HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball takes a break from Horizon League action as it hosts No. 22/23 Kentucky on Tuesday, April 9. First pitch against the Wildcats is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the contest will be broadcast on ESPN+. The game will serve as NKU's Student-Athlete Appreciation Day, with a student-athlete from each of NKU's varsity programs throwing out a first pitch.

LAST TIME OUT: The Norse claimed their second-straight Horizon League series, downing Wright State on the road on April 2-3. The Raiders narrowly edged the Norse in eight innings during the series opener, 5-4, but the Norse rebounded with a 13-7 victory that included a season-high 16 hits. NKU went to eight innings once more in the finale as the Norse trailed by four runs after two innings, but Hailey Whitmer went in to pitch and kept the Raiders scoreless for the remainder of the contest as the Norse went on to win, 6-5.
 
SCOUTING KENTUCKY: The Wildcats are currently ranked No. 22 in the most recent USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Kentucky boasts a 24-15 record and is coming off a series loss to No. 18/17 Ole Miss, taking the series opener in an 11-4 victory before dropping a pair of four-run losses. The team ranks among the nation's best in several statistical categories, including 15th in both scoring (6.90 runs per game) and double plays per game (.54) and 17th in slugging percentage (.537). Abbey Cheek, who is UK's all-time career leader in home runs (55) and RBI (190), ranks fifth nationally with a .490 batting average this season and is second in the nation with a .631 on-base percentage. She has clubbed 14 home runs this year, good for 13th nationally, and her 1.00 slugging percentage puts her at fourth among Division I players. Cheek, Katie Reed and Kayla Kowalik all have over 40 hits on the season, and Alex Martens paces the team with 43 RBI to sit at 17th nationally. The Wildcats rely on a primary trio of Meghan Schorman, Grace Baalman and Autumn Humes in the circle, with Baalman spending the most time pitching with 75 strikeouts in 90.1 innings pitched. The Kentucky pitching staff averages 4.20 earned runs against, holding opponents to a .251 batting average. Kentucky has claimed both of the previous meetings against the Norse, but NKU had a competitive showing in the most recent match-up, dropping a 2-1 contest at Grein Stadium on March 29. 2017.