WASHINGTON – Beginning their quest for the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship, No. 3 seed Fordham University Softball takes on No. 6 Loyola Chicago Wednesday afternoon.
The Rams take on the Ramblers at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+ from the campus of George Washington University in Washington D.C.
Fordham (27-24, 17-9 A-10) has reached the Atlantic 10 postseason every year since the 2003 season, with the exception of the Pandemic canceled season, and seeks its 10th conference championship since joining the league.
Boasting one of the top offenses in the league, the Maroon and White saw the Rams take home 10 All-Conference awards from the Atlantic 10 Tuesday afternoon, including Sydney Wells who enters the postseason as the 2025 Co-Player of the Year after bashing 16 home runs this year, tied for the fourth most in a single season at Fordham, and 49th best of any player in Division I this season.
Wells also averages 0.92 walks per game, seventh highest of any player in the country, and is slugging .810 on the year to help lead a stacked offense that has six players batting over .300 entering the playoffs. Neleh Nogay is one of those who set a program and A-10 record with 42 stolen bases this season, ranked sixth best in the country, while also ranked 24th nationally with a team-high 71 hits on the year, another one of three first-team all-conference honorees on the squad alongside Nicki Sudall.
The Rams as a team lead the A-10 with 396 hits on the year and rank second in home runs (31), batting average (.289) and slugging percentage as a team (.406), and rank third in the A-10 with a .375 on-base percentage and average 4.69 runs per game, also third best in the league.
On the defensive side, Holly Beeman, a second-team All A-10 selection, posted a 2.42 ERA to lead the Rams with a 12-7 record, tossing 16 complete games in 21 appearances, ranked 30th of any pitcher in the nation. Emilee Watkins tallied eight wins on the year for the Maroon and White, while Elizabeth Gaisior has posted wins in each of her last three outings to end the regular season.
Facing off against a team the Rams swept earlier in the year, Loyola Chicago enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed, with a 19-32 record overall, 14-12 in the A-10. Led by pitcher Peyton Pepkowski, who tallied 147 strikeouts in the regular season, Haley Wallace paces the Ramblers offense with 50 hits and 23 RBIs while hitting .329 on the year.
The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to the Quarterfinals of the 2025 Atlantic 10 Championship Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against No. 2 Saint Louis. The losing side will play in an elimination game against the losing team from Game 1, Wednesday night at 5:00 p.m.
