the first time this season on Saturday.
• Chloe Griffin leads the team in several offensive marks, posting a .429 batting average along with a team-high six hits over 14 at-bats. Griffin also scored two runs her team's four games. Jackie Gavin has also recorded three hits, tallying one run batted in and checking in with a ,375 batting average.
• In the circle, Griffin has a 1-1 record with one complete game performance, allowing 16 hits over 13 innings pitched. Her pitching counterpart on the team is Olivia Strasser, who has appeared in three games and has struck out a team-high 10 batters.
• Emily Carboneau is a threat on the Penmen defense, posting 25 putouts and holding a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

ALL-TIME vs. SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE

• The Hawks have defeated the Penmen in the past seven consecutive games, dating back to Apr. 9, 2018. Since 2004, Saint Anselm is 15-10 with home field advantage.
• Saint Anselm will look to keep their streak going as the Hawks shut out the Penmen in their past two matchups. The squad has also held the Penmen to one or less runs in six of the last seven contests between the rivals.
• The last encounter between both teams was in the 2019 NCAA East Region pod when the top-seeded Hawks blanked the Penmen 4-0, advancing the squad to the NCAA Division II Super Regional. Perry went the distance for the Hawks, finishing with five strikeouts and allowing just a pair of hits and two walks for her 25th victory of the year. Maggie Murphy '20 had three hits at the dish, scoring twice and driving in a run to lead the Hawks offense.