Boston University (14-10, 0-0 PL) at Bucknell (9-13, 0-0 PL)
Dates & Time: Saturday DH, 12 p.m. | Sunday, 12 p.m.
Venue: Becker Field | Lewisburg, Pa.
X/Twitter: @BUGameDay | @TerrierSoftball

BOSTON – The six-time defending Patriot League regular season champion Boston University softball team will open conference play at Bucknell with both Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single contest set for a 12 p.m. first pitch.

Both programs are coming off doubleheader sweeps with the Terriers dispatching Yale (8-2, 8-0) at home and the Bison defeating Wagner (8-1, 5-2) on the road this past Tuesday.

TERRIER TIDBITS

• Last season, BU became the third-ever Patriot League program to finish undefeated atop the standings at 18-0, joining Lehigh's 2005 squad (18-0) and Army West Point's 1992 team (12-0). The Terriers also secured their second-ever perfect conference mark after posting an 8-0 record in 1993 as a member of the America East (then known as the North Atlantic Conference).
• BU is 4-6 in true road games with a 2-2 mark over the last four contests with three of them being decided by one run apiece. The Terriers won at Winthrop (12-2) and Queens (4-3) with one-run losses at defending American Athletic Conference champion Charlotte (10-9 / 8 inn.) and Brown (8-7).
• Junior Brooke Deppiesse is batting a team-high .408 with eight doubles, five triples, four homers, 22 RBIs and 26 runs scored with the help of 11 walks, while sophomore Kylie Doherty is hitting .338 with three doubles, three triples, five homers, 18 runs scored and 25 RBIs.
• Since joining the lineup over the last eight games, senior Sydney Pecoraro is hitting .476 with two extra-base hits, five runs scored and five RBIs.
• Three other Terriers are also hitting over .300 with junior Megan Coyle (.314) totaling 17 RBIs and a team-high 13 walks.
• In the circle, junior Kasey Ricard (9-6, 2.40 ERA) has earned 90 strikeouts in 93.1 innings of work though has already allowed nine homers after opponents totaled 13 in both 2023 and 2024.
• With freshman Danika Nell (4-1, 3.44 ERA) missing in action due to injury, junior Haley Ganino (1-2, 3.97 ERA) and freshman Ava Johnson (0-1, 7.64 ERA) have combined for 11 strikeouts in 19.2 innings.
• Overall, BU is batting .291 and holding opponents to .238 with a 15-2 advantage in triples.

SCOUTING BUCKNELL

• The Bison previously split with UMass Lowell (3-0, 0-10) and Appalachian State (5-3, 2-11) while also earning a pair of 9-1 (5) victories against Radford after posting a 19-27 overall record and 9-9 conference mark in 2024.
• MaKenzie Hilling leads Bucknell with a team-high .295 batting average, six doubles and 15 RBIs with Brooke Popella (.293) close behind at .293 and 13 RBIs.
• Haley Speicher (.264) and Savannah Jones (.239) are the two Bison to have recorded double-digit runs scored at 12 and 10, respectively.
• Madison Roukey (3-8, 4.88 ERA) has tallied 34 strikeouts in 47.1 innings of work, while Jones (4-3, 4.31 ERA) has totaled 32 strikeouts in 37.1 innings. Both pitchers own one shutout apiece.
• Bucknell is batting .255 on the season and is holding teams to .340 with opponents claiming a 41-23 advantage in doubles and 18-9 lead in homers.

SERIES HISTORY

• BU leads the all-time series, 27-7, having won the last 15 meetings with six of those games being decided by one run apiece.
• Last season, the Terriers swept the weekend series (1-0, 1-0 / 12 inn., 7-0) and then advanced to the PL championship round with a 5-2 victory over the Bison.
• The Terriers are 10-4 on the road after sweeping the series in 2023 (9-5, 3-0, 5-1) with the Bison last prevailing at home in 2019 during a DH split (4-1, 2-3).

LOOKING AHEAD

• BU will remain on the road with a visit to Merrimack on Tuesday (March 25) with the doubleheader set for a 2 p.m. start time.
• The Terriers lead the all-time series, 12-3, having won the last 11 meetings.
• Last season, BU claimed a 9-0 (5) home win after sweeping the road DH in 2023 with 2-1 and 9-0 (5) victories.