Cancelled Event: Softball versus Tarleton State
Softball
vs Tarleton State
Cancelled
Providence College Athletics
Wednesday, May 7
Villanova, Pa.
3:00 PM
Providence College
vs
Villanova
Softball Game Notes 2025 BIG EAST Softball Championship First Round
5/6/2025 5:48:00 PM | Softball
No. 6-Seed Friars will face the No. 3-Seed Villanova Wildcats in the First Round of the BIG EAST Softball Championship.
Wednesday, May 7 will be streamed live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) via FloCollege at 3:00 p.m. Live stats will also be available via the softball schedule on Friars.com.Â
ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP... The winner of Wednesday's First Round game between No. 6 Providence and No. 3 Villanova will automatically advance to the BIG EAST Quarterfinals on Thursday, May 8 at 3:00 p.m. to face UConn. The loser of Wednesday's First Round matchup will face the loser of the First Round match between No. 4 Creighton and No. 5 Butler, on May 7 at 6:00 p.m.
VS. VILLANOVA...Â
2025 Season-
Villanova Leads: 3-0
Last week (May 2-4), the Wildcats swept the Friars in a three-game set at Villanova. PC is 2-2 all-time in BIG EAST Championship play versus the Wildcats.
Providence's History In The BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP... Â Â Â Â Â
The Friars captured their lone BIG EAST Title in 1994 under the direction of Head Coach Jennifer Finley. Providence defeated Connecticut in Jamaica, N.Y., 1-0, with Kim Robbins being named the Most Outstanding Player.Â
Providence holds a 9-16 overall record in the BIG EAST Championship with one title and two runner-up finishes. The Friars fell to Connecticut in the 1992 BIG EAST Title game, 2-1, before reaching the title game for a second-consecutive season in 1995 but were defeated by Connecticut, 3-1.Â
The Friars' last time in the BIG EAST Softball Championsip was in 2019 where the Friars fell, 4-0, in a Semifinals match against DePaul.Â
Wednesday's game against Villanova will mark second-year Head Coach Kelsey Christensen's BIG EAST Championship debut.Â
STRONG FINISH...
Providence won 11 of its conference games to clinch a spot in the BIG EAST Softball Championship for the first time since 2019. Heading into the final weekend of BIG EAST play, Providence sat in contention with three other teams (VU, SHU & CU) but was able to secure the sixth-seed after leading the tie-breaker over Seton Hall.
POWER FROM TOP TO BOTTOM...
The Friars have hit 27 home runs this season. Cameron Dunn holds a team-high eight home runs while Gabriella Sebastian and Julia Renny are behind with four. Nine separate players have tallied a home run for Providence this season.Â
HITTING MACHINE...
Junior Elisa Smith has led the Friars' lineup throughout the regular season, finishing with a team-best .383 batting average, 59 hits, six triples and a .466 on-base percentage, ranking her among the Big East's top hitters. She is currently first in the conference in triples, seventh in batting average, eighth in on-base percentage and ninth in hits. Lee's performance in the regular season earned her a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team; her first All-BIG EAST recognition of her career.Â
PITCHING DOMINANCE...
Providence's success this season has been helped by graduate student Tori Grifone's effort in the circle. She enters the BIG EAST Championship with 10 wins across 20 starts. Over 110 innings pitched, she has posted a 3.82 ERA while holding opponents to a .249 batting average, recording 64 strikeouts. In Big East play, Grifone ranked sixth in ERA (3.43) and third in opposing batting average (.240). She tallied a season-high eight strikeouts in a win over Creighton earlier this year. Grifone's effort in the regular season earned her a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team; her first All-BIG EAST recognition of her career.Â
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS...Â
Villanova claimed the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Championship with a 15-9 conference record. The Wildcats swept the Friars in a three-game set last week (May 2-4) to secure the three-seed heading into the tournament.Â
The Wildcats have a strong foundation with three All-BIG EAST First Team members, Kat Gallant, Maranda Runco and Kelsy White. White, a unanimous First Team selection and two-way player, allowed the fewest hits and runs among pitchers and was the only one to now allow a home run in BIG EAST action. The senior is sixth in the league for opposing batting average (.257) and eighth in ERA (3.73). At the plate, White recorded career-bests in batting average (.263), hits (35), runs scored (28), home runs (eight) and doubles (nine). Gallant, a pitcher, led the conference in ERA (1.84) while ranking third for wins (eight) and fewest walks allowed (13) while striking out 52 at-bats in 76 innings of BIG EAST work. Runco, a designated player, is the only BIG EAST player to finish the regular season with a slugging percentage about 1.000 (1.029). She currently leads the conference with 12 home runs, a single-season league record. The sophomore currently leads the Wildcats with a .370 batting average, RBI (44), walks (24) and total bases (24).Â
Players Mentioned
INF/C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF/UT
/ SoftballProvidence vs Seton Hall
Sunday, May 09
Providence vs Seton Hall
Saturday, May 08
Providence vs Seton Hall
Saturday, May 08
Softball vs. UConn
Wednesday, April 28
