COLUMBIA, S.C. – Making their second trip to the Palmetto State in the last three weeks, Fordham University Softball heads to South Carolina for four games at the Garnet and Black Invitational hosted by No. 24 South Carolina.
The Rams open the tournament Friday with a single game against UNLV at 2:30 p.m. before a doubleheader Saturday afternoon against the Gamecocks at 3:30 p.m. and UNLV a second time at 6:00 p.m. Fordham wraps up the tournament Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. with a single game against Boston University
Leading the Herd
Through two weeks and the first ten games of the year Neleh Nogay paced the Rams with 12 hits in 37 at-bats, hitting .324 on the year with four RBIs and three runs scored, while going 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts. Eva Koratsis is tied with her for the team high in RBIs while scattering seven hits of her own, tied for third most on the team. Seven different Rams enter the weekend with at least six hits apiece.
Down in Texas
Nogay stole the show on offense in Texas, barreling eight hits in 19 at-bats to hit .421 with three RBIs and three runs scored. Erin Hoppe hit 5-for-15 with a pair of RBIs and runs scored, ahead of three players with four hits apiece, including Eva Koratsis who led the team on the weekend.
Koratsis drove in four runs on four hits while drawing three hit-by-pitches along with Sydney Wells who also drew three along with four walks, while knocking three hits including her first home run of the campaign, one of two long balls for the Rams in the Lone Star State.
Seeing strong pitching throughout the staff in week two, Holly Beeman highlighted the Rams' efforts in the circle, and Monday was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week after tossing 14.2 innings in a pair of complete games, giving up just three earned runs, including a five-hit shutout win over St. Thomas in her most recent outing.
The 2025 Calendar
Facing six opponents that reached an NCAA Regional last season, the 2025 calendar sees Fordham play 51 games against teams from 14 different conferences including the A-10. With 19 tournament games against 10 different opponents on the non-conference side of the schedule, Fordham will also play six additional midweek non-league games throughout March and April, mixed into a nine-team, 26-game Atlantic 10 slate.
Preseason Projections
The Atlantic 10 announced the results of the annual Preseason Coaches' Poll on Feb. 4, with Fordham tabbed to finish fourth out of the league's ten teams.
Defending A-10 champion, Dayton claimed the top spot in the poll receiving 98 overall votes including nine of ten first place bids. Receiving the only other first-place vote was Saint Louis, last year's conference runner-up who edged Loyola Chicago by one overall vote, 85 to 84, followed by the Rams in fourth receiving 66 votes overall.
Making up the final two playoff spots were Saint Joseph's and UMass with 52 and 51 votes respectively, followed by George Washington (46), George Mason (34), Rhode Island (23), and St. Bonaventure (11) to round out the poll.
Opponents Outlook
Off to a hot start in 2025, UNLV enters the weekend 7-2 on the year, riding a five game winning streak that includes a sweep of the UNLV Rebel Classic last weekend. Taking on Boston University prior to the game with the Rams Friday afternoon, the Rebels play five games this weekend, led by Ariana Martinex with 16 hits in 30 at bats, posting a 1.555 OPS, ahead of Sofia Morales with 13 hits in 32 at bats. UNLV has five players with a .900 OPS or better with at least 25 at-bats.
Undefeated at 11-0 on the year, No. 21 South Carolina continues its prep for SEC play, coming off six games at the Carolina Classic where they won each game by run rule, outscoring opponents, 64-6 over those games. Boasting an offense that sees five players with ten or more hits through their first 11 games, while South Carolina pitchers have allowed just 16 runs while the offense has driven in 92 through its first 11 games.
At 7-2 on the year, Boston University makes the trip down South after starting the year 5-0, and most recently defeated Radford, 7-1. Biz Baglieri leads the Terriers hitting .412 with six RBIs, and was named the Patriot League rookie of the week to start her collegiate career.
What's Next?
The Maroon and White have next weekend off before playing their first game of the year in the Empire State, heading over to Iona for a single game on Mar. 5 at 3:00 p.m.
