VILLANOVA, Pa. — The Villanova softball team is set to close its season versus BIG EAST opponent St John's Friday to Sunday. 

The 'Cats (11-39, 5-16 BIG EAST) head into the weekend having lost four straight. 

The Red Storm (32-20, 9-12) come into Villanova having won five consecutive. 

Both teams have been eliminated from the BIG EAST tournament, with St. John's in fifth and four games out of a tournament berth and VU sitting in last, eight games behind Butler, who hold the final BIG EAST spot.

Last season, the Red Storm got the better of Villanova, sweeping the 'Cats in New York. The sweep ended a 14-game win streak for Villanova which lasted from 2019 to 2025. 

Maranda Runco enters the series approaching a couple of milestones. Runco sits at 30 career home runs, one behind fourth place in program history, Ryan Henry, who sent 31 balls over the wall in her career from 2019 to 2023. 

Runco is also one walk away from tying Paige Rauch (45) for the single-season program walk record, coming into the weekend with 44. 

St John's has been the top offense in the BIG EAST in 2026, slashing .315/.391/.394 as a team with 463 hits. The Red Storm are led by Jess Bianco, who is batting .392 with 73 hits and 29 RBIs. 

Ana Serafinko, the reigning BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, has put together another solid season in Queens, coming into the final weekend of her career with a 17-10 record and 2.70 ERA.

Maddie Burrows enters the final weekend of her career leading the 'Cats at the plate with a .313 average, 41 hits and two home runs. 

Since returning, Kat Gallant has thrown a steady 6.2 innings in two appearances. Gallant has a 3.06 ERA in her last two starts. 

Each game of the series will be streamed on ESPN+ with stats available on StatBroadcast.