QUEENS, N.Y. – It's officially crunch time in BIG EAST softball as the regular season is down to its penultimate weekend when the Villanova Wildcats (24-20-1, 12-6 BIG EAST) will travel to Red Storm Field for a series at first-place St. John's.

Due to inclement weather expected on Saturday, the series has been shifted to a Friday doubleheader at 1 and 3 p.m. before a Sunday solo game for the finale 

SERIES AGAINST ST. JOHN'S    
The BIG EAST's first place team for nearly all of 2025 is in the opposite dugout this weekend as the Wildcats head to Queens for a pivotal three-game series at St. John's. One of the most-faced teams in Villanova history, these squads have met over 90 times historically with VU holding a 15-win edge in the all-time series over the Johnnies. The Wildcats maintain a 14-game winning streak against the Red Storm, not falling to SJU since April of 2019. Villanova swept St. John's in the 2024 regular season and outlasted them in a BIG EAST round one eight-inning affair, plus the 'Cats have won the last six contests at Red Storm Field (sweeps in 2021 and 2023).

TANGLED WITH TOWSON    
The Villanova bats exploded for their highest output of the season in the most recent outing on Tuesday evening, scoring 16 runs in a five-inning defeat of Towson. Grace Reed hit two homers in the same inning and Brooklyn Ostrowski added three hits and a trio of runs scored including one dinger. Ava Franz, Elaina Wagner and Madison Ostrowski each totaled a pair of base knocks while Maranda Runco contributed a two-run homer in addition to a three-inning, two-strikeout performance in the circle. Sophia Mount closed it out with a pair of scoreless innings of relief, granting the 'Cats a victory in their inaugural game under the lights on the Main Line.

CATCHING UP ON CONFERENCE STANDINGS    
It's a packed top of the pecking order in BIG EAST softball as seven teams sit at or above .500 in league play with just two weekends remaining in the regular season. Only the top six will descend upon the Villanova Softball Complex on May 7 for the conference tournament, so one team (in addition to already-eliminated DePaul and Georgetown) will miss out on the fun. VU's opponent this weekend, the St. John's Red Storm, has been in first place almost the entire year but was caught by UConn to put the two in a tie for the top spot with the two earning both first round byes at the moment. Villanova sits in striking distance of a bye at two games back in third, Butler is fourth and Providence is sixth with each yet to have a bye week, Seton Hall is fifth at 10-8 and Creighton is currently on the outside looking in with a .500 conference record of 9-9. 

READ UP ON THE RED STORM

• St. John's has already broken its program record for wins in a single season, racking up a 34-14-1 mark overall. The Red Storm own a 14-4 BIG EAST record, only dropping a series to Seton Hall while sweeping Georgetown, Providence and DePaul, though yet to play the conference's two preseason favorites in Villanova and Connecticut.
• London Jarrard is the top threat at the plate for the Johnnies and one of the best hitters in the BIG EAST, batting .429 this year with 66 hits, a career-high 53 RBI and 12 home runs. Outfielder and Cherry Hill native Jess Bianco adds a .402 average with 24 walks and 26 stolen bases while Elanna Lysiak has 49 hits and nine doubles in her junior campaign.
• It's a two-headed monster in the circle for the Red Storm as juniors Lorelay Francia and Ana Serafinko are two of the top hurlers in the nation and have combined for over 91 percent of the innings for SJU. Left-hander Serafinko leads the BIG EAST at 234 strikeouts (third in Division I) in 157 innings while Francia maintains a 1.74 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and .201 batting average against her. 

All three matchups will feature statistics courtesy of StatBroadcast with streaming on ESPN+. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Friday for the opener and 3:00 p.m. or 30 minutes later for game two, then 12:00 p.m. for Sunday's finale.