BRONX, N.Y. – Opening a seven-game homestand with a three game Atlantic 10 series this weekend, Fordham University Softball hosts St. Bonaventure at Bahoshy Field.
All games will air live on ESPN+ with the two sides set for a doubleheader Saturday and single Sunday afternoon with both days starting at 12:00 p.m.
Stack 'Em Up
Fordham (13-16, 4-2 A-10) is coming off a midweek victory at St. John's Wednesday afternoon in Queens, 4-1, claiming their third straight win against a team from the Big Apple.
The Bats have come alive for the Rams since the start of March, scattering 125 hits over the last 15 games, and on the year have totaled 205 hits, second best of any team in the Atlantic 10. Fordham's offense also sits third in batting average and on-base percentage, hitting .270 as a team, with a .359 OBP.
Since the first game of the month, Mar. 5 at Iona, the Ram have tallied seven games with nine or more hits including three games with 11 or more in that span. Over the entirety of the campaign, the Rams have posted 10 games with at least nine hits, and have posted a season-high 12 on four separate occasions, most recently at Saint Louis in a 6-1 win last Saturday.
On the defensive end the Rams have turned nine double-plays this year, third most of any team in the league, and sit 72nd in the nation with a .968 fielding percentage as a team. The Fordham pitching staff sits fourth in the A-10 in shutouts and has the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the conference at 1.53.
Leading the Lineup
On the season Nogay leads the Rams and all players in the A-10 with 37 hits and 23 stolen bases, with her efforts on the base-paths placing her 10th best of any player in the nation in stolen bases, with a .920 percentage rate on stolen bases, 20th best in the country. Nogay is batting .349 on the year, driving in 11 RBIs and scoring 22 runs.
Eva Koratsis is hitting .310 with 27 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 21 RBIs, coming off a two-homer game Wednesday, while scattering 24 hits on the year and has drawn a team high 21 walks, 56th in the nation in walks per game (0.72), and leads the team with five home runs.
Nicki Sudall cranked her 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 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 66th in the nation in shutouts, and 54th nationally with just 1.50 walks allowed per seven innings, third best in the A-10.
Tossing eight complete games in ten appearances, Beeman sits 48th 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 15 games for Fordham, posting 34.0 innings pitched, allowing 21 earned runs while striking out 17 batters over that span.
Olivia Simcoe tallied her second win of the campaign last time out, tossing a full seven innings while allowing just one run at St. John's.
Swerve, Bend That Corner, Woah-oh
Locking down the leadoff spot over the past two seasons, Nogay is always a threat to steal, already surpassing her career best mark from a season ago, when she stole 22 bases in 24 tries, now sitting with 23 this season on 25 attempts.
Nogay's 23 stolen bases now places her fifth 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 stole her 60th career base on Wednesday, passing Hughes for fifth all-time, and is now 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 three games this season against New York opponents within Empire State borders this season, claiming a road victory up in New Rochelle over Iona on Mar. 5, defeating Hofstra in the Rams' home opener Mar. 12, and downing St. John's Wednesday afternoon.
With wins over teams from The Bronx, Long Island, and Queens, Fordham will look to continue its dominance over the state this week, hosting St. Bonaventure this weekend, and Stony Brook on Wednesday, Apr. 2. The Rams will also take on LIU in a single game on Apr. 16.
St. John's Recap
Fordham saw Sydney Wells steal the show Wednesday as they defeated St. John's, 4-1, riding the bat of the Rams' junior all afternoon, as she rattled off three of the team's four hits on the afternoon, launching a pair of home runs, and coming just a few feet shy of a third, lacing a two-run double off the right field wall as well. Eva Koratsis tallied the other hit for the Maroon and White, while Olivia Simcoe picked up a win in the circle, tossing a full seven innings, allowing just one run while striking out three.
Series History
In a lengthy all-time series that dates back to the 1996 campaign, the Rams own a 45-19 advantage over St. Bonaventure, winning four of the last five meetings, including two of three games in each of the last two years. The Bonnies have not claimed a series win over Fordham since the 2008 season, with the Rams going 30-4 over that span.
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, and St. John's on the road earlier this week, and will host two more midweek non-league's vs. Stony Brook (Apr. 2), and vs. LIU (Apr. 16) the rest of the year. The Rams will head to Saint Joseph's for the lone midweek conference series of the campaign with a doubleheader on Wednesday, Apr. 9.
Within Friendly Confines
Fordham opens a seven-game homestand this weekend, the longest of the campaign, hosting a three game set against St. Bonaventure this weekend, before a single game against Stony Brook on Wednesday, Apr. 2. The Rams remain at home next weekend as well, hosting their second straight A-10 series when George Mason comes to town Apr. 5-6 for three games that Saturday and Sunday.
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.
Scouting St. Bonaventure
Sitting at 4-18 on the year, St. Bonaventure started the season 3-1, but has only one won game since Feb. 24, a 14-6 win at Mercyhurst on Mar. 8. Looking to snap an 11-game losing streak, the Bonnies are coming off a pair of one-run losses at Mercyhurst on Thursday, 3-2 and 6-5.
What's Next?
The Rams' homestand continues Wednesday with a single game against Stony Brook at 3:00 p.m. from Bahoshy Field.
