HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball continues spring break with a mid-week single game against Coastal Carolina on Wednesday, March 18. First pitch against the Chanticleers is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET from Charles Wade-John Lott Field in Conway, South Carolina.

LAST TIME OUT: The Norse went 1-4 at the Coastal Carolina, picking up the first win of the season against North Dakota with a 6-3 win on March 4 while suffering a pair of losses to UConn along with single setback to UND and Coastal Carolina. Senior catcher Dani Devlin had a strong weekend at the plate, hitting .412 and slugging .647 after going 7-for-17, which included a double and a home run. Sydney Ferrante also registered a home run, knocking in a leadoff homer against UConn, and Zahrya McFarland had the second home run of her career to kick off scoring against North Dakota in NKU's victory over the Fighting Hawks. Ferrante is currently riding an eight-game hitting and reached base streak, while Devlin now has a four-game streak in each respect. Charlie Nolen earned the win in the circle against North Dakota, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing six hits and three runs while striking out one batter.
 
SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA: Wednesday marks the second meeting in the all-time series between NKU and CCU, with Coastal Carolina claiming a 5-2 win to cap off the Coastal Carolina Invitational on March 5. The Chanticleers have had the leisure of playing at home for their first 19 contests, posting a 16-3 record throughout four tournaments hosted, including a sweep of the field at the CCU Invitational.  Two of CCU's losses came against No. 9/11 Alabama, and the team has also hosted a Horizon League member with a pair of shutouts over Cleveland State in its most recent tournament, including a 12-0 five-inning victory on Feb. 25. The Chanticleers boast a high-powered offense, with four players already in double digits in runs led by Alexis Alvino, who had a stellar weekend to reach 20 runs on the season along with 14 RBI at a .365 clip. Coastal Carolina also has five players with double-digit RBI, paced by Kailey Mellen, who has sent a Chanticleer across the plate 20 times this year while leading the team with a .667 slugging percentage. In the circle, Taylor Rahach has pitched 55.0 innings for the Chanticleers, boasting a 1.02 ERA with 60 strikeouts, helping the sophomore post four shutouts on the year. When NKU last faced CCU, Devin Wallace threw 6.0 innings and allowed seven hits and two runs, but struck out seven Norse batters.