As the flowers start to bloom, NKU fans finally get their first dose of spring as NKU softball kicks off its season this Friday at the Pinnacle Blue House Invitational in Clinton, South Carolina.
Before they take the field for their first game, let’s look back at their past season and see how they fair in the upcoming tournament, which will be their first action of the season.
Last season, the Lady Norse finished with a 27-22 record overall with a 14-10 record in conference play. They got off to a slow start, dropping six of their first nine games but found a rhythm and finished the season with four win streaks of three or more games.
NKU rode a five-game win streak into the Horizon League championship where they took on the Cleveland State Vikings. In the championship, The Lady Norse came out firing with Senior, Ella LeMonier singling and eventually scoring on a two-out double by Sydni Barnes to go up 1-0 in the top of the 1st inning.
That was NKU’s lone run of the game as Cleveland State tied it up in the 3rd inning and took the lead with a five spot in the fifth inning. NKU went on to lose to the Vikings in the championship but still had a successful season, which they wish to build on.
NKU was led by Senior Ella LeMonier who hit .384 and swiped 19 bags. Her counterpart, Junior Olivia Pastin hit .361 and led the team in OPS, doubles, RBIs, and total bases. With LeMonier having graduated, Olivia Pastin is building on her 2024 campaign.
On the other side of the ball, the Lady Norse had a fierce rotation that included Graduate Student Lauryn Hicks, Freshman Brooklyn Ballis, and Senior Madisyn Eads. Together, they averaged an ERA of 3.32 and a WHIP of 1.43.
Lauryn Hicks, was an ace on the mound, recording 13 wins across 138 innings pitched. On March 21st, Hicks threw a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits with six strikeouts. Hicks’ dominance earned her a spot on the all-league second team as well as the Horizon League all-tournament team.
This season the Lady Norse need to be able to rely on players like Pastin and Ballis to step into vacant leadership roles and carry over their success after losing Hicks and Lemonier, who graduated.
The Lady Norse take on George Washington, Presbyterian, and Morehead State in a five-game, three-day-long tournament. Led by great pitching, these teams pose great competition that will test NKU to the furthest extent.
NKU looks to start the season off right with a victory and build on their runner-up performance last year.