HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball heads to Boiling Springs, North Carolina, for the second week of competition as the Norse take on the field at the GWU Softball Tournament, hosted by Gardner-Webb. NKU kicks off the tournament at 11 a.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 21, facing Eastern Illinois before a 1:30 p.m. game against the host Runnin' Bulldogs. On Saturday, Feb. 22, NKU takes on Mount St. Mary's at 10 a.m., followed by another matchup with Gardner-Webb at 2 p.m. The Norse square off with Eastern Illinois once more to close out the weekend at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23.

LAST TIME OUT: The Norse had their most successful opening weekend since transitioning to Division I, going 3-1 at the Bruin Challenge. NKU won a pair of games over Western Michigan and one against Belmont while falling in a close 4-3 contest to Marist. Senior Taylor Hoover batted .500 and had a .917 slugging percentage to pace the Norse at the plate, scoring two runs and driving two in en route to being named the Horizon League Player of the Week. Madi Mulder and Hailey Whitmer also batted above .400 on the weekend, while Ava Lawson drove in four runs for NKU. In the circle, the Norse posted a 2.50 ERA with Taylor Ginther picking up a pair of wins in two complete games. The senior hurler was named the Horizon League Co-Pitcher of the Week after recording a 1.00 ERA with eight strikeouts thrown in 14.0 innings pitched.
 
CLASS ACT: On Feb. 18, senior center fielder Lawson was named one of 30 national candidates for the 2020 Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities, highlighting the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The 30 candidates will be narrowed down to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, after which those 10 names will be placed on an official ballot to be distributed through a nationwide vote for media, coaches and fans.
 
SCOUTING EASTERN ILLINOIS: The Panthers have opened up the season with a 4-3 mark, but most recently suffered setbacks to Kennesaw State and Troy before the remaining two games of last week's tournament were canceled. Kayla Bear has been leading the squad at the plate with a .364 batting average, clubbing eight hits and scoring seven runs. Hannah Cravens also adds power at the dish with 10 RBI, boosted by two doubles and two home runs on the year. EIU's pitching staff has done well at limiting walks, boasting a 3.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio that ranks 34^th nationally. Taylor Florea has been the most utilized pitcher, going 2-2 in 22.1 innings pitched with a 3.63 ERA. The Norse are also likely to see Jade Montgomery, who has spent 16.0 innings in the circle this season with a 1-1 record and a 6.19 ERA. Northern Kentucky has met up with EIU twice in program history, with the Panthers claiming both games.
 
SCOUTING GARDNER-WEBBB: The Runnin' Bulldogs have enjoyed a successful start to the 2020 campaign at 9-3, with their only losses coming against Canisius, Valparaiso and Colgate. Andrea Lyon is already making waves in her rookie season, leading the Runnin' Bulldogs with a .410 batting average, 10 extra-base hits and 18 runs driven in.  Brooke Perry has also driven in 18 runs on the year, which puts the pair at third nationally in RBI. The tandem also makes up Gardner-Webb's top pitching duo, with Lyon boasting a 4-0 record and 38 strikeouts while Perry has fanned 42 batters en route to a 3-2 mark. Trinity Sterrett is also one ranked among the nation's best, nabbing 1.25 bases per game to sit at second, stealing 15 bases on 16 attempts. Rounding out the Bulldogs' top batter is Autumn Owen, the reigning Big South Freshman of the Year and an NFCA All-Mid Atlantic Region honoree. The sophomore is batting .400 through 12 games with 14 runs scored and 13 driven in. As a team, Gardner-Webb ranks in the top-50 nationally in doubles, triples and home runs per game, sitting at 18^th nationally with a .553 slugging percentage. The team is also aggressive on the base path with 2.67 stolen bases per game, ranking seventh nationally, and scores 6.67 runs per game to rank 27^th.  This weekend will mark the first two meetings with the Runnin' Bulldogs in program history.
 
SCOUTING MOUNT ST. MARY'S: The Mountaineers are on the hunt for their first win of the season after going 0-4 at the Campbell Invitational. Mount St. Mary's struggled to keep opponents from moving along the base path as the Mountaineer pitching staff surrendered 33 runs off 38 hits in the first four contests while the Mount's offense mustered 10 runs. Mariah Godde, Maggie Kane and Kaiea Bonshock are all batting above .300 on the year, with Bonshock driving in four of the Mountaineers' 10 runs. The sophomore ranks third nationally with 0.75 doubles per game. Amanda Berkley has spent the most time in the circle at 11.0 innings pitched, while Avery Neuhart adds 8.0 innings this season.
 
PRESEASON POLL: NKU continued to move up in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, tying for third with 56 points and one first-place vote. UIC topped the list with 79 points and seven first-place votes, while Detroit Mercy was picked second with 61 points and a first-place vote.
 
2020 NORSE: The Norse graduated two student-athletes from the 2019 squad and return a wealth of experience at every position. Lawson returns to anchor NKU's defense in the outfield, while Isabell Alexander, Alexis McDaniel and Kailey Rossiter are all seasoned veterans in right and left field. Behind the plate, the Norse could see Taylor Hoover or Madi Mulder, the latter of which spent much of last season at third base. Frazier and Toree Stalter are expected to hold down second base and shortstop, respectively, while Hailey Whitmer and Jordan Jenkins both have ample experience at first. In the circle, Ginther returns for her senior campaign already established as the winningest Norse pitcher in the Division I era, and she is backed up by Faith Howard and transfer Caitlin Karo. Complementing the veterans are eight freshmen who can contribute in the infield, outfield and circle.