HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball will host Cleveland State in the final series of the regular season on Friday and Saturday, May 3-4. The Norse kick off the series at 4 p.m. on Friday before a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday. Prior to Saturday's first pitch, NKU will honor its seniors, Zahrya McFarland and Kara Meter.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse had a competitive outing against Miami (Ohio), but the Mid-American Conference leaders escaped with a pair of wins, 5-1 and 3-2 (8). In the opener, Ava Lawson tripled to right center to drive in McFarland for NKU's lone run of the game. The second game went extra innings after a RedHawk error scored two Norse to tie the contest up at 2-2 in the third inning. The game went into international tiebreak, placing a runner on second to start the inning, and Miami was able to capitalize by driving its runner in for an unanswered run.
 
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE: The Vikings sit at the bottom of the Horizon League standings with a 7-14 mark, but could still make their way into the Horizon League Tournament field with a perfect weekend given the right circumstances from other series in the league. With a 10-14 record, Cleveland State would bump Oakland out of the tournament as the Golden Grizzlies have already completed their league slate and hold a 9-14 record. Wright State would have to finish with a 2-1 record at UIC or worse, as the Vikings have the head-to-head tiebreak over the 8-13 Raiders, as well as a tiebreak advantage over Green Bay, which is tied for the bottom spot in the league with a 7-14 mark.
  
Kelly Hysong has been leading a trio of Vikings batting over .300 in the league season, holding a .314 batting average and a .629 slugging percentage. The junior utility has led the team in extra-base hits, tying for second in the conference with five home runs while ranking eighth with five doubles and tied for fourth with a triple. Hysong is also the team's top pitcher, going 5-5 over the league season with a 2.27 ERA. She has fanned 57 batters to rank sixth in the league. Hanna Griffin is CSU's other primary pitcher in league play, holding a 4.22 ERA and a 2-9 record.
  
Cleveland State holds a 7-4 record in the all-time series, which began when NKU joined the Horizon League in 2015. The Vikings claimed the series last year in Cleveland, 2-1.
 
NORSE IN THE RANKINGS: NKU has a handful of student-athletes who are performing among the league's best during the Horizon League slate. Junior center fielder Lawson ranks second with nine doubles, sixth in batting average (.394), eighth in hits (26), ninth in on-base percentage (.459), and is 10th in both runs scored (16) and runs batted in (15).  Sophomore second baseman Josie Frazier has clubbed 25 hits and ranks fourth in the league with seven stolen bases. In the circle, Taylor Ginther has been the most utilized pitcher in the league with 97.0 innings of work, ranks third in wins (6), fourth in batters struck out looking (20) and holds a 2.38 ERA to sit sixth in the league.