JAMAICA, N.Y.  The St. Johns University softball team will close out its 2001 campaign this weekend hosting a pair of BIG EAST opponents. First on Saturday, May 5, the Red Storm will host Connecticut at Mitchel Field for a noon doubleheader. Then on Sunday, May 6, the Red Storm will play their first and last games of the season on their newly renovated softball field on campus when they host Syracuse for another twinbill at noon.

The Red Storm softball team has played its entire home schedule at the Mitchel Athletic Complex in Hempstead, N.Y. and hoped to play their final five home games of the season on their on-campus facility, which is located by the residence halls. However, due to persistently poor weather, the renovation process was slow-going and the games scheduled for campus were moved to Mitchel Field.

This season, second-year head coach Melody Cope has guided her squad to a 28-29 overall record and a 6-10 mark in the BIG EAST. Currently, the Red Storm sit in sixth place in the BIG EAST standings, while the Huskies are in third place with a 12-4 league record and the Orangewomen are tied for eighth with a 5-11 mark in the conference. Though they have been mathematically eliminated from the BIG EAST tournament, if the Red Storm win three of the four games this weekend, they would be in position to claim a berth in the four-team ECAC tournament.

The pitching tandem of sophomore Courtney Fitzgerald and senior Gina Calabrese has been the cornerstone for the Red Storm this season. Fitzgerald and Calabrese lead the BIG EAST in innings pitched and have combined for 266 strikeouts. Fitzgerald, named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week earlier this season, owns a record of 16-12 and has pitched seven shutouts. Calabrese is the all-time leader in strikeouts at St. Johns with 548, and she has posted a 12-14 record her senior year.

Offensively, the Red Storm is led by sophomore Alesha Argeras and outfielder Kelly Houghton. Second baseman Argeras leads the team with a .270 batting average with three homeruns and 16 RBI. Houghton, a junior college transfer, paces the team with nine homeruns, which set a new single season record at SJU.

Sundays doubleheader with Syracuse will mark the final home appearance for seven student-athletes on the Red Storm roster, including Calabrese, pitcher/first baseman Michele Crokus, designated player/outfielder Lauren Fisher, first baseman Danielle Sweeney, catcher Jeanine Giammarino, utility player Courtney Nilan and team manager and former Red Storm pitcher Brianne Leary. The seniors will be honored at a ceremony following the doubleheader.