Weekend notes
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University softball team concludes the tournament portion of its 2014 schedule beginning Saturday, participating in the Evansville Invitational, hosted by the University of Evansville.
The Norse will take on Northern Illinois to open the tournament on Saturday, with first pitch set for 11:30 a.m. Eastern, and will conclude the day with a 5:30 p.m. first pitch against South Dakota State. Sunday's action will begin with a 1 p.m. rematch against South Dakota State before ending the tournament at 5 p.m. against the hosts, Evansville. Live stats are available from nkunorse.com.
NKU enters the weekend with a 1-8 record after a disappointing performance at the Cardinal Classic, dropping games to Central Michigan, Louisville and IUPUI.
A WORD ABOUT NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies have a 5-4 record entering the Evansville Invitational after winning three of four games at the Disney Diamond 9 Citrus Classic, defeating Fairfield, IPFW and Delaware. Nicole Gremillion leads the Huskies' offense, boasting a .379 batting average and four runs scored. NIU has seen its success through pitching and the arm of Jessica Sturm, who is 4-2 on the year with a miniscule 0.52 earned run average.
A WORD ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE: The Jackrabbits hold a 5-8 record on the year after sweeping four games at the Central Arkansas Invitational, picking up wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alabama State and Central Arkansas. Elyse Eitel has been an offensive juggernaut through the early part of the season, getting on base at a .556 clip, including a .474 batting average, to rank in the top three of Summit League hitters. In the circle, Ashlyn Bender has led the charge, going 3-3 on the year with a 3.60 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 35 innings of work.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE JACKRABBITS: Krystal Lewallen threw her first no-hitter of the 2005 season in a 6-0 win over South Dakota State on March 11, 2005, the only previous meeting between the teams. Lewallen struck out 17 of the 23 batters she faced in the game. Offensively, Angie Lindeman and Becky Napier each had two hits and Stephanie Leimbach scored two runs to pace the offense. NKU would go on to set an NCAA record with 55-consecutive wins during that season.
A WORD ABOUT EVANSVILLE: The Purple Aces are 5-4 entering their home tournament having gone 3-2 in the Blues City Classic with wins over Morehead State, Alabama A&M and Appalachian State. Evansville has been winning with speed, counting 44 singles among their 54 hits on the season and adding 25 stolen bases into the mix as well. Megan Gurski's .433 batting average leads the office while Emma Buckles has six stolen bases in seven attempts. Gurski also shines in the circle, claiming a 2-2 record with a 2.45 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 20 innings.
LAST TIME AGAINST EVANSVILLE: The only previous meeting between the Norse and the Purple Aces came in the 1988 season, a game which Evansville won by a 3-2 score.
KCSB: KC Straley has stolen at least one base in each of her last three games. The junior centerfielder leads the Norse with four stolen bases on the season, and has swiped 22 bags in her collegiate career. The four swipes rank 10
th among Atlantic Sun teams in the category.
ROY ROCKS: Katelyn Roy led the Norse with a 4-for-10 weekend, including a home run and four RBI. The junior right fielder went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in the loss to IUPUI on Saturday and added a double in two at bats against Louisville on Friday. Roy now leads the team with a .350 batting average and a .700 slugging percentage.
HALFWAY THERE: The Norse had 15 total stolen bases last year, and already have seven steals through nine games this season. NKU is picking up its running game early on in the 2014 season, as the Norse stole three bases in the win over Mississippi Valley State on Feb. 9, and added four more as a team over the last weekend at the Cardinal Classic.
CLIMBING THE SUMMIT: NKU is 27-12 all-time against Summit League teams entering this weekend's action. The Norse get two chances to avenge their loss to IUPUI last weekend when the take on another Summit member in South Dakota State on Saturday and Sunday. The Norse defeated the Jackrabbits in their only previous matchup in 2005.
NEW MATCHUP: NKU will face its fifth new opponent of the 2014 season in Northern Illinois on Saturday to open the Evansville Invitational. In total, the Norse take on eight opponents for the first time this year, with debuts against Florida A&M (March 11), Austin Peay (March 20) and Butler (March 26) yet to come. NKU's other first-time opponents this year include Mississippi State, Mississippi Valley State, Louisville and Central Michigan. Last year, NKU faced 20 brand-new opponents, including eight of the nine members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
EXTRA BASES: One-third of NKU's hits this year have gone for extra bases. The Norse have amassed 33 hits so far this year, a total that looks to improve this weekend. More impressively, 11 of those 33 hits have gone for extra bases this year, a ratio that ranks third among A-Sun teams this year, and portends good things for the Norse offense if the trend continues as the Norse to get hits. Florida Gulf Coast at 35.1 percent (39 of 111 hits) and Stetson at 40.9 percent (25 of 61 hits) lead the league in this measure.
