This Week: Due to bad weather last weekend, Notre Dame College softball has an incredibly busy schedule this week. On March 30, NDC takes on Fairmont State with a start time of 2:30 p.m. The next day, the Falcons battle Frostburg State at 12 p.m. This weekend, NDC takes on Davis & Elkins, on April 2, and West Virginia Wesleyan, on April 3. Both days have a start time of 12 p.m.

Records: Notre Dame enters the week with a record of 8-12 (1-3 MEC). Fairmont State is 6-10, with a 2-4 MEC mark, while Frostburg State sits at 10-7 with a 5-1 record in the MEC. Davis & Elkins has gotten off to a 6-17 start (4-2 MEC) and W.Va. Wesleyan has gone 16-9-1 with a 6-2 MEC record.

Coaches Corner: Kelsey Stopp is now in her fourth season as head coach of the Falcons. She has a record of 49-77 (25-43 MEC). John Light is in his sixth season at Fairmont State and has a record of 98-120 (70-64 MEC). Elle Fracker is in her second campaign with D&E after coaching the program to an 11-21 mark last season. Steve Warner has been with W.Va. Wesleyan for 29 years and has a record of 1111-417-1. Bill Vasko has spent four seasons in the Frostburg State dugout.

Rankings: None of these teams are ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II top 25 poll.

Series History: Notre Dame has an all-time record of 12-15 against Fairmont State, 0-5 versus Frostburg State, 4-2 against Davis & Elkins and 5-12 when battling West Virginia Wesleyan.

Noting the Falcons: The Falcons have not played since March 22 but last week, Notre Dame went 2-2. They fell to West Liberty, twice, before coming home to sweep Ursuline. In the first win over Ursuline, the Falcons took advantage of mistakes and scored three runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth to win 6-2. The Falcons then used the extra base hits in the second game. In the fourth inning, Alexi Maciejowski tripled to score a run and Lexi Rehm brought in two runs with a homer. In the fifth, Emma Gumont doubled and Daniele Rivera scored on an error by the right fielder. NDC would win that game 4-2.

The offense has been led by Alexi Maciejowski, Daniele Rivera, Lexi Rehm and Emma Gumont. Maciejowski is hitting .348 and has 23 hits, which includes 12 extra base hits (six doubles, a triple and five home runs). She also leads the team with 26 RBI and a .697 slugging percentage. Rivera currently leads the team with a batting average of .431, 25 hits and a .542 on base percentage. Emma Gumont is hitting .365, which is second on the team, to go along with 23 hits, five doubles and 31 total bases. Rehm has 21 hits this season, six doubles, three home runs and a slugging percentage of .571.

In the pitcher's circle, Allison Weilnau has had three consecutive solid starts. Against Wheeling, on March 20, she went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs. Against West Liberty, on March 21, she went five innings, allowing just one earned run. And on March 22, against Ursuline, she struck out seven in a complete game, allowing two runs.

Noting the FSU Falcons: Fairmont State played a couple games last Friday, scoring 27 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Alderson Broaddus. In game one, Courtney Meyer went 3-for-3 and Carlie Schlosser recorded two doubles. Emily Riggs and Alexa Andrews each had three RBI as FSU defeated Alderson Broaddus, 14-12, scoring four runs in the top of the seventh. In the second game of the day, Riggs had three hits, including a home run, as FSU won 13-4. The Falcons had 25 hits on the day.

This season, Riggs leads the team with a .444 batting average, five doubles, three home runs and a slugging percentage of .778. Pitcher Ally Maddy has appeared in 10 games this season, in relief. She has done her job, holding a 3.56 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over 19 2/3 innings of work.

Noting the FSU Bobcats: Frostburg State split a doubleheader with Alderson Broaddus on Monday, their first time in competition since March 20. FSU had to score four times in the sixth inning to defeat AB, 8-7, in game one. Jamie Roberts had two hits and three RBI and Adriana Wimmer cashed in two hits, including a double, along with four RBI. The Bobcats lost game two, 7-4. Wimmer, again, had two hits.

Jamie Roberts and Brianna Powell are both hitting .333. Powell has six doubles, two triples, three homers and 19 RBI. Jayla Hill leads the team with six home runs and 39 total bases. Katie Chapple (five wins, two saves) and Sydney Theobald (four wins, one save) have combined for 16 starts and eight complete games.

Noting the Senators: Davis & Elkins has gotten off to a solid start to the conference season. They have completed sweeps of Fairmont State and Concord. Last Friday, the Senators combined for 22 runs in a sweep of Concord. They won game one 9-1 in five innings and took the second contest by a score of 13-4 in five innings. Mia Mendoza was named MEC Player of the Week after finishing the doubleheader 8-for-8 at the plate. In the first game, she recorded four hits, including three doubles, and drove in six runs as the leadoff hitter. In the second game, she had four hits, including a double and home run, to go along with five RBI. Mendoza's batting average jumped from .227 before the two games to .311 after the doubleheader.

Mendoza is now the only Senator hitting over .300, and she leads the team with a slugging percentage of .432. D&E has six pitchers who have started a game in the circle. Jenna Evans has gone 39 1/3 innings, starting seven contests. She has a team-high three wins.

Noting the WVWC Bobcats: West Virginia Wesleyan is now on a four-game winning streak after sweeping Glenville State on Monday and Concord on Tuesday. Wesleyan defeated Concord 8-0 in six innings to start the day on Tuesday. Alli Robinson recorded three hits, while she and Destiny Alvarado each had three RBI. Robinson's day included a home run and double. Hannah Hudson struck out five in six innings, allowing just two hits. The Bobcats led the second game by a score of 4-1 before striking for seven runs in the sixth to win 11-1. Molly Osborne had four RBI in that game. Taylor Swartz and Lauren Niglio each had three hits. In the circle, Abigail O'Shields allowed one run and struck out seven.

The Bobcats have six players hitting over .300. Grace Hightower leads the way with a .413 average and she has 38 hits. Alli Robinson has 16 extra base hits (eight doubles, eight home runs) in 18 games played. She is hitting .397. WVWC has four pitchers who have seen time in the circle and the team has a combined ERA of 2.61, along with a 1.23 WHIP. Hannah Hudson has seven wins, 10 complete games, four shutouts and 79 strikeouts.