FAIRFIELD, Conn. – With just six Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) games left on the 2026 docket, the Fairfield University will look to build on the momentum it has built over the last month, winning 10 of 11 conference games.

The Stags will turn their attention to Rider University for a three-game series this weekend. Due to inclement weather moving in for the weekend, the three games will include a Friday doubleheader beginning at 2 pm and a single game on Sunday starting at 2 pm. Fairfield, which currently sits second in the MAAC standings, will face the Broncs who are also in the hunt for one of the six spots in the 2026 MAAC Championship this May.

Fairfield has won its last four MAAC games, taking a pair from Siena University after dropping the opener and following with a doubleheader sweep against Manhattan University last Tuesday.
Three student-athletes hit a home run in the twin bill, namely Martina Gutierrez, Cara Kochakian, and Aliva Macaluso, to help set up success for Fairfield. Pitcher Alyssa Weinberg won both ends of the doubleheader, earning a complete-game victory in the opener and offering two-plus innings of relief to garner the win in game two.

Macaluso's long ball was her first of the season, a three-run pinch-hit shot that turned a one-run game after six innings into a 6-2 lead in the seventh inning. The senior has been the team's primary pinch hitter this season, producing seven RBI and scoring four times through her 26 at-bats this season.

Gutierrez is the team's co-leader with three home runs, giving the senior four long balls for her career. Kochakian has a pair of bookend home runs, hitting her first in the first weekend of the season against Houston Christian University and her second in her last game played against Manhattan.

Weinberg leads the MAAC in strikeouts with 157 which includes five double-digit strikeout totals in her last 10 appearances. She fanned 11 hitters in her last start against Manhattan University which allowed her to pick up her 13^th win of the season, a number which leads the team and places second in the MAAC. Peyton Shields, the reigning MAAC Pitcher of the Week, also has a winning record in the circle with an 8-7 mark over her 23 appearances.

Rider starts the weekend with a 22-19 overall record and a 12-9 MAAC mark, coming off a series win against Canisius University on April 17-18. The Broncs have won six of their last 10 games which includes five victories in their last nine MAAC match ups.

Maddie Luedtke and Aspen Wheeler pace the offense with .375 and .360 batting averages this season. Luedtke is tied with Kendall Reda-Fehsal for the team's top spot for home runs, each clearing the fence 10 times. Reda-Fehsal has contributed 37 RBI, more than any other Bronc, to go along with her .344 batting average. Fallyn Stoeckel owns an 11-9 record in the circle, leading the team in wins, complete games (14), and innings pitched (125.2).

Prior to Sunday's game with Rider, the Stags softball program will honor its seniors and graduate students. Following this three-game series, Fairfield will play its final regular-season home game on Tuesday, April 28, hosting the Stony Brook University for a single game beginning at 3 pm.