The St. John’s softball team had a rough showing at the Easton Classic last weekend. They went 0-4, losing twice to both Iowa State and defending national champions Alabama.

“Every game we play is an experience to learn from and to build on,” St. John’s head coach Amy Kvilhaug said. “Playing at Alabama, with state-of-the-art facilities and ambiance as well as top notch athletes, exposed our team to the operations of a program that is not only currently ranked No. 1 but is the defending Women’s College World Series Champions.”

On day one, the Red Storm lost 11-9 to Iowa State and 9-1 to Alabama. Sophomore Erin Burner finished the game 3-5 with two home runs.

On day two, the Johnnies fell to Iowa State 11-1 and fell short to Alabama 12-4. Burner went 3-5 again while junior Jackie Reed also went 3-5.

Burner and Reed were selected to the all-tournament team. Burner, the Red Storm’s standout performer, drove in 6 runs and batted .600 at the tournament.

Despite the losses, Kvilhaug believes that her team has garnered some valuable experience by playing revered opponents.

“There were two things that impressed me most at Alabama – how much they value tradition and history of the program and how, regardless of the situation, they believe they are going to win every game,” she said. “We have seen some of the best and fastest softball players in the nation and that in and of itself gives us the confidence against anyone and it prepares
us for Big East play, where we have set lofty, yet very attainable goals.”

The Red Storm will take to the field again on Mar. 8 when they travel to College Park, Maryland to take part in the University of Maryland Tournament.