HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball is off to Carbondale, Illinois, to take on the field at the Coach B Classic, hosted by Southern Illinois. NKU first faces in-state foe Murray State on Friday, Feb. 28, with first pitch at 4:45 p.m. CT/5:45 ET. The Norse then play Purdue Fort Wayne and the host Salukis on Saturday, Feb. 29 at 10 a.m. CT/11 ET and 12:15 p.m. CT/1:15 ET, respectively. The tournament wraps up at 10 a.m. CT/11 ET on Sunday, March 1, against Creighton.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse went 1-4 at the GWU Softball Tournament, dropping two games to both Eastern Illinois and Gardner-Webb while winning a 4-3 contest against Marist. Despite the setbacks, NKU had some close games with a 1-0 loss to Gardner-Webb and an eight-inning loss to Eastern Illinois.
 
LEAGUE HONORS: In their first weekend back on the field, seniors Taylor Hoover and Taylor Ginther hauled in Horizon League weekly honors. Hoover was named the Horizon League Player of the Week after batting .500 and slugging .917 at the Bruin Challenge, while Ginther was named the Co-Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 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 MURRAY STATE: The Racers have gotten off to a successful start to the 2020 campaign, boasting a 9-4 record. Murray State is coming off a 2-2 weekend at the Stinger Classic, where it defeated Howard and Grambling State, but fell to North Alabama in a pair of shutouts. Sierra Gilmore leads a group of five Racers batting above .300, owning a .395 batting average with 15 hits and 17 runs driven in.  The junior infielder has four doubles and four home runs to her name, and senior Lexi Jones has also been driving in plenty of runs for the Racers with 13 RBI, aided by three doubles and four homers. Hannah James has spent the most time in the circle this season with a 4-2 record in 33.2 innings pitched, but the Norse could also see Jenna Veber or Taylor Makowsky, both of whom have put in 23.0 innings of work. Despite hailing from the same state, the Racers and the Norse have never squared off in the history of the two programs.
 
SCOUTING PURDUE FORT WAYNE: The Mastodons have gone 1-10 so far on the year, with their lone win being a 7-5 win over Southern Miss on Feb. 15. Madeline Swart leads the Purdue Fort Wayne batters with a .351 average, 13 hits and nine runs scored on the season. Morganne Denny has also been a top performer for the team, driving in an efficient 10 runs off 10 hits. While the Mastodons have been able to plate an average of 3.64 runs per game, it has struggled to keep its opponents' offenses at bay as the pitching staff holds a 6.90 ERA. Shaina Eyre picked up Purdue Fort Wayne's lone win of the year, and she holds the lowest ERA on staff at 4.44. Northern Kentucky holds a 19-8 advantage in the all-time series with the Mastodons, but it has been Purdue Fort Wayne who has held the edge since the team's transition to Division I with a 3-1 mark.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN ILLINOIS: The Salukis are 6-6 on the year, but the team has not shied away from tough competition with four Power Five opponents on its docket, including a 2-1 win over Michigan State. Southern Illinois is coming off a 3-1 weekend at the FGCU Spring Break Classic, after which freshman pitcher Sarah Harness was named the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week with a 1.26 ERA and a 7:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. On the year, Harness has spent a team-high 45.2 innings in the circle, sporting a 3.07 ERA and 43 batters fanned. At the plate, Susie Baranski leads the Salukis with a .419 batting average, clubbing 13 hits, while Maddy Vermejan has contributed in a variety of ways with eight hits, six of which were extra-base, eight runs scored and seven runs driven in. This weekend will also mark the first-ever meeting between the Norse and the Salukis.
 
SCOUTING CREIGHTON: The Bluejays hold a 7-5 mark coming into the weekend, most recently defeating Rider and Central Connecticut State before falling to Bowling Green. Creighton's offense is paced by Ashley Cantu, who ranks 27^th in the nation with a .500 batting average, but missed the last weekend of competition. Kiara Mills has been the team's top slugger with a .618 slugging percentage, with seven runs driven in and six extra-base hits. The Bluejays excel in advancing their players along the base path, with three ranked in the top-100 nationally in sacrifice bunts per game, led by Sam Alm's eight sac bunts on the year. Creighton relies heavily on the pitching tandem of Kiele Miller and Mikayla Santa Cruz, with the former ranking 46^th nationally with 9.3 strikeouts per game. The junior hurler also holds a 1.83 ERA and keeps opponents to a .230 batting average.  Creighton will be the third first-time opponent for the Norse this weekend.
 
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.