DURHAM, N.C. – Northern Kentucky's softball team will face some of the stiffest competition in its young season when it plays Army, No. 19 Michigan and No. 13 Duke in the Duke Invitational Feb. 25 and 26.
 
The Norse begin the Invitational against Army at 10 a.m. Friday at the Duke Softball Stadium. They face Michigan at 4 p.m. the same day.
 
NKU returns to the venue at 1 p.m. Saturday to play Duke and finishes the invitational at 7 p.m. Saturday with a Michigan rematch.
 
The Duke Invitational marks NKU's third of four multi-team events to start the season. The Norse also will compete in the Coach B Classic in Carbondale, Ill., March 4-6.
 
QUICK HITTERS
• NKU ended its recent trip to the Upstate Classic on a high note with a 4-2 victory over Canisius. Before that tournament in Spartanburg, SC, the Norse waged a 4-1 season start in the Blue Hose Invitational in Clinton, SC. After falling to Tennessee Tech in an opener, the Norse won four straight. NKU downed host Presbyterian twice, South Carolina State and Tennessee Tech. 
 
• Northern Kentucky received 39 votes and was picked to finish sixth in the #HLSB preseason poll. Oakland, the preseason favorite, received two first place nods among its 82 total votes. Second place Youngstown State (81 points) had five first-place votes.
 
• Six newcomers join NKU this season: junior Hannah Colbert (John Logan College) and freshmen Alicia Flores, Charly Koehler, Megan Kincer, Olivia Pastin and Trinity Robertson.
 
• Just three games into the season, Tatum Biddle matched an NKU record that had not been replicated since 2009. Biddle had two triples in the five-inning, 21-1 rout of South Carolina State in the Blue Hose Invitational Feb. 12. The last Norse player who had two or more triples in a game was Rose Broderick, who collected two triples against Bellarmine on April 25, 2009.
 
Biddle's triple in the bottom of the second inning versus South Carolina State yielded three RBI. She followed suit in the bottom of the third with a triple that drove in two more runs. Biddle also set a new program record with seven RBI in that victory.
 
• Speaking of milestone performances, Kendyl McKeough delivered NKU's most recent walk-off home run. Tennessee Tech scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning of their Blue Hose Invitational game Feb. 12 to knot the score at six. Enter Keough with the game-winning homer for the 6-5 Norse victory in Clinton, S.C.
 
• Kendyl McKeough and Jenna O'Hair have accounted for 31.9% of the Norse's hits thus far. McKeough leads the team with 12 and O'Hair has contributed 10. Together, they have combined for two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and 13 runs scored.
 
• NKU's team batting average (.266) ranks fourth in the Horizon League.
 
SCOUTING ARMY: The Black Knights (1-4) won their season opener before losing four straight. Army was picked third in the Patriot League preseason poll and landed two players on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team: Jolie Duong, a senior pitcher, and Angelina Bebek, a junior infielder. The team started their campaign with a 4-2 victory over Cal State Northridge in the 31^st annual Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego.
 
SCOUTING No. 19 MICHIGAN: The Wolverines (5-4) have faced five ranked teams, including four in a 2-2 showing at the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational Feb. 18-19. Michigan defeated No. 24 UCF and No. 21 LSU. Right-handed pitcher Alex Storako was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after posting a 2-0 record with the wins over UCF and LSU. The senior (4-0) registered a 0.50 ERA and allowed one run. She struck out 18 over 14 innings and gave up just seven hits. Head coach Carol Hutchins is tied with Arizona great Mike Candrea as the winningest coach in NCAA softball history with 1,674 career wins. Duke head coach Marissa Young (2000-03) and Northern Kentucky head coach Kathryn Gleason (1993-96) are both Wolverine alumnae who played in Maize and Blue under Hutchins. 
 
SCOUTING No. 13 DUKE: The Blue Devils (9-2) have won three of their eight games in five innings. They enter their invitational with wins in six of the last seven games, including four straight. The team was picked fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason poll with infielder Jameson Kavel and utility player Deja Davis on the All-League Preseason First Team. Last season, Davis hit .389 with 23 extra-base hits, 14 stolen bases and 28 RBI. Kavel hit .320 with 13 doubles, 33 RBI and 20 stolen bases.