BRONX, N.Y. – Making the short trip across the East River into Queens, Fordham University Softball takes on St. John's in a single game Wednesday afternoon.
Set for first pitch just after 3:00 p.m. the midweek clash in The World's Borough will air on FloSports with a subscription required to watch.
Stack 'Em Up
Fordham (12-16, 4-2 A-10) took the series finale at Saint Louis in the backend of Saturday's doubleheader, 6-1. The Rams and Billikens played the opening game of the series on Friday instead of Sunday to avoid weather, with Saint Louis taking the opener 10-2 in six innings, and the first game Saturday, 6-0.
The Bats have come alive for the Rams since the start of March, scattering 121 hits over the last 14 games, and on the year have totaled 201 hits, second best of any team in the Atlantic 10. Fordham's offense also sits third in batting average and on-base percentage, hitting .275 as a team, with a .362 OBP.
On the defensive end the Rams have turned nine double-plays this year, third most of any team in the league, while the Fordham pitching staff sits third in shutouts and have posted just a 1.64 WHIP, also third best in the A-10.
Leading the Lineup
On the season, Nogay leads the Rams and all players in the A-10 with 37 hits and 22 stolen bases, with her efforts on the base-paths placing her 13th best of any player in the nation in stolen bases, with a .917 percentage rate on stolen bases, 22nd best in the country. Nogay is batting .359 on the year, driving in 11 RBIs and scoring 20 runs.
Eva Koratsis is hitting .313 with 26 hits, driving in 16 RBIs with 11 runs scored, second on the team in runs batted in, ahead of Sydney Wells who's brought in 17 RBIs while scattering 20 hits and drawing a team high 16 walks, 59th in the nation in walks per game (0.71).
Nicki Sudall cranked her team-heading fourth home run of the season last weekend, driving in 12 RBIs this season, while scoring seven runs and scattering 20 hits, one of six Rams with 20 or more base-knocks.
Center Circle
Holly Beeman holds a 6-3 record, and has tallied the second best ERA in the A-10 at 2.25, tossing the fifth most innings of any pitcher in the conference with 65.1 on the year. She also sits 64th in the nation in shutouts, and 57th nationally with just 1.50 walks allowed per seven innings.
Tossing eight complete games in ten appearances, Beeman sits 46th in the nation in complete games, and has claimed a pair of A-10 Pitcher of the Week awards thus far in the second and third week of the year.
Emilee Watkins has tallied five wins on the season, starting seven of the last 14 games for Fordham, posting 34.0 innings pitched, allowing 21 earned runs while striking out 17 batters over that span.
Swerve, Bend That Corner, Woah-oh
Locking down the leadoff spot over the past two seasons, Nogay is always a threat to steal, already tying her career best mark from a season ago, when she stole 22 bases in 24 tries, sitting with those exact numbers entering the midweek.
Nogay's 22 stolen bases places her seventh all-time for stolen bases in a single season, with the program record being 36, set by Jessica Hughes '17 in 2016. In her third season in Maroon and White Nogay has stolen 59 bases, tied with Hughes for fifth all-time entering Wednesday, just six back of fourth, set by Lindsey Kay Bright '12 with 66.
In a doubleheader against Loyola-Chicago on Mar. 15, Nogay stole five bases in six attempts, tying a program record with four steals in four tries in game two Saturday against Loyola Chicago. Brianna Pinto '22 was the only player to do so, just a handful of years ago, stealing four bases at Stony Brook on Apr. 8, 2021. Pinto also holds the all-time stolen base record at Fordham with 85.
Passing the Baton
After recording just 30 through the first 14 games of the season (Feb. 8-23), Fordham scored 72 runs over its next 10 (Mar. 5-16) scattering 93 hits and drawing 40 walks, hitting .332 as a team and slugging .500, with eight players hitting .310 or better over that span.
Over those 10 games the Rams have sent out eight home runs, only posting three games over that span without a ball leaving the yard off a Fordham bat.
From Mar. 12-16 alone the Rams tallied 33 runs on 43 hits and 18 walks, bashing three home runs while hitting .398 as a team and slugging .611 with a .480 on-base percentage.
Top of the Heap
The Rams have played four games this season against New York opponents within Empire State borders, claiming a road victory up in New Rochelle over Iona on Mar. 5, and defeating Hofstra in the Rams' home opener Mar. 12.
Fordham will look to continue its dominance over the state this week, St. John's Wednesday in Queens before hosting St. Bonaventure this weekend, and Stony Brook on Apr. 2. The Rams will also take on LIU in a single game on Apr. 16.
Saint Louis Recap
Following a scoreless first for both sides Saint Louis took a 2-0 lead in the second and added one more in the third before a four-run fourth saw the home side pull ahead by seven. Fordham added its first run of the day in the fifth, before the Billikens answered that run in the bottom of the frame. After a second Ram came in to score, Saint Louis tacked on a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the game by run rule in the series opener.
Taking a 6-0 lead through four innings, Saint Louis kept Fordham off the board the entire way, allowing just four hits to the Rams to take the series in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon.
Trading a pair of runs in the first inning of game two, the Maroon and White then rattled off a pair of home runs in the third to break open a four-run lead. Adding one final insurance run in the seventh, Fordham held off the Billikens in the seventh to snatch the series finale, 6-1.
Series History
Fordham holds a 10-7 record against St. John's, taking on one another for the first time in two years. Playing a home-and-home during the 2023 campaign, the Red Storm swept the season series that year, with Fordham taking two of three back in the 2021 season.
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. The Rams previously took on Hofstra and Clemson at home earlier this year, ahead of midweek games at St. John's (Mar. 26), vs. Stony Brook (Apr. 2), and vs. LIU (Apr. 16) the rest of the year.
Scouting St. John's
With a perfect 5-0 record in The World's Borough this season, St. John's leads the BIG EAST sitting 23-9-1 on the year and 5-1 in league play. Boasting one of the best pitching staffs in the nation, the Red Storm sits atop the BIG EAST in shutouts, strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP, sitting top 50 nationally in each of those categories as well.
What's Next?
Fordham returns to the friendly confines of Bahoshy Field this weekend, looking to build on their 4-1 home record, opening a four-game homestand with a three-game set against St. Bonaventure Saturday and Sunday with both days starting at 12:00 p.m.
