PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – It will be an action-packed and festive weekend on the Pleasantville campus of Pace University as the four spring athletic programs play home games and celebrate each's Senior Day. On Saturday, the men's and women's lacrosse seniors will be honored, while the baseball and softball teams will hold their ceremonies on Sunday.
 
Baseball vs. Southern Connecticut State University (Saturday 11 a.m.) Live Video Live Stats
Baseball vs. Southern Connecticut State University (Sunday 1 p.m.) Live Video Live Stats
 
Third and fourth place in the NE10 southwest division square off in a pair of doubleheaders this weekend when the Pace baseball team (17-13, 8-7) welcomes Southern Connecticut State (23-8, 7-4) to Finnerty Field.
 
After winning five in a row, the Setters split four with Saint Rose last weekend.
 
Luke Jacobi (Edison, N.J./JP Stevens) hit 9-of-15 at the plate, for six RBIs, and had three runs scored in the series. The graduate student leads the team in all three statistical categories this season, with 43 hits, a .384 average, 32 RBIs, and 31 runs scored.
 
Christian Aich (Sayreville, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) threw for a complete-game win, 13-1, in the Setters' first victory of the series. The New Jerseyite allowed just six hits sprinkled across nine innings of work, while striking out five batters. 
 
Fellow junior pitcher Patrick Gleason (Valhalla, N.Y./Valhalla) boasts a 1.88 ERA this season, which is second best in the conference.
 
The Owls' Andrew Eng leads the NE10 in RBIs with 41, while lefties Nick Guarino and Steve Phillips are a combined 15-1 in their starts, ranking first and second respectively in conference wins with eight and seven.
 
Softball vs. Adelphi University (Saturday 11 a.m.) Live Video Live Stats
Softball vs. Caldwell University (Sunday 12 p.m.) Live Video Live Stats
 
Winners of 13 of their last 15, the Pace softball team (23-10, 11-7) will face their stiffest tests of this season back-to-back when they host the team with the best record in the Northeast-10 Conference on Saturday, Adelphi (32-10, 17-3), and accept a visit from the team with the best record in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, Caldwell (30-7, 16-2), on Sunday.
 
It can easily be argued that the three best pitchers in the NE10 will all be competing on the Pace Softball Field on Saturday.
 
The story of the Setters' 2022 season has been the emergence of freshman pitcher Gissele Garcia. After winning both the NE10 Pitcher and Rookie of the Week honors twice consecutively, the Californian followed that up with a performance that will live in Pace lore.
 
Garcia tossed the first Pace seven-inning no-hitter in two decades, and did so in convincing fashion, striking batters out swinging left and right, in a game that only lasted 65 minutes and improved her record to 14-3.
 
The freshman's 1.27 ERA, 151 strikeouts, and 14 wins would be the best marks in the NE10 if not for two Panthers' pitchers.
 
Junior Claire Fon is number one in both wins, with a 17-3 record, and ERA, with a microscopic 0.93 in 26 appearances. Sophomore Lindsey Hibbs is 15-6 with three saves on the season, and her 210 strikeouts comfortably lead the conference.
 
Adelphi has won nine straight entering Saturday's doubleheader. The Setters will then face Caldwell on Sunday, who has won seven straight.
 
Pace's offense has been guided by a mixture of veteran and youth leadership. Senior Zoie Iverson (Oregon City, Ore./Alliance Charter Academy/ Oregon City High School) leads the team in hitting average, RBI, and home runs, while freshman Alexa Borino (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) is first in hits and runs scored.
 
*No. 15 Women's Lacrosse vs. Franklin Pierce University (Saturday 4 p.m.) Live Video Live Stats
 
Following their most lopsided victory of the season, the Setter women's lacrosse team (10-4, 7-3) hosts Franklin Pierce (4-9, 4-7) on Senior Day.
 
Pace defeated American International College on Tuesday, 22-2, the team's second win in a row. The Blue and Gold were up 12-0 after one quarter, effectively putting the game to bed in just 15 minutes.
 
Five Setters recorded a hat trick, with sophomore Angelina Porcello (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) leading the way with her second quartet of goals in just three games.
 
Junior Avery Gales (Lake Oswego, Ore./Tualatin) played the best game of her career thus far, scoring three goals for the first time.
 
Senior Kayla Conway's (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) outstanding season continued to be so as her impressive three-goal, one-assist, and seven-draw control performance against the Yellow Jackets seemed almost routine.
 
The Setters are currently fifth in the conference standings with three games to play.
 
A win versus the Ravens and a loss by either So. New Hampshire or Le Moyne, both of whom are also 7-3 in the NE10 and will play each other in their regular-season finales, would thrust Pace into one of the top-four spots. 
 
The top four seeds will host an NE10 Championship Tournament quarterfinal.

*Also during halftime on Saturday, we will be recognizing members of past women's lacrosse teams at Pace as part of Alumni Day.
 
*No. 9 Men's Lacrosse vs. The College of Saint Rose (Saturday 7 p.m.) Live Video Live Stats
 
In their final game of the 2022 regular-season, the Pace men's lacrosse team (10-3, 6-3) faces Saint Rose (7-8, 2-6) on Senior Day from Pace Stadium.
 
Depending on this weekend's results, Pace will enter the NE10 Championship Tournament next weekend as high as the third overall seed, or as low as the fifth.
 
The Blue and Gold are coming off a road loss to Saint Anselm on Wednesday.
 
Junior Anthony Caputo (Westbury, N.Y./W.T Clarke) followed up a career-best performance against Bentley with a solid team-high four-goal, one-assist outing. 
 
Jake Veres (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) and Tim Cairo (Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) each had four points, while fellow seniors Griffin Shiland (Mohegan Lake, N.Y./Lakeland) and Louis Ragusa (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) finished with six and five ground balls each.
 
Ragusa racked 21 saves against Saint Anselm following a 20-stop performance last Saturday at Bentley.
 
*Also during halftime on Saturday, we will be recognizing members of past men's lacrosse teams at Pace as part of Alumni Day. Additionally, the Setters will be joined by family members of the late Coach Dan Mulholland.  

For updates throughout the weekend regarding Pace Athletics, log on to www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace Athletics on Facebook (T-Bone, Official Mascot of Pace University Athletics), Twitter (@PaceUAthletics) and Instagram (@PaceAthletics).