Week 7 game notes
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University softball team will take its Easter holiday in the Sunshine State, as the Norse travel south to take on Atlantic Sun Conference foe Stetson for a three-game league series.
The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday, March 29, before closing out the series with a single game on Saturday, March 30. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 1 p.m. with Saturday set for a noon start. Live stats and ASun.TV webcast links are available on nkunorse.com.
The Norse are still seeking their first league victory after being swept in a three-game series last weekend at Kennesaw State. NKU now stands at 6-21 overall and 0-9 in A-Sun play.
SETSTON SCOUTING REPORT: The Hatters enter this weekend with a record of 18-12, including a 1-5 league mark. As a team, the Hatters are slugging .453 and have 29 home runs, both good for fourth among A-Sun teams. Chelsea Whalley leads the offense with a .333 batting average and a team-high 26 RBIs while Demi Meza sets the power pace with a team-best eight home runs. Meredith Owen anchors the Hatters' pitching staff with a 1.88 ERA and a 12-4 record. Owen's 0.49 walks per seven innings rank her second among all Division I pitchers.
A-SUN IN THE RPI: Six A-Sun squads are featured in the top 100 of the first Ratings Percentage Index rankings of the 2013 season, released by the NCAA this week. Kennesaw State leads the way at No. 36 nationally, while USC Upstate (51), Florida Gulf Coast (53), Jacksonville (57), Lipscomb (70) and North Florida (73) all rank among the nation's top teams.
SCHWAEBLE SNEAKING UP AGAIN: Already hot on the heels of NKU's career home run record,
Emily Schwaeble is looking to continue her climb up the pitching annals of Norse history. The senior enters this weekend with 511 career strikeouts, just 29 shy of eclipsing Emily Breitholle for third place all-time at NKU. Former teammate April Ehlers (2008-11) holds the record at NKU with 876 career strikeouts.
DAVIS DOING THE WORK: Junior second baseman
Dee Dee Davis has been getting her work in at the plate for the Norse since league play started, boasting a team-best .296 batting average, including eight hits, against A-Sun pitching this year. Davis also has a pair of extra-base hits and three RBIs against the conference to show for her efforts.
