The Saint Mary’s tennis, softball and lacrosse teams are looking forward to a busy sports schedule over spring break. They will be traveling to many different places around the United States to compete in their respective tournaments over spring break.
The Saint Mary’s lacrosse team, 1-3 on the season, will face Rhodes over the break. After a tough 16-5 loss to Carthage, the Belles lacrosse team will look to bounce back against the Lynx. Rhodes has one more game before the match-up with Saint Mary's.
Rhodes is 1-2 coming into the weekend. Avery Burke and Chloe Parker lead the Lynx in total points so far this season- both have seven goals and two assists. Parker also leads the team in shots with a total of 14 shot attempts. As a team, the Lynx have a negative turnover ratio, losing the ball 22 times, whiling only stealing it from their opponents 18 times.
The Belles tennis team is on its way to Hilton Head, NC where they will face four different teams: Illinois Tech (3-10), Messiah (1-2), Carroll (6-7), and Lynchburg (2-1).
Most of these teams have struggled so far this season. Illinois Tech is on a six game losing streak but has some success. Ashley Dame and Sofia Martinez both lead the team in the singles competition with a 6-5 record on the season. In the doubles competition, Martinez and her partner Hannah Markiewicz lead the team with a record of 6-4.
Next, the Belles will play Messiah. Rebekah Sheaffer, 2-1 overall on the season, leads her team in singles. Sheaffer and her partner Kylie Walker lead the team 2-1 overall in the doubles competition.
Coming off of a 1-8 loss against Roosevelt University, Caroll will be Saint Mary's third competitor. Kaitlin Brandi leads the team with a 6-6 record on the season so far in the singles competition. Behind her, Maya Gaedtke has a record of 5-6 in the singles competition. Gaedtke and her partner Katherine Trifilio lead the team in the doubles, boasting an impressive 7-1 record on the season so far.
Finally, the Belles will play Lynchburg, the only team on their schedule with a winning record. They are coming off a 2-7 loss against Randolph. There is no clear top scorer in singles, with a four way tie for first place for Lynchburg. Two sets of partners are perfect across their first three games.
The Saint Mary’s softball team will begin its season with a six-day trip to Florida. The Belles will face Juniata and Albertus on Sunday, Montclair State and Pitt-Greensburg on Monday, Curry and McMurry on Tuesday, Farmingdale State and Edgewood on Thursday and Juniata and Susquehana on Friday.
The Belles began last season with a similar season-starting stretch, going 5-5, with most of the wins coming during the second half of the trip. Overall, St. Mary’s posted an 11-25 record in 2023, with a 4-12 mark in conference play. The Belles did finish last season strong, though, posting a 4-2 record in May.
Saint Mary’s returns each of its five leaders in hits from a year ago. Senior second baseman and pitcher Caitlin Traxler was a Second Team All-MIAA selection, leading the team in batting average, home runs and RBIs. Senior shortstop McKenna Myers was also a key contributor, trailing only Traxler in batting average, home runs and RBIs.
Senior Libby Bierbaum is the team’s top returning pitcher, recording a 4.77 ERA. Traxler also tallied 41.1 innings in the circle as one of three Belles to pitch last season.
Sign up for our Observer Sports newsletter!
Have an Irish sports question? Ask it for our Observer Sports mailbag!
