Tigers Host Vikings, Norse in Weekend Series

Saturday, March 19

Memphis, Tenn.

1 p.m.

University of Memphis

Cleveland State

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Mar 18, 2016 | Softball

Memphis faces Cleveland State and Northern Kentucky in weekend

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Memphis Tigers take on a pair of Horizon League schools with nordic-region nicknames in the Cleveland State Vikings and the Northern Kentucky Norse in a weekend three-game series. Memphis will host Cleveland State to open the weekend at 1 p.m. on Saturday, before ending the day with a 3 p.m. first pitch against Northenr Kentucky. On Sunday, Memphis and Northern Kentucky meet for the weekend finale in a noon first pitch.

QUICK HITTERS

• Memphis comes off of a weekend where it went 5-1 in its last six games, including a 4-1 record at the Chanticleer Challenge, with wins over Buffalo, Furman, Coastal Carolina, and a second victory over Buffalo, and a 4-2 victory over Belmont.
• The Tigers are a perfect 4-0 in home games, and have eight consecutive home games starting with three this weekend

HOME COOKING

• Memphis will play its 5th, 6th, and 7th home games of the season during the weekend.
• The Tigers are a perfect 4-0 in home games thus far this season.
• The school record for consecutive home wins to open the season is five, set during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS

• Recently snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 5-4 win at Balor on Tuesday evening.
• In the team's last two games, a pair of losses to UT-Arlington, Cleveland State fell victim to walk-off hits in each of the game, and have lost 13 of the last 14 games.
• Leading the offense for the Vikings is a pair of players - Erica McNew (.443) and Katelind Phillips (.403) - who are batting over .300 for the season.
• McNew leads the team with three home runs, five doubles, and 15 RBI's
• The pitching staff is led by Susan Knight who has struck out 30 in 56.1 innings of work, and a 1-8 overall record.

SCOUTING THE NORSE

• Northern Kentucky comes into the two-game weekend after seeing a four-game losing skid snapped with a 4-2 win over Quinnipiac on March 13.
• The Norse have yet to have a home game this season, as its home opener scheduled for Wednesday was postponed because of poor field conditions.
• NKU is led by Jordan Harbacek, who is batting a team-best .349 on the season (15-for-43) as Alina Maher (.310) and Dani Devlin (.303) each hit over .300 for the year.
• Maher has clubbed a team-best five home runs, as Devlin leads the team with 15 RBI's.
• The pitching staff is led by Harbacek, who is 4-3 with a 3.96 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 46 innings of work. Charlie Nolen is 3-7 in a team-high nine starts.

BIG AVERAGE

Memphis junior outfielder Lindsay Crowdus, during her two-plus seasons with the Tigers, has a career batting average of .320, which is tied for the current school record.

Rk.	Avg.	Student-Athlete	H-AB	Years
1.	.320	Lindsay Crowdus	124-388	2014-16
	.320	Bridgette McNulty	105-328	2006-07
3.	.308	Morgan Mosby	121-393	2010-13
4.	.303	Leila Dolfo	207-683	2006-09
5.	.290	Kimmi Hayden	132-455	2006-08

ALL-TIME SERIES

This is Memphis' first all-time meeting against both Cleveland State and Northern Kentucky. The two opponents will give Memphis five games this season against teams from the Horizon League.

HADLEY NAMED TO WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

Memphis freshman catcher/third baseman Regan Hadley, following a week where she went 6-of-13 at the plate and hit her first two collegiate home runs, was named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll. She is the third Tiger player to be named to the AAC Honor Roll, along with Memphis newcomers Lindsey Stickrod and Brittany Seale. She helped the Tigers to a 4-1 record, and drove in seven runners over four games and had a 1.000 slugging percentage, and added a walk.

YOUNG GUNS

Memphis, which does not have a senior on its 2016 roster, is led by a quartet of players - two sophomores and two juniors - who each hit over .315 this season. Juniors Brittany Seale (.361) and Lindsey Stickrod (.315) along with sophomores Brooke Lee (.342) and Kyler Trosclair (.326) rank in the top four in the team in batting average. Seale stands fifth in the AAC in batting average, and Lee ninth.