PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's softball team gets its season underway on Thursday in Chapel Hill, N.C. with four games across three days of action. After winning 30 games for the first time since 2013 and advancing to the A-10 semifinals a season ago, a group of strong veterans and talented freshmen enter the season with high hopes. 

PITCHERS
With a deep pitching staff that features five different Pennsylvania State Pitchers of the Year across all classifications and that can attack hitters with both right-handed and left-handed arms, the circle is arguably the biggest strength of the team.

The Hawks will have seven different players who could toe the rubber. Taylor Trowbridge is the top returning starter following a season where she finished fifth in the A-10 in strikeouts, 10th in ERA and tied for fifth in wins while earning a place on the All-Tournament Team. 

Also back in the fold are Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Marla Freiwald, senior Jules Scogna and junior Jenna Wagner. Freiwald went 8-3 with a 2.81 ERA last season and was in the top-10 nationally in saves. Scogna was 7-3 with a 2.73 ERA and delivered the first three complete games of her career. Wagner developed as the season went on as both a reliable arm out of the bullpen and as a Sunday conference starter. 

Three newcomers join the Hawks, headlined by junior Julia Shearer. The Maryland transfer appeared in 23 games for the Terrapins last season with 15 starts. She tossed five complete games and had two shutouts. As a junior and senior in high school, Shearer was the Gatorade State Player of the Year at North Penn with a combined ERA under 0.25 and 654 strikeouts. 

New to the staff are Lauren Stalica and Ava Farina. Stalica was the Pennsylvania 5A State Pitcher of the Year as a senior at Abington Heights. Farina was a three-time All-State performer at Orchard Park High School and led her team to a state championship as a senior. 

HITTING
Once again a good mix of returning players and newcomers look to create matchup problems and wreak havoc on A-10 pitching. 

Seniors Riley York and Meghan Sinkus each started all 55 games last season. York was among the top-5 nationally in sacrifice flies and Sinkus hit .280 with 26 RBI and was 9-for-9 in stolen bases. 

Redshirt junior Jenna Currie returns and will be looked upon to provide veteran leadership after smacking 10 doubles and four homers while splitting time behind the plate and at third base. Fellow junior Morgan Lester looks to increase her role after appearing in 23 games last season. Also capable with the bat is Shearer who hit .268 for Maryland last season and raked at a better than .600 clip with 19 homers and 38 steals in her final two seasons at North Penn.

Four redshirt sophomores provide versatility for the Hawks. Kasi Loser played in every game last year in centerfield and came up with some big defensive plays during the A-10 tournament. SJU is excited for the returns of Haley McMenamin and Gianna Muhaw. Both were members of the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team in 2024. McMenamin can play multiple positions in the infield and Muhaw brings an incredible competitiveness to the field every day. Kayley York comes to Saint Joseph's after appearing in 28 games for Rider last season. 

Hailey Peterson returns for her second season. She started 33 games for St. Joe's last year with four homers and 20 RBI. She looks to continue to develop her power, which began to shine through toward the end of last season. 

The freshmen class is a hugely talented group. Alivia Heers comes to the Hawks with a big bat, hitting .400 with eight homers and 36 RBI as a senior at Cape Henlopen High
School. Laney Thorp was a three-time All-Conference honoree at Kingsway Regional. Grace Brown hit .589 with 15 homers and 68 RBI on her way to First Team All-State accolades at Carmel Catholic High School in the Chicagoland area. Also coming from Illinois is Elyssa Hasapis who aims to make an early impact on the roster. Additionally, two-way players Stalica and Farina bring the ability to mash and also turn a lineup over, respectively. 

FIELDING
If pitching is the strength of SJU, then the team's versatility in the field is a close second. Three of the pitchers have the ability to hit well. No less than 10 players can play multiple positions, allowing for a dynamic lineup that can display a variety of looks, keeping the opposition on its toes.

Saint Joseph's begins play on Thursday with a pair of games, taking on Elon at 11:30 a.m., followed by North Carolina at 2:00 p.m.