BRONX, N.Y. – Opening the first of eight weekend's of Atlantic 10 Conference action, Fordham University Softball hosts Loyola Chicago in a weekend series this weekend at Bahoshy Field, with all games this weekend also airing live on ESPN+.
Stack 'Em Up
Fordham (8-13) opened its first homestand of the 2025 season with a 9-1 thrashing of Hofstra Wednesday afternoon in five innings.
Neleh Nogay has led the offense, scattering 27 hits through her first 21 games of the year, along with 15 runs scored and 14 stolen bases on 16 tries, both team high's as well. Nogay is hitting .360 on the year, one of three Rams hitting above .300, just ahead of Eva Koratsis hitting .310 with 20 hits a team high 15 RBIs, while Sydney Wells sits third on the team with 18 hits, part of a group of eight Rams with at least 10 hits apiece on the year.
The Rams pitching staff is led by Holly Beeman who has won each of her last three starts, claiming back-to-back A-10 Pitcher of the Week awards in the second and third week of the year. Beeman holds a 4-2 record on the year with a 1.28 ERA, the best in the A-10, giving up just eight earned runs in 43.2 innings pitched, tossing six complete games in as many appearances, and is one of only two pitchers in the conference with multiple shutouts on the year.
Picking up her third win of the campaign, Emilee Watkins tossed five innings Wednesday, giving up just one run in the Rams' 9-1 victory in the home opener.
Notable Numbers
The Rams have tallied 48 runs on 61 hits over their last seven games, after recording just 30 through the first 14 games of the season, recording eight or more hits in five of their last seven games.
The Rams saw nine of their first 17 games of the year decided by just a single run, and have played 15 games this season decided by four runs or fewer.
Nogay's 16 game hitting streak from Feb. 8 at Charleston to Mar. 9 against Binghamton was the fourth longest hitting streak in program history, one game shy of a three-way tie for second most all time at 17 games straight. Nogay has tallied a hit in all but two games this season.
After recording just two home runs in the early going of the season, the Rams have drilled six home runs in their last seven games, including two at Iona on Mar. 5.
Since the game at Iona, Koratsis has hit 11-for-23 with four multi-hit games, driving in nine RBIs and scoring eight runs as well.
New and Improved
The 2025 season will see a fresh look throughout the Bahoshy Softball Complex, with new turf installed in the outfield and surrounding the perimeter of the field, replacing the old dirt warning track and foul areas, providing faster drainage during inclement weather and allowing the Rams to return to the field much faster than before.
New Maroon padding will surround the outfield wall, including the high-fence in left field, with the batters facing directly towards the New York City skyline imprinted in each of the gaps.
"Fordham Softball" is featured prominently in all caps in straightaway center, with the left and right field walls showcasing the Rams past Atlantic 10 and NCAA tournament bids over the team's 41 year history, and a spot for future All-Americans to leave their name and legacy.
Both the Rams' batting cages and home and visiting bullpens also feature new turf throughout, with the visiting bullpen being moved much closer to the visiting dugout on the first base side.
Hofstra Recap
The Rams loaded the bases with their first three hitters in the second inning, before scoring five runs all with two outs in the frame, and went on to hold a 6-1 lead through three. Adding three more runs in the fourth inning, Fordham eclipsed the run rule with an eight run lead going to the fifth, where Emilee Watkins tallied her third win of the campaign, setting down the top of the Hofstra order, 1-2-3.
Watkins pitched the full length of the game, throwing just 67 pitches while allowing one run on four hits, while on the offensive end, the Maroon and White backed their pitcher with 11 hits on the day, as well as five walks, with every player in the lineup itching base safely at least once.
Eva Koratsis led the way with three RBIs on a pair of hits, ahead of both Sydney Wells and Neleh Nogay who drove in two runs apiece. Erin Hoppe came around to score three times Wednesday, one of three players with multiple hits alongside Koratsis and Nogay. Seven different Rams tallied a run scored on the afternoon, while Sophie Nesturrick and Kate McGuire drove in a single run each.
Series History
Joining the Atlantic 10 prior to the 2022-23 season, Loyola Chicago and Fordham have met on five previous occasions, including three a year ago, with the Ramblers bookending the weekend set in the Windy City with a pair of walk-offs in games one and three, with Fordham taking a game two victory, 5-1, last May.
The two sides met once in 2023, the only prior meeting in the Big Apple, falling 10-6 to the Ramblers, and Loyola Chicago took the first ever meeting between the teams, way back in 1999, a 5-1 loss in Atlanta, Ga.
Non-Conference Offerings
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 five additional midweek non-league games throughout March and April, mixed into a nine-team, 26-game Atlantic 10 slate. Wednesday marks the first of those against Hofstra, ahead of games against Clemson (Mar. 19), at St. John's (Mar. 26), Stony Brook (Apr. 2), and LIU (Apr. 16).
Scouting the Ramblers
At 4-19 on the year, Loyola Chicago is coming off back-to-back losses to Buffalo and Marshall last weekend. With 21 hits on the year, Haley Wallace leads the team hitting .309 on the year, and sits second on the Ramblers with eight RBIs.
What's Next?
Following the weekend set, the Rams close their first homestand of the campaign Wednesday afternoon, hosting the Clemson Tigers for a single game at 3:00 p.m.
