A look at NKU and Miami softball heading into NCAA Tournament
Two local Division I softball teams will take on the challenge of the NCAA Tournament beginning Friday.
Northern Kentucky University and Miami University won their conference tournaments last weekend to earn a spot in the 64-team NCAA field.
Both teams travel within the region for a four-team double-elimination tournament. The 16 regional champions across the country will be paired up in the Super Regionals next week, playing a best-of-three series. The eight Super Regional winners face off in the College World Series, starting June 1 in Oklahoma City.
NKU is playing in a DI regional for the first time in program history, while the RedHawks advanced for the third year in a row and seventh time in team history. Here is a look at both squads.
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How the NKU Norse got here
The Norse finished under .500 thanks to a non-conference schedule filled with teams from bigger conferences including Power-5 schools. The Norse beat Michigan State Feb. 12 for their first-ever win over a Power Five team.
But the Norse finished 13-9 in the Horizon League to finish third, their highest finish ever, then beat regular-season champion Oakland twice in last week’s league tournament to win the NCAA bid.
The Norse haven’t been a potent offensive team. The Norse average 3.2 runs per game on offense and hit .231 as a team. Those numbers dip outside of the Horizon League, where the Norse hit .250 and averaged four runs per game.
Ella LeMonier leads the way, hitting .331 with a team-high 30 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. The center fielder is also a standout defender, making several highlight-reel catches during the Horizon League tournament.
Jena Rhoads (Wilmington) is the No. 2 hitter and hits .257 with two homers and 21 RBIs. Catcher Maddie Lacer, left fielder Megan Lenhard and third baseman Brielle DiMemmo all had multiple key hits in the conference tourney.
Pitchers Lauryn Hicks and Alicia Flores had dominant performances in the league tourney. Hicks is 11-8 and 2.54 for the season, and Flores 7-14, 3.42. Madisyn Eads (5-7, 4.53) is the No. 3 pitcher. The Norse allowed a .261 batting average and a team ERA of 3.47.
A look at the Knoxville Regional
NKU plays the host Tennessee Volunteers in the first round, starting at 5:30 p.m. Also in the bracket are regional rivals Louisville and Indiana, who play at 3 p.m. Friday.
Win or lose, the Norse will play at least one game Saturday, and the regional championship game is 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Volunteers are the No. 4 national seed. They were champions of the Southeastern Conference (19-5) and 44-8 for the season. The Vols average seven runs per game on offense. Leading hitter Kiki Milloy has 23 homers, 52 RBIs and a .421 batting average. McKenna Gibson hits .389 with 15 homers and 57 RBIs. The Vols have hit 67 homers and have outscored opponents 363-88 this season.
Tennessee has a 1.52 team ERA. Ashley Rogers and Payton Gottshall have had dominant seasons in the circle.
Louisville, 33-18, was fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 16-7 record. The Cardinals average six runs per game, bat .319 as a team and have a team ERA of 3.19.
Indiana, 42-16, was second in the Big Ten Conference at 18-5. The Hoosiers average nearly seven runs per game and have hit 75 homers as a team. Indiana hits .317 as a team. IU has a team ERA of 3.79.
How the Miami RedHawks got here
Miami won the regular-season title in the Mid-American Conference then won three games by exactly four runs to claim the conference tournament championship last weekend.
Miami is going to the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row and seventh time overall.
The RedHawks have six All-Conference players on the 2023 roster, including first-teamers Allie Cummins, Brianna Pratt, Karli Spaid, Jenna Golembiewski and Riley Coyne.
Pratt, the MAC Pitcher of the Year, is 30-10 in the circle this season after securing her 30th win in the MAC Tournament championship game. Spaid, the MAC Tournament MVP, boasts a .364 batting average and has 21 home runs on the season. Miami has 91 home runs this season and ranks third in the country in home runs per game. They are second in the country in slugging percentage. Twelve different RedHawks have hit home runs this year, and four players have double-digit totals (Spaid, Cummins, Golembiewski, and Coyne).
A look at the Evanston Regional
Miami will place Kentucky 1 p.m. Friday. Also in the bracket is host Northwestern, the No. 12 national seed, and Eastern Illinois.
Win or lose, the RedHawks will play at least one game Saturday. The championship game starts at 4 p.m. Sunday, and possibly two games will be played if the survivor of the loser’s bracket wins the first game.
Kentucky (30-20-1) finished ninth in the SEC with a 10-14 record.
The Wildcats average five runs per game and hit .298 as a team. Erin Coffel paces the offense, hitting .427 with 17 homers and 57 RBIs. Kayla Kowalik hits .450. UK has a 4.39 team ERA. Stephanie Schoono (12-2, 1.90) is the ace.
Host Northwestern is the No. 12 national seed. The Wildcats are 38-11 and won the Big Ten with a 20-3 record.
Northwestern scores six runs per game with a balanced roster. The Wildcats have a team ERA of 2.96. Danielle Williams (19-1, 2.19 ERA) is the ace.
Eastern Illinois, 34-19 overall, finished second in the Ohio Valley Conference and won the conference tournament to earn its first-ever DI NCAA berth.
EIU averages 4.4 runs per game. EIU has a 2.91 ERA and is led by ace Olivia Price (16-4, 1.70) who threw three shutouts in the OVC Tournament.
