FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- While the Fairfield University softball team will travel for four games this week, the road trips will be significantly shorter. The Stags, which played weekend series in Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina already, will stay in the state for a midweek game with Yale University on Wednesday afternoon before heading to Mount St. Mary's for their Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener. Fairfield will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday against the Mount.

Fairfield plays just its second game in the Northeast on Wednesday, opening up in Connecticut with a single game at Central Connecticut State University last week. The team already has 20 games under their collective belt but will begin a run of eight games in 11 days. The Stags have been averaging better than 3.5 runs per game this season, having posted six or more runs seven times already. The squad comes off one of those offensive showcases, beating Charleston Southern University by a 7-2 count as part of the CSU Round Robin.

Anna Paravati, Charli Warren, and Quinn McGonigle are all batting better than .300 this season with Paravati leading the way with her .323 batting average. Paravati is also the team's co-leader with 13 RBI as well with five doubles. Warren has boosted her hitting percentage to .318 with a team-best 21 base hits and nine stolen bases in 11 attempts. McGonigle has also been consistent all season, owning a .316 batting average with a double and three RBI also to her credit.

Alyssa Weinberg has been in the pitching circle for all five Fairfield victories including being the pitcher of record in the win over Charleston Southern. Last week, the junior fanned 27 hitters in 22 innings pitched, raising her season average to 7.9 strikeouts per seven innings pitched. She brings a 2.53 ERA into the week with her 5-3 record,  completing seven of her nine starts this season.

Yale entered the week with a 12-10 overall record, playing a pair of games at Boston University on Tuesday before hosting Fairfield on the next day. The Bulldogs entered the week with a five-game winning streak, sweeping a doubleheader from the College of the Holy Cross as well as a three-game set against the University of Pennsylvania in the Ivy League opener. Yale has won 10 of its 11 home games this season.

Lauren Perren paces the offense with a .369 batting average, one of six Yale student-athletes with a batting average at or above .300 this year. She serves as the program's top run producer with five home runs, 25 RBI, and 13 extra-base hits. Ella Gandolfo also has an impressive hitting percentage, coming into the week with a .355 mark that is enhanced by her team-leading 18 runs scored through 17 games. Ella Cross rounds out the top three with her .344 batting average, and is one three Yale players with a triple this year. Emma Taylor has received the most work in the pitching circle, registering a 5-5 record with 58 strikeouts in her team-best 14 appearances.

Mount St. Mary's travels to Towson University on Wednesday before hosting the Stags in its MAAC opening series. The team boasts the talents of Avery Dinges and Taylor Williams who are both enjoying solid starts to their seasons. Dinges is listed first on the team's statistics sheet with her team-leading .385 batting average. She holds the top spot with five doubles, seven RBI, and six steals in nine attempts. Williams owns the most hits for The Mount with 16 hits in her 19 appearances, highlighted by her double and triple. Ellie Meier has gathered three wins in five decisions to date with 13 strikeouts in 29.2 innings pitched.