HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball will head to Greensboro, North Carolina, for the UNCG Invitational this weekend. The tournament was originally scheduled for Feb. 22-24, but with rain in the forecast, it has been pushed to Feb. 23-25 with schedule alterations. In the new format, NKU will open up against Iona at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23. The Norse then play Longwood at 9:30 a.m. and host UNCG at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24, before closing out the tournament with another game versus Iona at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 25. Sunday's game versus host UNCG will have a live video stream.
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU went 1-3 at the Elon February Softball Classic, winning in five innings over North Carolina Central while suffering two losses to Virginia and one to Elon. In NKU's dominant 9-0 victory over the Eagles, Taylor Ginther pitched the second complete-game shutout of her career and Zahrya McFarland had a tremendous day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple, three runs scored and two RBI.
 
SCOUTING IONA: The Gaels have yet to play a collegiate game this season, opening up 2019 at the UNCG Invitational. Iona returns a pair of All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Second Team honorees in Marnie Skinner and Jasmine Temple, who helped lead the Gaels to an 11-9 mark in MAAC play. Temple was the team leader in hits last year, batting .281 with 39 hits while tying for the team lead with 18 RBI. Skinner contributed in the circle for the Gaels with a 2.41 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 119.0 innings pitched, recording a 9-9 record. Iona returns the bulk of its team from a season ago, dropping one off the pitching staff and two off the batting lineup from 2018. NKU and Iona met once last season at the USF Tournament, with the Gaels claiming a slim 4-3 win over the Norse on March 11, 2018.
 
SCOUTING LONGWOOD: The Lancers are coming off a successful 2018 season, finishing second in the Big South. Longwood returns an experienced squad that includes three seniors who earned NFCA All-Southeast Region accolades. Pitcher Sydney Gay and catcher Kaylynn Batten were named to the second team, while third baseman Karleigh Donovan earned third-team accolades. This year, Longwood is 5-2 and Batten is one of five players nationally that have yet to be struck out this season. Freshman Jenna Dunn has led the Lancers at the plate this year, batting .389 with seven RBI, while four other Lancers are batting over .300. Gay continues to lead the team in the circle with a 1.35 ERA, striking out 14 batters in 20.1 innings pitched while rookie hurler Sydney Backstrom is similarly successful with a 1.72 ERA and 16 batters fanned in 20.1 innings pitched. Sunday will be the first meeting between NKU and Longwood.
 
SCOUTING UNC GREENSBORO: The Spartans are also coming off a successful 2018 in which the team qualified for the NCAA Regionals by way of rolling through the field at the Southern Conference Championship. This season, UNCG is off to a 5-5 start and is fresh off a 5-0 victory over Horizon League foe Oakland. UNCG's lineup features five Spartans batting over .300, led by Makenna Matthijs at .361 with 13 hits and eight RBI. The Spartans have fared well with clubbing extra-base hits and rank 17th nationally with 2.10 doubles per game, led by Marisa Sholtes, who is third in the nation with six doubles this season. Stephanie Bryden has seen the most time in the circle with 35 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched, and she holds a 3.37 ERA and a 5-3 record. The senior hurler currently ranks 25th nationally in batters struck out. Sunday's meeting will also mark the first in program history between the Norse and the Spartans.