Softball: Ohio Northern (0-0 Overall) at Spring Games - Clermont, Fla.

Sat., Mar. 4 - Sat., Mar. 11 2017, Spring Games, Clermont, Florida

This Weeks Preview: The Ohio Northern softball team will open the Jackie Mangola coaching era as they make their annual trip to Florida for Spring Break ... The Polar Bears will compete in 12 games in seven days while in Clermont, Fla. ... Northern will open the 2017 campaign on Mar. 4 as it takes on Mitchell (Conn.) at 8 am and Penn. St-Behrend at 10:30 am ... After taking a day off, ONU will take on Lebanon Valley (Pa.) on Mar. 6 at 1 pm, before taking on the Tigers of Wittenberg at 6 pm ... The trip will also include contests against Concordia (Ill.) and Muhlenberg (Pa.) on Mar. 7, Misericordia (Pa.) and Wheaton (Ill.) on Mar. 9, Roger Williams (R.I.) and Sage (N.Y.) on Mar. 10 and contests with Catholic (D.C.) and Bethany (W.V.) on Mar. 11 ... Northern posted a 9-5 record at the Spring Games in 2016, including a 9-1 victory over No. 11-ranked Alma (Mich.) ... The pitching staff will be led once again by junior Kirsten Lightel ... Sophomore Kaitlin Surdej will also look to play a big role for Northern at the pitching position ... Lightel, the former OAC Pitcher of the Year, is coming off of a solid season where she led Northern with a 15-8 record, while fanning 122 opposing batters ... The juniors 242 career strikeouts currently ranks third all-time at ONU ... Her career 1.75 ERA ranks fourth all-time in school history, while her 32 victories on the mound are good for eighth all-time ... Surdej had a strong freshman campaign as she ranked second on the team with nine victories and 71 K's ... The sophomore made appearances in 22 games last season, including 16 starts in the circle ... Senior Megan Hupp and juniors Jenna Hollar and Anna Martin will look to lead the Polar Bears at the plate in 2017 as the top-3 returners in hits for Northern ... Hollar recorded 52 hits, while Hupp posted 36 hits and Martin had 31 hits in 2016 ... Hollar leads all returners with a .371 batting average and had a team-best 31 stolen bases in 2016 ... The junior currently ranks second all-time at Northern with 58 career stolen bases and needs only five hits to become the 37th member to join the 100-hit club in Polar Bear softball history ... Hupp ranks second among returners with 36 hits last season and ranked third on the team with 16 stolen bases in 2016 ... Martin ranks third among returners with 31 hits a season ago ... The junior recorded 24 stolen bases a season ago and currently ranks sixth all-time at Ohio Northern with 49 career stolen bases ... Hollar and Martin currently own four of the top five single season records for stolen bases at Ohio Northern.

2016 ONU Batting Leaders - Returners

Pitching Leaders 

Series Notes: The Polar Bears are competing in the Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. for the fourth consecutive season ... Northern posted a 9-5 record during the Spring Break trip in 2016.

ONU head coach Jackie Mangola: Mangola is in her first season as head coach of the Polar Bears.