Softball Hosts Villanova for Weekend Series

CHICAGO - DePaul softball returns to Cacciatore Stadium for their final conference home stand of the season this weekend, April 19-21. The Blue Demons will take on Villanova on Friday at 2:30 p.m. CT with coverage on the BIG EAST Digital Network. Saturday's game will begin at 1 p.m. while the series finale will begin at 12 p.m. on Sunday.

Brooke Johnson, Riley Pool, Ariana Rodriguez, Brenna Smith and Payton Viles will all be recognized prior to Sunday's game as part of the Senior Day ceremony.

In addition to Senior Day, there will be Alumni Day on Saturday and Bark in the Park on Sunday as fanfare continues for the final home weekend.

BLUE DEMON BITS

Brooke Johnson continues to lead the DePaul offense with a batting average of .379 and 20 RBIs. The fifth year senior ranks second in the BIG EAST in slugging percentage (.718) and third in the conference in home runs (nine) and on-base percentage (.467).
Riley Pool is having the best season of her career, tallying a .355 batting average with 33 hits and 18 RBIs. Pool is second in the league in sacrifice flies (four) and third in caught stealing by (nine).
Graduate student Brenna Smith paces the Blue Demons in the circle. Smith has a staff-best ERA of 3.25 through 64.2 innings pitched. Smith has appeared in 21 games and recorded 36 strikeouts.
DePaul is fourth in the BIG EAST in total stolen bases (42) and stolen bases per game (1.14). Freshman Morgan Rogers is fifth overall in the league in stolen bases, recording 10.

ABOUT VILLANOVA

Villanova enters the weekend with a record of 22-18 (13-2 BIG EAST).
The Wildcats lead the conference in on-base percentage (.389) and slugging percentage (.465).
Lilly St. Jean and Tess Cites pace the Wildcats offense. St. Jean has a team-best .337 batting average, 25 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .605. Cites adds a .336 batting average while tallying 38 runs on 41 hits.
Caroline Pelicano owns a team-best 2.35 ERA through 62.2 innings pitched. Alyssa Seidler adds a team-high 77 strikeouts in the circle for the Wildcats.
Bridget Orchard is in her sixth season at the helm of the Wildcats.

SERIES STUFF
DePaul leads the all-time series, 32-13. The two teams last met in the 2023 BIG EAST Tournament, where Villanova won 4-1.

UP NEXT
DePaul closes out home play for the season as Illinois comes to town on Tuesday, April 23. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. with coverage on Marquee Sports Network.

FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Softball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

2024 TICKET INFORMATION

Single-game tickets and Group Ticket Offers are on sale now and start at $5. Fans can visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets for more information.

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Players Mentioned

Brooke Johnson

Riley Pool

Ariana Rodriguez

Morgan Rogers

Brenna Smith

Payton Viles