HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball lifts the lid on the 2018 season this weekend, traveling to Buies Creek, North Carolina, for the Campbell Invitational.  The Norse are slated to play on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16-17, with two games on each day. NKU opens up the season at 11:30 a.m. on Friday against in-state foe Morehead State, followed by a 2 p.m. contest against host Campbell. On Saturday, the Norse have an early game versus Bucknell at 9 a.m. before facing Campbell once more at 2 p.m.
 
THE 2018 NORSE: NKU returns the bulk of its 2017 squad and has a wealth of leadership and experience in its senior class. In the circle, Ashlynn Roberts returns as NKU's leading strikeout pitcher, fanning 76 batters in 2017 through 137 innings pitched. The Norse also have senior experience on the corners with Sydney Ferrante as the veteran third baseman for the Norse while Alina Maher will contribute at first base. Ferrante is NKU's top returning batter after pacing the team in hits (45), doubles (15) and at-bats (169), while also driving in 27 runs and clubbing six homers to rank second behind since-graduated Dani Devlin. Maher spent time both behind the plate and at first last year, and is the team's returning slugger with a .468 slugging percentage while boasting the highest fielding percentage last season (.991). Rounding out the senior class are Kate Bartolovich, Taylor Brummell and Ashley Rains. The Norse also return upperclassmen experience with their junior class of Zahrya McFarland and Kara Meter. McFarland, a Horizon League All-Freshman Team honoree in 2016, brings two years of experience at left field, while Meter is expected to impact the team from behind the dish.
  
NKU has a substantial sophomore class that can fill in at multiple positions on the field, highlighted by All-Freshman Team honoree Kailey Rossiter in right field as well as Ava Lawson and Toree Stalter. Lawson and Stalter were two of three Norse, the other being Ferrante, to start every game last year. Lawson held down center field while Stalter played all 52 games as the Norse's shortstop. Both Rossiter and Lawson were at the top of NKU's stat sheet in batting average, while Stalter was one of the most patient at the plate with 24 walks in addition to her 34 hits on the season. Her 24 walks landed her in the NKU record books, as she is now fifth all-time in most walks drawn in a single season.
  
The Norse also welcomed four freshmen who are all in the running for a starting spot in the lineup. Josie Frazier will look to compete for second base and is a versatile infielder as well as an efficient slap hitter and speedy baserunner. Faith Howard brings a winning mentality to the circle, as she guided her high school team to two state championship games, including a state title in her junior campaign. Madi Mulder brings a heavy bat, which is a welcome commodity with the graduation of Devlin, who led the team in slugging and home runs a season ago. On defense, Mulder can play third base or catcher for the Norse. Hailey Whitmer rounds out a versatile freshman class as a pitcher/utility. Whitmer, like Howard, was named her conference's pitcher of the year, and also brings talent to the plate and infield.
 
SCOUTING MOREHEAD STATE: The Eagles hold a 3-1 record after their first week of competition, winning twice against Central Michigan and once against Buffalo while falling to Appalachian State. Morehead State is led by senior left-handed pitcher Chelsea McManaway, who ranked third in the NCAA in shutouts, with 12, and 16th in strikeouts, with 244. The team's ace pitcher holds a 1.00 ERA in two appearances, striking out 18 batters while allowing just one walk. Allison Rager, the Eagles' top batter from last year, also returns to the lineup, and has enjoyed a similarly successful start to the campaign. Rager is batting .500 through the team's first four games, leading the team in hits (7) and RBI (5) while also scoring three runs for the squad. Taylor Wheeler is also batting .500, registering six hits while scoring six runs, including a solo homer.
 
SCOUTING CAMPBELL: The Camels sit at 3-2 this season after their first week at the USD Tournament, winning twice against CSU Bakersfield and going 1-2 against host San Diego. Campbell was hit by significant losses due to graduation that included the 2017 Big South Player of the Year as well as another first-team honoree and a pair of honorable mentions. Junior infielder Madison Herring leads the team in the early season despite a slow start with two hitless games against San Diego to go 6-for-11 in the last three games. She holds a .438 batting average with seven hits and five runs scored and has driven in one run. Rachel McCollumn has been the team's leader in sending players across the plate with four RBI, and has recorded two doubles so far. None of Campbell's pitching staff holds an ERA below 3.00, but Megan Richards has picked up all three wins this year with a 3.43 ERA. Richards has struck out 18 batters, but also walked 15 in her first three appearances.
 
SCOUTING BUCKNELL: Like NKU, Bucknell is opening up the 2018 campaign this weekend. The Bison went 23-20 in 2017, including 6-11 in the Patriot League. Under the tutelage of a first-year head coach, Bucknell could prove to be a bit of a wild card in the weekend's tournament. The team returns both its top batter and pitcher from last season, both of whom were named to the All-Patriot League Second Team in 2017. Meghan Kovac paced the Bison at the dish, batting .361 with 48 hits and 36 RBI. In the circle, Raeanne Geffert picked up 14 wins through 152.2 innings pitched, striking out 117 batters while walking just 20 in her 32 appearances as a rookie.
 
PRESEASON POLL: NKU moved up two spots in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, as the Norse are expected to finish seventh in the League with 31 points. A season ago, NKU was tabbed to finish ninth, but exceeded expectations and finished just outside the Horizon League Tournament field in seventh place.
 
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE: NKU placed five members of the team on the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete team. Senior Taylor Brummell, as well as sophomores Isabell Alexander, Summer Libecap, Alexis McDaniel and Toree Stalter were all honored. In order to be eligible for the honor, players must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher.