STANDISH, Maine – The 2023 Saint Joseph's College softball team kicks off the season with 10 contests in The Spring Games, starting with a 9:00 AM tilt versus Catholic University in Kissimmee, Florida on Sunday, March 5th.
The Monks, led by 26th-year Head Coach Jamie Smyth '92 (557-384, .592), face a challenging 2023 schedule which features five teams that appeared in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, with Spring Trip games versus Illinois College, Rochester, and College of Saint Benedict and home tilts against Husson and Johnson & Wales.
Saint Joseph's will also face five teams for the first time in program history – Rochester, Catholic, La Roche, Marian, and York, all in Florida next week.
St. Joe's is scheduled to kick off play in New England with a home twinbill versus Thomas College on March 26th and open Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with a doubleheader against Anna Maria College at Richard W. Bailey Field on April 1st.
Last spring the Monks earned the #3 seed in the North Division and topped #4N Rivier University, 4-3, in a GNAC tourney play-in game to advance to the double-elimination portion of the bracket. After falling to #2N Simmons University, 6-0, two days later, St. Joe's staved off elimination with 5-3 wins over #1S Albertus Magnus and Simmons on Saturday, May 7th, but fell one game short of the GNAC Championship with an 8-4 setback at the hands of #1N Emmanuel College the next day.
GAMES TO WATCH:
Apr. 5 vs. Husson: The Eagles are coming off a terrific season during which they won the North Atlantic Conference Championship and defeated #22 Amherst College, 6-1, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Saint Joseph's has fallen to Husson in eight-consecutive meetings – the longest losing streak versus any of the Monks' 2023 foes. The last time SJC topped Husson was May 8th, 2011.
Apr. 15 vs. Johnson & Wales: The Monks host the reigning GNAC Champions on Saturday, April 15th in a doubleheader slated to start at 12:00 PM. SJC and JWU split a two-game set in Providence last spring and the mid-April games against the Wildcats – who posted a 37-8 record last season – will certainly have an impact on conference standings.
Apr. 20 at Southern Maine: USM has defeated SJC in four-straight meetings, including a 13-inning 11-10 marathon triumph in Standish last season. These two teams are obviously very familiar with each other, and the Huskies have had the upper hand in recent meetings, but the Monks figure to fare better with a nice mixture of veterans and newcomers dotting the roster this spring.
SCHEDULE SYNOPSIS:
CLOSER LOOK AT THE 2023 SCHEDULE/OPPONENTS:
| Total Games: | 38 |
| Home/Away/Neutral: | 14/14/10 |
| Opponents' Overall Record in 2022: | 451-382 (.541) |
| Monks' All-Time Record vs. 2023 Foes: | 371-137 (.730) |
| Monks' All-Time Composite Score vs. 2023 Foes: | 2988-1509 |
| Longest Current Winning Streak vs. 2023 Opponent: | Lasell (23) |
| Longest Current Losing Streak vs. 2023 Opponent: | Husson (8) |
| 2022 NCAA Tournament Teams on 2023 Schedule: | Illinois Coll., Rochester, Saint Benedict, Husson, Johnson & Wales |
| First Time Opponent(s) on 2023 Schedule: | Catholic, La Roche, Marian, York, Rochester |
| 2023 GNAC Tournament Dates: | May 2 (1st Round), May 4 (Quarterfinals), May 6 (Semifinals), May 7 (Championship) |
| 2023 NCAA Tournament Dates: | May 19 - June 1 |
