LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team will have one of the most experienced pitching staffs in the nation in 2016.  After a 31-19 record in 2015, the Red Flash returns 95 percent of its innings pitched from 2015.
 
Saint Francis is the only team in the NEC returning all of its top four pitchers from a year ago.  Bryant is the only other school who returns each of its top three.  Even among the Top 25 teams by RPI last season, only six have their top four or four of their top five pitchers returning (Auburn, Baylor, Cal, Kentucky, Minnesota and Notre Dame).
 
"Our pitching staff should be our backbone and developing this staff is one area we have worked really hard on over the past few seasons," said Head Coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift. "We're excited to see all of them compete the first weekend. We're just as excited about our newcomer MiKayla Bower from what she has shown us already this year."
 
The Red Flash not only has a lot of innings returning, but spread out those innings last year with three different pitchers earning 70 or more innings.  Two of those pitchers owned an ERA under 3.00. 
 
SFU also has a lot of experienced innings as all four returners, Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area), Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston), Blaire Lauthers (Doylesburg, Pa./Fannett-Metal) and Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) are juniors. 
 
"I feel like there are a lot of advantages to spreading out innings," said Patrick-Swift. "Because so many good arms competing against each other throughout the year makes them better. It gives us options with keeping people off balance and most importantly, keeps them fresh throughout the season.
 
The older Bower appreciates the ability of the staff to not only spread out innings but fit into whatever situation they are needed.
 
"It helps a lot that we spread out those innings," said Bower. "Throwing a lot of innings is really tough on a pitcher, especially at this level.  It can be straining mentally if you have to throw a lot.  It helps that we can not only split up games, but within games, we all have different styles, so we can throw batters off, and we all have experience with different types of situations."
 
Saint Francis ranked third in the Northeast Conference last year, with a team 3.24 ERA, and fourth in batting average against, .255. 
 
"We focus on inducing weak contact," said Patrick-Swift. "We talk a ton about not walking people and not allowing big innings. Weak contact and keeping hitters off balance will result in a lot of outs. We play to each of our pitchers' strengths and I think they all bring something different to the table."
 
The Red Flash coaching staff stresses pitching to contact, something that is a focus for every pitcher.
 
"I just know when I was a freshman, the coaches pounded into my head to not focus on throwing to strikeout, but to get outs," said Lauthers. "We talked this preseason about goals for the season. One of my goals for the season is just to get outs. I'm not trying to overpower people, if it happens, it happens, but my job is to get a groundball or fly ball and just get outs."
 
Lauthers, named to the College Sports Madness Preseason All-NEC First Team, finished the 2015 season with a 2.41 ERA in 96 innings.  She was 90th in the nation last season in ERA.  She split her appearances almost in half between starts and relief appearances, with 14 starts.  She went 13-7 in 29 appearances, including three complete games and two saves.  She struck out 35 batters and allowed a batting average of .253. 
 
"I had a lot more confidence last year," said Lauthers. "Coming back as a sophomore, I didn't have the nerves. I was just focused on throwing outs instead of trying to overpower people."

"The one thing that I think really allows Blaire to compete hard at this level is her ability to move on from pitch to pitch," said Patrick-Swift. "She doesn't focus on what just happened or what is going to happen with the next batter, she's just in the moment every single pitch. All pitchers have good stuff at this level, but it's the ones throwing with confidence and the ability to stay in the present momemnt that have the most success."
 
Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) posted a 2.97 ERA in 70.2 innings.  Bower was also a College Sports Madness Preseason All-NEC First Team selection after going 6-6 in 19 appearances in 2015.  Bower started 14 games, with three complete games, and saved two games.  She struck out 50 batters, while walking 31 and allowed a .236 batting average.
 
Santai is the third member of the rotation, compiling a 3.33 ERA in 107.1 innings in 2015.  She posted an 8-4 mark in 31 appearances, including 16 starts, four complete games and three saves.  Santai struck out 67 batters and allowed a .267 batting average against.
 
The fourth returning pitcher for the Red Flash is redshirt junior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston), who led the staff with a .231 batting average against.  She had a 4.56 ERA in 35.1 innings.  DeVries went 3-1 in 15 appearances, including five starts.  She struck out 34 batters, while walking 15.
 
Joining the four returners is MiKayla Bower.  As a senior at Williamsport High School last year, Bower went 9-4 with a 1.03 ERA in 14 appearances.  In 81.2 innings, she stuck out 100 batters, while only walking 12.
 
The Red Flash will look to its pitching staff to again be a strength of the team and establish itself as the top staff in the NEC in 2016.
 
Saint Francis begins the 2016 season this weekend at the UNC Wilmington Tournament.  The Red Flash makes its season debut with a doubleheader on Friday, taking on UNC Wilmington at 10 a.m. and Army at 3 p.m.