Softball: Heidelberg (4-6 Overall, 0-0 OAC) at Ohio Northern (5-5 Overall, 0-0 OAC)
Saturday, March 23, 2019, 2/4 p.m. — ONU Softball Field, Ada, Ohio
Saturday's Game Preview: The Ohio Northern softball program kicks off its 2019 home schedule and its 18-game Ohio Athletic Conference slate Saturday afternoon against Heidelberg in a conference doubleheader ... Game times are set for 2 and 4 p.m. at the ONU Softball Field in Ada ... The Polar Bears enter play with a 5-5 record, compiled at the Sunkissed Games in Florida on the team's annual Spring Break trip ... On the trip, ONU posted victories over Randolph (Va.), Saint Joseph's (Me.), Bluffton, Simmons (Mass.), and No. 20-ranked St. Benedict (Minn.) ... As a team, the Polar Bears compiled a .352 combined batting average in Plant City ... Through 10 games, freshman infielder Kara May paces the team and sits fourth in the OAC with a .500 batting average ... Juniors Brady Guest and Gabby Stewart are tied for the team lead with 15 total hits and are tied for second on the team with .455 batting averages ... Guest also leads the team with 11 RBI, and Stewart owns a team-high 11 runs scored ... In the pitching circle, freshman Madison Anderson and senior Kaitlin Surdej have combined for the team's five victories ... Anderson owns a 2-0 record, a 0.00 ERA, and four strikeouts after tossing two complete five-inning games over Spring Break ... She currently leads the conference in ERA among qualifying pitchers ... Meanwhile, Surdej has compiled a 3-2 overall record and a 3.59 ERA in 37.0 innings ... Stewart joined the ONU 100-Hit Club over the Spring Break trip ... She now has 107 career hits, which ranks 31st all-time in program history ... The Student Princes enter Saturday's contests sporting a 4-6 overall record ... HU is fresh off a two-game series split with Defiance, winning 8-5 in game one before falling 6-4 in the nightcap ... Freshman Kat Brady leads the team and sits third in the OAC with a .514 batting average ... Meanwhile, junior Casey Moore leads the team with seven RBI and five extra-base hits this year ... Freshman Stephanie Drapp leads the Heidelberg pitching staff with a 4-1 overall record, a 2.24 ERA, and 13 strikeouts in a team-high 40.2 innings pitched.
Ohio Northern Batting Leaders
| Batting Ave. | Hits | Runs | RBI | |||||||||||
| 1. | May | .500 | 1. | Stewart | 15 | 1. | Stewart | 11 | 1. | Guest | 11 | |||
| 2. | Stweart | .455 | Guest | 15 | 2. | Swierz | 9 | 2. | Stewart | 9 | ||||
| Guest | .455 | 3. | May | 14 | 3. | May | 8 | 3. | Loughman | 6 | ||||
| May | 6 |
Ohio Northern Pitching Leaders
| Wins | ERA | Strikeouts | ||||||||
| 1. | Surdej | 3 | 1. | Anderson | 0.00 | 1. | Surdej | 20 | ||
| 2. | Anderson | 2 | 2. | Surdej | 3.59 | 2. | Anderson | 4 | ||
| 3. | Hagarty | 10.50 | 3. | Walters | 3 |
Series Notes: Ohio Northern owns a 58-15 advantage in the all-time series ... The two teams split last season's regular season contests before ONU claimed a 2-0 win in the OAC Tournament.
ONU head coach Jackie Price: Price is currently in her third season as the head softball coach at Ohio Northern ... She owns a 62-29 overall record at the institution, a .681 win percentage.
