Weekly Notes
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – After an unexpected week off, the Northern Kentucky University softball team looks to ramp back into action this weekend with five games over three days at the Cardinal Classic, hosted by the University of Louisville.
The Norse will open play on Friday morning against Central Michigan with a first pitch set for 10 a.m. NKU returns on Friday to take on the host Cardinals at 3 p.m. On Saturday, the Norse will play a single game against IUPUI with a start time of 12:30 p.m. In Sunday's finale, the Norse play back-to-back games starting at 12:30 p.m., taking on Louisville followed by Eastern Kentucky. Links to live stats and video coverage are available at nkunorse.com.
NKU saw its weekend spoiled as winter storms forced the cancellation of the Rafter Memorial Tournament in Kennesaw, Ga. With that, the Norse enter the coming weekend with a 1-4 record, boasting a victory over Mississippi Valley State to conclude the season-opening Bulldog Kickoff Classic, hosted by Mississippi State.
Katelyn Roy homered in the victory and
Paige McQueen picked up her first collegiate win in the circle.
A WORD ABOUT CENTRAL MICHIAGN: The Chippewas hold a 5-4 record after going 2-3 at the Maverick Invitational, hosted by Texas-Arlington. Both of CMU's wins on the weekend came against South Dakota State, a team that NKU will face next weekend in Evansville, Ind. Trista Cox leads the Chippewas offensively, batting .462 on the season with five home runs and 11 RBI in nine games. She is a two-time Mid-American Conference West Player of the Week selection. In the circle, Morgan Yuncker holds a 2-0 record, including a four-hit shutout victory over Drake in the season's opening weekend. The Chippewas will feature speed on the base paths, as they have stolen 14 bases in 16 attempts already this year. Friday's matchup will be the first meeting between the Norse and the Chippewas.
A WORD ABOUT LOUISVILLE: The Cardinals enter their home tournament with a 4-5 record, having just dropped out of the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 following a 1-3 weekend at the Jacksonville University Tournament. Kelsi Jones paces an offense that boasts five batters at .300 or better on the year. Jones is hitting .393 with a pair of homers, seven runs scored and four stolen bases. Caralisa Connell's 3.50 earned run average tops the Cardinals' pitching staff, while Rachel Le Coq has fanned 27 batters in 25.1 innings of work. The Norse and Cardinals have never faced off on the field.
A WORD ABOUT IUPUI: The Jaguars are 4-4 on the season after taking two of three games from Austin Peay last weekend. Sarah Lawrence and Angela Bartucci lead the offense, each batting over .400 on the season for a squad that boasts a near .300 team batting average as well, along with 15 stolen bases in eight games. Jocelyn Oppenhuis holds a 2-1 record with a 2.26 ERA in 21.2 innings to lead the pitching staff.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE JAGUARS: The Norse and Jaguars last played in 1995, with IUPUI posting a 7-0 victory in the contest. The win was the second consecutive for IUPUI in the all-time series, bringing their record to 5-2 over the Norse.
A WORD ABOUT EASTERN KENTUCKY: The Colonels hold a 4-5 record on the year after going 2-2 at the Samford Invitational in Birmingham, Ala. EKU defeated Belmont on Saturday, 3-2, and followed up with a win over Evansville, 6-4, to close out the tournament. Krislyn Campos is the Colonels' leading hitter with a .385 batting average and six runs scored. In the circle, Leanna Pittsenbarger earned Ohio Valley Conference pitcher of the week honors after earning both of EKU's wins last weekend and striking out nine of the 10 batters she faced in the win over Evansville. Pittsenbarger is 3-2 on the year with a 2.31 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE COLONELS: NKU and EKU renewed their rivalry last year with three games, all won by the Colonels, who took a 3-2 lead in the all-time series. The first meeting between the two came in Chattanooga, Tenn., with EKU scoring the winning run on a passed ball in the ninth inning for a 3-2 decision. The teams met again in Richmond, Ky., for a doubleheader on April 23. The Colonels again took the Norse to task, winning an 8-0 decision in the opener before walking-off with a three-run seventh in a 3-2 victory to earn the sweep.
DEE DEE DOING WORK: Dee Dee Davis is slugging .636 to lead the Norse after the season's first weekend. The senior second baseman has a home run among her team-high four hits at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic, hosted by Mississippi State. Davis also drew three walks to post a team-best .500 on-base percentage.
PROMISING START: Paige McQueen picked up a win in her first collegiate start as a pitcher. The freshman scattered four hits and walked two while striking out three in a 3-1 complete-game victory over Mississippi Valley State. It is the third time in the last five seasons that feat has been accomplished, as
Alex Caudill won her collegiate debut over Florida Tech in 2012 and
Emily Schwaeble was victorious in her first start of 2010 over Clarion.
DANI DELIVERS: Freshman catcher
Dani Devlin leads the Norse in hitting after the first weekend of the season. The Chicago, Ill., native started four of the five games on the weekend behind the plate, going 3-for-7, including a double and a run scored in a 2-for-3 performance against Mississippi Valley State.
BABY STEPS: The Norse saw steady improvement over the first weekend of the season, culminating in a victory over Mississippi Valley State. The offense found its groove after Day 1 of the tournament, NKU's first day outside this spring. NKU managed three home runs over the weekend, including
Katelyn Roy's blast to propel the Norse to a 3-1 victory over Mississippi Valley State.
BACK TO LOUISVILLE: The Norse return to the Derby City for the first time since 2012. NKU made regular trips down Interstate 71 as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference to take on Bellarmine. The Norse went 15-9 against the Knights in Louisville and look to continue to see success in that city.
