HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball faces its final tournament field of the 2017 preseason when the Norse travel to Edwardsville, Illinois, for the SIUE Tournament. NKU will play two opponents on both March 18 and 19, starting with Butler and Toledo at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, respectively. The tournament wraps on Sunday with a 1 p.m. tilt with host SIUE directly followed by a 3 p.m. game against Ball State.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse went 2-3 at the Holy City Showdown, with an 8-6 win over UMass Lowell and a 6-2 win over Chattanooga. Senior catcher Dani Devlin stole the show in the two victories, batting 1.000 and slugging 2.800 with two home runs, three doubles and eight RBI for the Norse. Following her outstanding weekend both at and behind the plate, Devlin was honored as the Horizon League Player of the Week, marking the first time that an NKU player has earned weekly distinction since joining the Horizon League in the 2016 season and the second time that a Norse has been named a player of the week since the first season of Division I competition in 2012.
 
SCOUTING BUTLER: The Bulldogs' season is split down the middle with an 11-11 record, and NKU will be the fourth school from the Horizon League that Butler faces this season. Butler previously knocked off Detroit Mercy, 9-8, and shut out Green Bay, 8-0, in five innings before falling to League-favored UIC in a five-inning 10-0 shutout. Sophomore Maggie MacBeth returns after being named to the NFCA Mideast All-Region Team in her freshman campaign, and the Bulldogs were tabbed to finish third in the BIG EAST behind their record-breaking infielder. However, MacBeth has not posted the same stellar numbers as a season ago, batting .270 with 10 hits. Leading the way for the Bulldogs this year is Sarah Dixon, who is batting .412 and slugging .549 with team highs in both hits (21) and RBI (11) while ranking second on the team with 11 runs. Gabbi Schnaiter and Mikeila Boroff have spent the most time in the circle, with Schnaiter leading the team with 34 strikeouts. The pitching corps has posted 59 strikeouts this season, but has also walked 57 batters.
 
SCOUTING TOLEDO: The Rockets hold an 11-17 record with a notable tournament win at the Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament on March 3-5, taking down Seattle with a 6-2 victory in the title game. Toledo is marked by its fielding efforts, as the Rockets rank 16th in the nation with a .976 fielding percentage. At the plate, returning All-Mid-American Conference First Team selection Chandler Rice has recorded 32 hits while driving in 17 runs to lead the Rockets in both categories. Rice also tops the team's stat line in batting average (.376) and slugging percentage (.659). In the circle, Heather Webb has pitched 74.2 innings with 48 strikeouts while holding opponents to .268. While a strong fielding team, the Rockets have allowed high-scoring games from their opponents, as Webb holds the lowest ERA on the team at 5.06.
 
SCOUTING SIUE: The Cougars are receiving votes in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and currently hold a 19-4 record. SIUE's pitching has led the Cougars to many of its victories, as all three of their hurlers rank in the top 35 for strikeouts per seven innings. Senior pitcher Haley Chambers-Book sits at 31st nationally with 8.9 strikeouts per seven innings, while both Emily Ingles and Ashley Koziol rank 34th with 8.8. The Cougars also boast one of the toughest players in the nation to strike out, with Kalei Kaneshiro ranking 22nd. With its high-strikeout pitching staff, SIUE has managed to hold opposing teams to an average of .207 and under two earned runs a game. At the dish, both Allison Smiley and Zoe Schafer have recorded 24 hits to lead the team, with Smiley leading the team in RBI with 25.
 
SCOUTING BALL STATE: The Cardinals are the second opponent from the MAC that NKU faces in the tournament, who hold an 11-16 record overall. Ball State returns one of its two NFCA Great Lakes All-Region selections in sophomore Madison Lee, who has struggled in her sophomore campaign with just 15 hits and six RBI. The team's leader at the plate in 2017 has been Rachel Houck, who ranks in the top-10 nationally in both doubles (10) and home runs (8), as well as total bases (66). Houck has driven in 21 runs off her team-high 32 hits, scoring 30 runs of her own. The senior also leads the team in stolen bases, nabbing nine on as many attempts. Darcie Huber and Carolyn Wilmes have spent the most time in the circle for the Cardinals, with Huber holding teams to .248 to lead Ball State's hurlers.