Softball Hosts George Washington this Weekend

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham softball team (34-12, 10-4 A-10) will look to carry its momentum from a doubleheader sweep at St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, including a record-setting game one victory, into this weekend's three-game series against George Washington (23-19, 6-8 A-10). The series will kick off with a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at noon, and the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Fans can follow along with the action via the links above.
 
Last Time Out
The Rams finished up its recent road swing in record-setting fashion on Wednesday, exploding for a single-game record 23 runs in game one of a doubleheader at St. Bonaventure. Fordham did so on 21 hits, four shy of the record, and drove in 21 runs, tying a previous record. At the heart of it was Sydney Canessa and her single-game record six hits in six trips to the plate, driving in a career-high eight on five singles and a grand slam, while scoring four times herself. Nine different Rams notched a hit and all but two enjoyed multi-hit games, as well. Lauren Quense got her 16^th win of the year and had the strange line of giving up eight unearned runs over five frames, the Bonnies scoring all their runs across two innings coming after a pair of two-out errors in the field.
 
Fordham again run-ruled the hosts in game two, 12-2, in six innings, behind excellent pitching by Madison Aughinbaugh, who picked up her 14^th win, plus an additional 16 hits from the Rams offense. Most notably was Madison Shaw's two home runs, her second and third of the day, and Jordana Storm setting new personal-bests at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double and three runs driven in. Read all about the doubleheader, here.
 
Series History vs. George Washington
The Rams have dominated this series since 2003 when the Colonials joined the Atlantic 10, winning 27 of 29 contests in all competitions. The Colonials' two wins came in 2008 and 2012, the former a tight 3-2 result in our nation's capital, and the latter a 4-1 loss to knock Fordham out of that year's A-10 Championship. It's the only season since 2011 where the Rams have failed to win the league. Fordham is currently on a 10-game winning streak since that loss, beginning with the 2013 season, and including last year's regular season sweep on the road.
 
NCAA Rankings
The Fordham softball team is enjoying one of its best statistical seasons through 10 weeks of play and it is reflected in the Division I rankings. After scuffling a bit in the last couple weeks, the offense is back up to a program-best .312 mark after Wednesday's demolition at St. Bonaventure, now ranked 30^th in the country. Fordham has now jumped into the top-10 in scoring, now at ninth in the country with an average of 6.52 runs scored per game, due to its high average, on-base percentage (.408 – 16^th), slugging percentage (.475 – 27^th) , home run rate (0.85 – 46^th), and stolen base rate (1.65 – 37^th). Fordham has continued its terrific performances in the circle, as well, with the 29^th-best ERA nationwide (2.12) and a steady defense behind them (.963 – 102^nd). The Rams rank first in the A-10 in all of the above except batting average and fielding percentage. The Colonials currently lead the league in batting average at .313.
 
Individually, Shaw's big Wednesday performance thrusts her near the top of the Division I leaderboard for RBIs, ranking third with 59 and fifth with 1.28 per contest. Her five sac flies this year also rank eighth overall and her 13 home runs rank 16^th. George Washington's Jenna Cone bests that with her 17 blasts and her .868 slugging percentage is better than Shaw's .761 mark, ranked 37^th in the country. Jessica Hughes' recent dip in offensive production has her falling a little, although she remains among the elite in several categories. Hughes is still an on-base machine, ranked 28^th with a .523 on-base percentage, including 19^th with her 0.82 walks per game. Her five triples ranks 15^th in the country and her 1.05 runs scored per contest ranks 27^th. Her batting average, dipping below .400 at .395, ranks 109^th. Tied before Wednesday with 90 total bases apiece, Shaw is up to 102 now, ranked 14^th overall, while Hughes' 94 sits at 33^rd. Both Quense (48^th – 0.68) and Canessa (89^th – 0.59) also rank in the top-90 in walks per contest. The trio make up the top three in the A-10 in that category. Canessa, just like last year, remains one of the tougher hitters to strike out, ranking 70^th in the nation with a strikeout every 20.7 at-bats. She's struck out just seven times while walking 27 times.
 
Quense's 16 wins, one away from her personal-best set last year, rank 35^th in the country and first in the league, and her 2.08 ERA ranks 115^th, just ahead of Madison Aughinbaugh's 2.07 mark (111^th). Taylr Stocks no longer has the requisite innings pitched but earlier in the week was ranked 83^rd.
 
Fordham at 51st in latest NCAA RPI
The Rams opened with an initial RPI ranking of 35^th three weeks ago but have since dropped 16 spots. Fordham remains the top team in the northeast according to the rankings, however, six spots ahead of Saint Francis (Pa.) and 12 ahead of Boston College.
 
Baylor, who the Rams defeated in the season opener, 1-0, is ranked 10^th overall. The Rams have also defeated top-50 teams in Tulsa (32), Florida Atlantic (39), and Northwestern (49). You can check out the rankings here.
 
Shaw Drives 'Em In
Junior Madison Shaw has tallied 59 RBIs thus far through 46 games, ranked top-five in the country and already third-most all-time in a single season in program history, now just one back of Beckah Wiggins' best mark in 2010. Elise Fortier's 2014 tally of 73 remains tops. With the bases empty, Shaw bats a solid .375, going 2-for-2 on Wednesday. However, with runners on, the Raynham, Mass. native bumps that up to .395 and with runners in scoring position, it's .393. With the bases juiced, Shaw is 7-for-11 on the year (.636) and with a runner on third and less than two outs, Shaw has successfully driven in a teammate 17-of-20 times (.850).
 
Shaw is currently riding a seven-game streak of driving in at least one run, a stretch that has helped her secure Co-Player of the Week honors. She's got "only" 12 RBI during that run after driving in 21 over a six-game stretch in early March, including a career-best seven against Rutgers on March 3. She has gone RBI-less in just 20 of the teams' 46 contests thus far.
 
Leading Off
The Rams offense has been especially potent this season and a big part of that is leadoff hitters consistently reaching base. Jessica Hughes is one of the country's top leadoff hitters, batting .549 whenever leading off, although that's down from her absurd .632 average that she carried two weeks ago.  She's not the only one, as Sydney Canessa (.516), Lindsay Mayer (.441), and Madison Shaw (.387), all reach at an above average clip or better, as well as Van Hoven before her injury (.375). As a team, Fordham leadoff hitters have a .376 batting average (111-for-295) after going 7-for-12 on Wednesday.

Patience is a Virtue
The Rams are one of the most patient teams in the country, racking up 192 walks, already the most in school history, and are still doing it more than they strikeout (184). They lead the conference, by far, in walks. Fordham's .408 on-base percentage as a whole ranks 16^th in the country and its 192 walks ranks ninth.
 
Situational Stats
Other reasons for the Rams offense being so successful this year is driving in runners in scoring position. As a team, Fordham is batting .328 (158-for-481) with a runner on second, third, or both, and .379 (33-for-87) with the bases loaded. Also, with a runner on third and less than two outs, the Rams bat a blistering .580 (87-for-150).
 
Meanwhile, the pitchers hold opponents to an overall .233 average. Leadoff hitters do reach base at an above-average pace (.321) but the Rams are limiting opponents after that to just .221 with runners on.
 
Quense Tosses 14^th No-Hitter in Program History
The senior hurler was lights out against Bryant on Sunday, February 19, tossing six innings of no-hit ball, allowing just a fourth-inning walk, plus a batter that reached on an error later in the contest, with three strikeouts. Quense became the fifth Ram to ever throw a no-hitter in program history. 
 
Keeping up with the Record Book
Madi Shaw's home run barrage on Wednesday has lifted her into the top-10 for all-time home runs, now with 24, and has elevated her in career slugging percentage, as well, still second but closer to Elise Fortier's all-time mark of .695. Shaw is third in single season RBI, as well, and remains third all-time with a .363 career batting average. Sydney Canessa continues her climb up a lot of lists, most notably now just three runs scored away from becoming the all-time school leader in the stat, as well as the fifth Ram to ever tally 700 at-bats. The senior is also now one hit behind teammate Amy Van Hoven, with 232, from breaking into the top-five, although Van Hoven is nearing a return. Hughes' .523 on-base percentage currently ranks first all-time in a single year, the first time any player has gone over the .500 mark. The sophomore's 73 career walks are also already up to seventh all-time. Lauren Quense also recently became the eighth Ram to reach 250 career strikeouts.
 
The 2017 team currently is ranked first in batting average (.312) and on-base percentage (.408), plus the 192 walks is already a program record. The pitching staff's collective 2.12 ERA is back in the top-five, as well.
 
You can check out the record book, here.
 
Fordham Softball Archived Stories
It's been a very active first three months for the Fordham softball team, including 16 weekly A-10 awards, a no-hitter, three new school records, and a 34-12 record through 10 weeks. You can read all of the team's archived stories from this season and beyond, here.
 
Fordham Quick Facts
You can find this season's full schedule, roster, and quick facts, plus last year's season statistics, all here.
 
Fordham Picked to Successfully Defend A-10 Title
The Rams received nine of 10 first-place votes in the preseason coaches' poll, it was announced last week. Fordham has won four straight conference tournament titles and five of the last six, plus three regular season championships in the past six years, as well.
 
The Rams return all eight position player starters, losing only starting pitcher/DP Rachel Gillen. Second Teamer Lauren Quense returns for her senior campaign to anchor a staff that will include three freshmen. The Rams have six newcomers, five freshmen and one sophomore transfer, and will have one more underclassmen this season than upperclassmen.
 
Welcoming New Faces
The program welcomed six new players to the Bronx this season: pitchers Madison Aughinbaugh, Taylor Stocks, and Stephanie Rundlett, infielders Skylar Johnston and Brielle Cerchio, and outfielder Deanna Burbridge. You can read about the first four signing their NLIs last winter here. Aughinbaugh and Rundlett were named their respective states' Players of the Year. Head coach Bridget Orchard has also announced five recruits for the class of 2021 that have recently signed their NLIs.
 
Up Next
The Rams remain at home to host Dayton next weekend for a three-game series. Saturday's doubleheader is significant because the school and program will be honoring six seniors between the day's contests for Senior Day. The doubleheader will begin at 12 p.m.