STORRS, Conn. -- It's time for the annual renewal of the Villanova-Connecticut softball rivalry, with a three-game series set for Burrill Family Field this weekend as the BIG EAST regular season title is on the line for the Wildcats (25-19, 16-2 BIG EAST).

LIVING BY THE LONG BALL        
As has become tradition under head coach Bridget Orchard and hitting coach Gabby Luety, the Wildcats are built on power. So far in 2024, Villanova has already blasted 52 dingers, which ranks second in program history for a single season with six games still to play. The 'Cats are averaging 1.18 homers per game, leading the conference and 24th in the nation with Brooklyn Ostrowski's 11 dingers ranking fourth in a VU single season. And it's been coming from everyone, with six players belting five or more bombs and first career tanks coming off the bats of five Wildcats. Villanova's power came to a head in the 17-5 victory at Providence on March 17, where five players sent balls out of the yard, and against St. John's with a quartet of two-run bombs in the same game.

WHO TO PITCH TO?    
Pitchers have been struggling with this question all year against the Villanova lineup, as seemingly every game it's a new Wildcat stepping up at the dish. Up and down the order, productivity has been the name of the game with players one through nine contributing. To put it into perspective, the two returning All-BIG EAST First Teamers (Cites and Franz) are 8th and 10th on the team in batting average against league teams. Beyond Cites in the leadoff spot, the 'Cats have not used a consistent lineup all year and yet, VU leads the league in scoring, on base and slugging percentage, doubles and home runs per game. And while you may think "Oh, let's throw to the younger, unproven players in the order," that hasn't worked either! Freshman outfielder Elizabeth Gray has racked up 11 hits and a .324 batting average in conference play, Grace Reed has the fourth-most homers on the team with six and Maranda Runco has come on recently with RBI hits in both of her last BIG EAST ABs.

LILLY'S LEAP AND ELAINA'S EMERGENCE    
Despite all of the returning All-BIG EAST players up and down the lineup, the two most impressive batters for Villanova might have been unexpected for the opposition: Lilly St. Jean and Elaina Wagner. St. Jean has taken her sophomore leap, bouncing back from a .220 freshman season to become the top statistical hitter for the Wildcats. The New Jersey native leads the team in batting average at .356, including the most base knocks in BIG EAST play and a tie with Wagner for a team-best 11 doubles. After scattered playing time through non-conference, St. Jean returned with a five-RBI pinch-hit performance in the Seton Hall opener and hasn't left the four hole since. Wagner might be the Wildcats' best story in 2024, scarcely seeing playing time through her first two years but working her way into one of the squad's best overall hitters. An infielder by trade, the New York native has transitioned into right field after the graduation of two starting outfielders and she's excelled, batting .362 in BIG EAST play and maintaining a 22 game-reached base streak up until last weekend.

CLOSER CAROLINE     
While it isn't a strategy all softball teams use, the Wildcats have determined their path for success in the circle is to get four or five innings out of their starter and then turn things over to their super reliever: Caroline Pellicano. Entering the weekend in Storrs, Pellicano's name is littered across the pitching record books as the senior owns the most relief appearances and games finished in Villanova history. The next benchmark for the right-hander to reach would be saves, where she currently maintains sole possession of second place with 13 in her career and a career-best six on the year. The hardest-throwing Wildcat with a nasty breaking ball, the Pennsylvania native maintains a .250 BAA and 1.09 ERA in BIG EAST play with just four earned runs. 

SEIDLER LEADS THE STAFF    
Alyssa Seidler has been the surprise of the season so far for VU, throwing a staff-high 79.2 innings with a Villanova-best 91 strikeouts in 16 starts. The Long Island native has held opposing batters to a .222 average with a pair of complete games and a shutout. Seidler earned her first career win in a complete game effort against Michigan State, then picked up another Power Five victory against Louisville before six wins in the first six weeks of BIG EAST competition. Behind the senior right-hander, it's been pitching by committee as Kat Gallant (13 starts, 73 innings) and Kelsey White (10 starts, 54 innings) have split the rest of the starts but also each have entered seven times in relief. Gallant has struck out 55 on the year with one of the top walks per seven rates in the nation, while White is known for her ability to induce batted-ball outs.

HONING IN ON THE HUSKIES

• Connecticut is a formidable foe as usual in 2024, owning a 26-20 record with a three-game winning streak at the moment. 
• UConn was projected to finish second in the BIG EAST preseason poll and currently maintains a 12-6 conference record. Like Villanova, Connecticut has only lost one series in conference play to St. John's, owning a sweep of DePaul and series wins over Butler, Providence, Creighton and most recently Seton Hall.
• Lexi Hastings has been the Huskies' top hitter, racking up a .389 average with 56 hits and 41 runs scored. The Jenkins twins have both been formidable at the plate, with catcher Grace batting .352 and pitcher Hope hitting .299 with 38 hits. 
• Three pitchers have dominated the innings for Connecticut, led by transfer Hallie Siems with 119.1 innings pitched and 129 strikeouts. Payton Kinney maintains a 2.17 ERA in 14 starts while Meghan O'Neil serves as the closer with five saves and just 21 earned runs in 33 appearances.
• Historically this series has belonged to the Huskies as UConn allowed just four Villanova victories from 1992-2009 on the way to a 15-48 all-time record opposite VU. Since Connecticut's return to the conference in 2021 though, it's been far more even with Villanova sweeping that year's regular season series before winning back-to-back games in the BIG EAST Championship for the program's first ever title. UConn has won the last two series iterations, including a sweep at the VU Softball Complex in 2023, but Villanova has an 8-6 edge over the Huskies since they re-joined.

Live stat links for each of the games this week can be found at villanova.statbroadcast.com. Saturday's bout will be broadcast nationally on FS1 while Friday and Sunday's contests will stream on FloSoftball.

Keep up with the Villanova University softball program through social media by following on Twitter (@VUSoftball) and Instagram (@novasoftball) and 'liking' on Facebook (/VUSoftball).