HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky softball will host its penultimate home series against IUPUI on Friday and Sunday, as the backend doubleheader of the series has been pushed back a day due to storms anticipated in the area on Sunday. The series marks the first time the two teams have faced off since the 2019 season, where they met five times. The Jaguars held a 4-1 record over the Norse that season, but the Norse prevailed in the final contest, 3-1.
 
Game Information
Northern Kentucky University Norse (9-21 Overall, 8-14 Horizon League)
IUPUI Jaguars (10-23 Overall, 8-15 Horizon League)
Friday, April 23 – Noon and 2:30 p.m. (ET)
Sunday, April 25 – Noon and 2:30 p.m. (ET)
Highland Heights, Ky. | Grein Field (500)
Stats: Live Stats
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Quick Hitters
• NKU sits at 9-21 and 8-14 in #HLSB action after splitting series against Purdue Fort Wayne.
• The Norse have held leads in 19 of their 30 contests this season and have played 13, 1-run
games with a 5-8 mark in them.
• NKU continues its home stand in Highland Heights with a four-game series against IUPUI. The all-time series is 15-5 in favor of the Jaguars, and the last matchup came on May 10, 2019. NKU came out on top, 3-1.
• In Horizon League-only games, NKU holds a 2.83 ERA and are allowing opponents to hit .238, second-lowest in the league.
• 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 nine triples against their conference foes, averaging 0.41 per game. In total, NKU has 10 triples and is averaging 0.33 triples per game, 21st in the country.
• C/UT Kendyl McKeough is coming off a four-game series against Purdue Fort Wayne where she went 4-for-11 (.364) with one single, one homer, two walks, three RBI and two runs scored.
• Since arriving at NKU, McKeough has started every game and is second on the team with 19 RBI. She is batting .315 and is also second on the team in both homers (5) and RBI (19).
• 3B/C Madi Mulder is hitting .393 (11-of-28) in the last 12 games and .298 on the season.
• OF Ava Lawson has 25 hits this year, 14 of which are of the extra-base variety (four doubles, three triples, seven home runs). Lawson has 23 career long balls, fifth all-time at NKU.
• McKeough, Mulder, and Lawson are hitting a combined 77-for-254 (.303) with 54 RBI on the season.
• Lawson (7) and McKeough (6) have combined for 13 home runs this year.
• Freshman OF Ella LeMonier has the second-highest batting average on the team (min. 10 AB) at .315 and has solidified a spot in right field. She has registered a hit in 20 of her 27 games played, and has a team-leading 28 hits on the year.
• 2B Josie Frazier has the joint third-most hits for the Norse with 25 and the second-most runs with 12. She is batting .263 and has started in 27-of-28 games played.
• IF/OF Jenna O'Hair has six RBI and six runs to go along with a .364 OBP. In NKU's game one win versus PFW on April 16, O'Hair belted two doubles in the same inning (3rd).
• C Maddie Lacer has earned a regular-spot in the lineup and is fifth on the team with a .278 batting average. She also has nine RBI and seven runs scored.
• P Faith Howard fanned 5 batters in 13.0 innings against Purdue Fort Wayne, picking up a pair of wins that move her to 2-3.
• P Madisyn Eads earned a pair of starts over the weekend, giving her seven starts in as many appearances. She finished the series with 5 K's and a 1.50 ERA.
 
Last Time Out
Northern Kentucky split a four-game series against Purdue Fort Wayne this past weekend. The Norse won games one and three, 7-3 and 3-2, respectively. NKU out-hit IUPUI 24-21 and bat .250. (24-of-96). The Norse utilized three pitchers, Howard, Eads and Caitlin Karo, throughout the series and fanned 10 batters. Mackenzie Mitchell earned her first start on the year in game four of the series and finished the weekend 1-for-3 (.333) at the plate.
 
Scouting IUPUI
IUPUI currently sits eighth in the Horizon League standings, half a game behind NKU. The Jaguars sit atop the league in home runs given up, allowing 32 in conference and 40 on the year. The Jaguars have had the most batters walked in Horizon League play with 76 and have stolen a league second-best 39 bases on 45 attempts (.867). Morgan Gilbert has stolen a team-high 15 bases on 16 attempts (.938). Jennah Speth has tossed 95.0 innings and fanned a league second-best, 81 batters. She averages 2.53 K's per appearance.