HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball comes home to the friendly confines of the Frank Ignatius Grein Softball field after a six-game stretch on the road. The Norse take on Cleveland State on Friday and Saturday. All contests can be seen on ESPN+.
 
Friday's games will now begin at 1 p.m., instead of the originally scheduled noon start. Saturday's games are still slated to begin at noon.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (4-14 Overall, 3-7 Horizon League)
Cleveland State University Vikings (8-14 Overall, 3-7 Horizon League)
Friday, March 26 – 1 and 3:30 p.m. (ET)
Saturday, March 27 – Noon and 2:30 p.m. (ET)
Highland Heights, KY. | Frank Ignatius Grein Softball Field (500)
Friday ESPN+: Game 1 | Game 2
Saturday ESPN+: Game 1 | Game 2
Stats: Live Stats
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Quick Hitters
• NKU sits at 4-14 after dropping a pair of games against Youngstown State.
• The Norse have held leads in 10 of their 18 contests this season and have played eight, 1-run games with a 3-5 mark in them
• NKU is set to return home and close the month out with a four-game series versus Cleveland State. The all-time series is in favor of Cleveland State at 6-8, but NKU has won two of the last three. The last matchup came on May 5, 2019, where the Norse came out victorious, 8-0 (6).
• NKU ranks third in Horizon League-only games in ERA at 2.28 and has the second-most batters struck out (57). Cleveland State enters with a 4.98 ERA, 9th-best.
• 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.
• The Norse have a league-high seven triples against their conference foes, averaging 0.70 per game. NKU is averaging 0.44 triples per game in all contests this year, which ranks 11th in the country.
• Freshman OF Ella LeMonier is batting a team-high .353 and has solidified a spot in right field. She has registered a hit in 11 of her 14 games played.
• 2B Josie Frazier leads the Norse with 20 hits and 10 runs. Her .313 batting average is third-best for the Norse.
• OF Ava Lawson has thirteen hits this year, 10 of which are of the extra base variety (three doubles, three triples, four home runs). Lawson's four long balls give her 20 for her career, one shy of Norse Hall of Famer Rose Broderick Kappesser in fifth-place spot in NKU's record books.
• IF/OF Jenna O'Hair has five RBI and three runs to go along with a team-best .422 OBP. She's second on the team in hitting with a .316 average.
• 3B/C Madi Mulder is batting .269. Four of her 14 hits on the season are doubles.
• P Lauryn Hicks is coming off a complete game on Tuesday against Youngstown State, where she fanned five Penguins. She now has 55 K's on the year, second most in the Horizon League.
• 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 five games, going 7-for-16 at the plate with three RBIs, two runs and two doubles. She's batting .290 and has five extra-base hits.
• Since arriving at NKU, C/UT Kendyl McKeough has started every game and is second on the team with 10 RBI. She is batting .226 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 fell short on both ends of a midweek double-header against Youngstown State, losing 4-2 and 4-3, respectively. The pair of losses put the Norse into a four game skid. YSU struck first in both games, scoring in the second inning each time. NKU responded in the sixth inning of both games, but fell just shy.
 
Scouting Cleveland State
Cleveland State is currently tied for eighth in the Horizon League standings with Northern Kentucky. The Vikings are also one of the best teams in conference with eight home runs. On the defensive side, Cleveland State has given up 68 runs in Horizon League action, the most allowed by any team thus far.