HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball continues Horizon League action as it travels to Youngstown, Ohio, to take on Youngstown State in a midweek double-header. The all-time series between the teams is deadlocked at 7-7. Both games can be seen on ESPN3.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (4-12 Overall, 3-5 Horizon League)
Youngstown State Penguins (8-7 Overall, 2-2 Horizon League)
Tuesday, March 23 – 3 P.M. | 5:30 p.m.
Youngstown, Ohio | YSU Softball Complex (500)
ESPN3 Broadcast: Game 1 | Game 2
Stats: Game 1 | Game 2
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Quick Hitters
• NKU begins the season 4-12 after picking up a lone win in a four-game series against Oakland.
• The Norse have held leads in 10 of their 16 contests this season.
• NKU is set to face Youngstown State in a two-game series this Tuesday. Theseries will be the second-straight on the road for the Norse.
• The all-time series against Youngstown State is deadlocked at 7-7, but NKU has won three of the last four. The last matchup came on May 8, 2019, where the Norse came out victorious, 6-0.
• Northern Kentucky received 74 votes and were picked to finish third in the #HLSB preseason poll. This comes after NKU went 9-10 in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and went 22-33 with a 12-11 record in league play, good for a fourth-place league finish, in 2019.
• Tuesday's games features the top pitching staffs in league play, as the Norse have a 1.79 ERA, just behind the Penguin's 1.75.
• The Norse have a league-high seven triples against their conference foes, averaging 0.88 per game. NKU is averaging 0.50 triples per game in all contests this year, which ranks 7th in the country.
• Freshman OF Ella LeMonier is batting a team-high .367 and is coming off a four-game series with Oakland where she went 6-of-15 (.400) and scored one run.
• 2B Josie Frazier leads the Norse with 20 hits and eight runs. Her .333 batting average is second-best for the Norse.
• OF Ava Lawson has twelve hits this year, nine of them are of the extra base variety (three doubles, three triples, three home runs). Lawson's three long balls give her 19 for her career, passing Katelyn Roy for sixth all-time in NKU's record book.
• IF/OF Jenna O'Hair has five RBI and three runs to go along with a team-best .439 OBP. She's third on the team in hitting with a .324 average.
• 3B/C Madi Mulder is batting .283. Four of her 13 hits on the season are doubles.
• P Caitlin Karo pitched a complete game on Friday, picking up the only win of the weekend.
She gave up two runs on six hits and fanned a pair of Golden Grizzlies.
• P Lauryn Hicks was named the #HLSB Pitcher of the Week on March 16, after going 2-0 with a
1.00 ERA, 18 strikeouts, and allowing Green Bay to hit just .104.
• Freshman C Maddie Lacer has been on a role the last three games, going 6-for-10 at the plate with two RBIs, two runs and two doubles. She's batting .320 and has five extra-base hits.
• Since arriving at NKU, C/UT Kendyl McKeough has started every game and leads the team
with 10 RBI. She is batting .229 and is also second on the team with two home runs.
• Along with McKeough, eight newcomers join the Norse this season, including Lacer,
Sydni Barnes, Madisyn Eads, Abby Moffett, LeMonier, Sophie Margelot, Arrington Walker and Megan Lenhart.
 
Last Time Out
Northern Kentucky went 1-3 this past weekend against Oakland, splitting day one before falling in both games on Saturday. The Norse just missed a chance to split again on Saturday after falling in the ninth. NKU is now tied for seventh in the Horizon League.
 
Scouting Youngstown State
Youngstown State is 8-7 overall and 2-2 in conference play. They split a doubleheader at Dayton on Sunday, after dropping both ends of a doubleheader against Saint Francis on Saturday. Alex DeLeon has a team-best .333 batting average and has scored 11 runs on the year. Maddi Lusk is 4-2 in the circle  and sports a 2.02 ERA.