Softball Begins Critical Week at Saint Joseph's Wednesday, Hosts UMass This Weekend

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Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham softball embarks on a crucial five-game stretch this week against two teams right above them in the Atlantic 10 standings. The Rams will play two games at Saint Joseph's (14-22, 5-9) on Wednesday, beginning at 2 p.m., and then host Massachusetts (14-23, 5-9) for a three-game series on Saturday and Sunday, with both days starting at noon.
 
Tomorrow's and Sunday's games will be on ESPN+, Saturday's will be on MSG Networks and ESPN3. All ways to watch can be found at the link above.
 
Upcoming Games
The Rams continue to raise awareness and funding for various causes. Game one of this weekend's series is the team's Down Syndrome Awareness game, Game two is Epilepsy Awareness, and Sunday's game is Mental Health Awareness/Suicide Prevention. More information to come!
 
Pride Game and The Trevor Project
Fordham's doubleheader against Drexel were the Rams' Pride games, honoring and celebrating all members of the LGBTQ+ community. Embracing diversity and promoting acceptance is crucial for creating a supportive, inclusive society. One resource that struck our team was The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 with a focus on LGBTQ+ youths and suicide prevention. The Rams hope to raise awareness and build a more welcoming space for every individual. Please join us in donating to this great cause. Thank you!
 
Ramses Challenge
Join the Ramses Challenge, a new philanthropic initiative supporting our student-athletes! Pledge a set amount of money for each win, home run, strikeout, and stolen base this season for the Rams, or make a one-time gift to the program. All proceeds are tax-deductible and go directly to Fordham Softball. Thank you for all your continued support!
 
Last Time Out
The Rams were swept at Saint Louis over the weekend, falling 8-0 in game one, 1-0 in game two, and 8-7 in game three. Fordham struggled on Saturday but nearly took the series finale, rallying twice, first with four runs in the fifth frame to get ahead by one and then getting within one with two outs in the seventh on a three-run home run by Julia Martine, but ultimately the Billikens hung on. Kate McGuire, Sarah Taffet, Mallory McClellan, Devon Miller, and Neleh Nogay all hit over .300 for the weekend to pace the offense. Nogay and Michaela Carter posted a team-high four hits, while McClellan also stole her first career base.
 
Series Histories
Saint Joseph's – Fordham leads the all-time series with the Hawks, 42-36, one of the program's longest rivalries. Interestingly, the Rams are 13-9 in Philadelphia and 10-7 on neutral ground, but just 19-20 at Bahoshy Field.  Most recently, the Hawks took two of three in the Bronx last year before Fordham got revenge with a 3-2 victory in the opening game of the 2022 A-10 Championship. Amanda Carey memorably walked off for the Rams with a single to right center to score Mallory McClellan from second, capping a 3-0 rally in the later innings.
 
Massachusetts – Another long and storied rivalry, the Minutewomen lead the all-time series, 54-32, since the Rams joined the A-10 in 1996. UMass, often flirting with being nationally ranked and sometimes landing on the back-end of it, dominated the first two decades of the rivalry. Fordham picked up its first win in 2005 and started turning the tides in the early 2010's. The Rams have rattled off 12 straight victories over their rivals, beginning with an 8-2 win in Amherst during the 2019 A-10 Championship and including a three-game sweep on the road last year. Fordham is 13-26 at home.
 
Where They Rank
Neleh Nogay's hot stretch has the freshman up to a .382 batting average, fourth in the A-10 and 121^st in all of Division I. Bailey Enoch gets on base often as seen in her 0.61 walks-per-game rate, 86^th nationally and third in the league, but she's also getting hit a league-leading 0.28 times per game, 27^th in the country. Holly Beeman has missed time recently but her 1.57 ERA is still 42^nd in the nation and second in the A-10, while her 1.39 walk rate is 68^th and tops, respectively.
 
Conference-Only
The Rams are 4-8 through 12 games so far and every game from this point on will be critical. Despite the record, Fordham is out-hitting opponents .302 to .260, led by Neleh Nogay's absurd .541/.564/.595 slash line with 20 hits and five steals. Amanda Carey has picked it up in league play, hitting .409 in nine games, with Julia Martine, .333, and Michaela Carter, .326, right behind her, plus Kate McGuire hitting .333 over 12 at-bats while playing every game. Bailey Enoch leads the squad with a whopping 10 walks, plus four HBPs, to just five strikeouts, and leads the offense with eight runs and is second with four stolen bases, but is hitting just .160.
 
Neleh Nogay Named Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Week
The freshman speedster deservedly earned her first piece of collegiate hardware last week, hitting .750 over four games, including a 4-for-4 performance in the series-opening win at Rhode Island. Nogay led the squad with nine hits and three stolen bases and tallied at least one hit in every contest. Over the two weeks prior, the New Castle, Pa. native had raised her batting average 100 points, up to .395.
 
Two-Time A-10 Pitcher of the Week Holly Beeman
The freshman hurler enjoyed a stellar start to her season by earning two straight Pitcher of the Week honors from the Atlantic 10. She became the first Ram, and first freshman, to earn the season's first two accolades since Lauren Quense in 2017 and just the third all-time. Beeman outdid her opening weekend, when she pitched once but nearly threw a no-hitter, with a three-hit shutout over Saint Francis to give her team its second win of the year, allowing just three singles with no walks and three strikeouts, and appearing in relief twice with a combined two runs allowed, one earned, over 4.2 innings. She finished with a 0.60 ERA over a team-high 11.2 frames and currently leads the pitching staff in nearly every category.
 
A-10 Preseason Coaches Poll
The Rams have been predicted to successfully defend their title and garnered six first-place votes in the league's annual poll of head coaches. Read more here.
 
Milestone Watch
Senior hurler Devon Miller continues her steady climb up the program ranks, sitting fifth in strikeouts, sixth in shutouts, ninth in wins, and ninth in starts.  Bailey Enoch is currently sixth all-time with a .430 on-base percentage, while Julia Martine has joined the all-time top-10 for steals with 33.
 
Next Up
Fordham plays its final nonconference next Wednesday at Stony Brook at 3 p.m. before hosting A-10 newcomers Loyola Chicago for three games next weekend, including Senior Day on Saturday, April 29.