Upcoming Games: Notre Dame College softball is back from their Florida Trip and will travel to play Wheeling Jesuit University on March 16 at 1 and 3 p.m. and then travel to West Liberty University, on March 17, to take on the Hilltoppers at 1 and 3 p.m. The Falcons come home on March 19, and will battle Ursuline College at 3 and 5 p.m.

Records: Notre Dame is currently 4-6 this season. Wheeling Jesuit is 3-13 and West Liberty has a 6-9 record. Ursuline has a record of 5-11.

Coaches Corner: Kelsey Stopp is in her first season as head coach with NDC. Sara Pelegreen is entering her third season as the coach of Wheeling Jesuit and she has a record of 53-60 (37-26 MEC). Herb Minch is in his 30th season in the dugout for the Hilltoppers. He has 436 career wins. Sue Woodford is now in her ninth season with Ursuline.

Rankings: None of the teams are ranked in the NFCA Coaches Poll.

Series History: The Falcons are 7-16 against Wheeling Jesuit since the 2013 season and went 2-1 against the Cardinals last season. NDC holds a record of 15-5 against West Liberty since 2014, going 2-2 against them in 2018. NDC lost their only game against Ursuline in 2017.

Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame starts conference play after going 4-6 in Florida. While down south, the Falcons played a lot of close games, as six of their first 10 were decided by three runs, or less. On their last day in Florida, NDC defeated, both, Lake Erie College and Nyack College by a score of 8-0. Erin Calhoun was inserted into the leadoff spot and in the two wins last Tuesday, she combined to go 4-for-7 with four runs scored and a double. Shelby Stephens had three hits and four RBI over those final two games. She is riding a six game hit streak and leads the team with a .357 batting average, 14 total bases and a stolen base. She also has a slugging percentage of .500. Taylor Olson and McKenzie Zigmont both threw a complete game shutout on the final day of the trip. This season, Olson has a 3.07 ERA, with two complete game shutouts, only four walks with 22 strikeouts. Zigmont has struck out 17 in 26.1 innings.

Noting the Cardinals: Wheeling Jesuit lost their first two games at Seton Hill before going 3-9 in 12 games in Clermont, Florida. In their most recent games, the Cardinals were swept by Ashland in a double-header and were outscored 17-4. In the two games against Ashland, Molly Welsh led the way, going 3-for-7, with two doubles. This season, she is hitting .346 with a home run, five RBI and four walks. Courtney Rodgers has been leading the way offensively, with a .364 batting average, four doubles, six home runs, 14 RBI and 42 total bases. However, the Cardinals pitching staff has a combined 6.54 ERA and 16 home runs allowed. Kelsey Barron has the lowest ERA, at 5.04.

Noting the Hilltoppers: West Liberty did not go to Florida, and have been in West Virginia since March 9. They started the season with six games in Alabama, going 2-5. They then went 0-4 in four games at a tournament in South Carolina. They have currently won three games in a row, including a double-header sweep of Seton Hill, outscoring the Griffins, 10-0. The Hilltoppers had two home runs over the two games and Kat Donzella led the way, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, a home run and a stolen base. Makenzie Amend earned the first win of the double-header against Seton Hill, with a complete game shutout, only one hit allowed and 14 strikeouts.

Noting the Arrows: Ursuline has also won three straight games, having already taken trips to Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina. After starting 2-11, the Arrows blew out WVU-Tech, 9-0, and then beat Lincoln College, 6-5, and Ohio Christian, 6-2. Brooklyn Miller got three wins for UC in the pitcher's circle. Her stats over the three game winning streak are, 14.1 innings pitched, eight hits allowed, three runs allowed and 22 strikeouts in two starts and a relief appearance. The Arrows had 36 hits over the three games. Sadie Jones went 7-for-10 with three RBI, including two three hit performances.