This Week: After six straight games at home, Notre Dame College softball heads to Salem University for a doubleheader, on April 17, with start times of 12 and 2 p.m. Next weekend, Notre Dame will meet Glenville State University, on April 20 at 1 and 3 p.m. and then the Falcons will play at Concord University, on April 21 at 12 and 2 p.m.

Records: Notre Dame has a record of 26-19 on the year, while going 9-11 against the Mountain East Conference. NDC is tied for third place with West Liberty in the North Division of the MEC. Salem enters the week with a mark of 9-25. Glenville State has an overall record of 16-17, while going 10-12 MEC and Concord is 22-20 this season, going 10-12 against MEC opponents. In the South Division, GSU and CU are tied for third place, one game ahead of Davis & Elkins in the win column. GSU and CU will go head-to-head in Glenville, on April 17.

Coaches Corner: Kelsey Stopp is in her sixth season as the head coach at NDC, leading the Falcons to a record of 118-137 (64-82 MEC). Steve Potts is in his 16th season at the helm of the Salem program. Sara Scoone is in year number four at Glenville, while Alyssa Morris is in her third season with Concord.
 
Rankings: None of these teams are ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II top 25 poll.
 
Series History: NDC has gone 2-2 all-time against Salem, splitting doubleheaders in both 2013 and 2024. On March 27, the Falcons lost 3-1 to SU in game one and then beat the Tigers by a score of 11-3, in five innings, in game two. Since 2014, Notre Dame has gone 11-7 against Glenville State. The Falcons have won three consecutive games against GSU, including a doubleheader sweep at home in 2023. The Falcons hold a record of 10-12 all-time against Concord, but Notre Dame has won four of the last six matchups.

Noting the Falcons: Notre Dame went 3-3 last week. The Falcons split a series with Ashland, losing game one, 3-0, before winning game two, 3-2, in walk-off fashion. In that win, pinch-hitter Jocelyn Quior came up to the plate, in the bottom of the seventh inning with Notre Dame trailing 2-1. Quior hit the ball up the middle to score two runs. NDC then put together two terrific performances in a sweep of West Virginia State. In game one, Grace Fisher struck out 11 in a one-hit shutout of the Yellow Jackets, as the Falcons won 3-0. In game two, NDC's offense opened up in a 10-2 win. The Falcons then were swept by No. 13 Charleston, on Sunday.

Last week, Notre Dame's Meadow Odum stood out again at the plate. She went 8-for-17 (.470), with five extra base hits (two doubles, two triples, home run). Against West Virginia State, Odum went 3-for-3 in game one and 2-for-3 in game two. She is now second on the team with a .310 batting average, to go along with 10 doubles, three triples and a team-high four home runs. Destany Blake leads the Falcons with a .331 average, 45 hits and 30 RBI. Avery Robinson (.304) and Katelyn DeWeese (.303) are both hitting over .300. DeWeese has moved into second place in NDC single season program history with 25 stolen bases. She needs 11 more to break the record.

In the pitcher's circle, Allison Weilnau has a 9-8 record, with a 3.45 ERA, striking out 62. Grace Fisher has struck out 129 hitters in 133 1/3 innings, putting together a 13-8 record, 15 complete games and five shutouts, which ranks 26th in NCAA Division II. Opponents are hitting just .233 off of Fisher this year.
 
Noting the Tigers: Salem had a tough week last week, going 1-5 against MEC opponents. In a doubleheader on April 8, SU dropped a pair to Frostburg State and then lost both to Charleston, on Saturday. On Sunday, Salem lost game one to W.Va. State, 4-2, but then came back to beat the Yellow Jackets, 3-2, in game two with a go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth.

Sierra Chapa leads Salem with a .330 average, but Meladie LaRance has been their best all-around hitter. LaRance holds a .324 average, with seven doubles, two triples and a home run. As a team, SU is hitting .255 with just 35 extra base hits. The Tigers' pitching staff has a team ERA of 5.44. Three players (Andrea Gallegos - 10, Kendall Lemley - 13, Brooke Wise - 8) have made at least eight start this season and Gallegos has a 5-6 record, with a save, and a 5.44 ERA.
 
Noting the Pioneers: Glenville State played three North Division teams and did very well last week, going 5-1 with four shutouts. GSU swept West Liberty and Fairmont State, while splitting a doubleheader with Frostburg State. While the Pioneers did not score more than three runs in any game during the week, they only allowed a total of three runs. Because of her dominant performances in the circle, Holly Brehm was named MEC Pitcher of the Week. She appeared in four games, including three starts while pitching a total of 22 2/3 innings. In those innings, Brehm racked up 36 strikeouts, including a 16-strikeout contest against West Liberty and an 11-strikeout contest against Frostburg State. Overall, she went 2-1 with a save, pitching a complete game in all three of her starts.

The Glenville pitching staff has been really good, holding a 2.94 team ERA. Holly Brehm has a 1.82 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, 10-14 record, 20 complete games and 207 strikeouts, which is fifth in Division II, in 172 2/3 innings. Opposing hitters are batting .193 off of Brehm. Kylie Burdick has a 13-8 record, with a 3.30 ERA and 13 complete games. On the offensive side, Ashton Palmer is the only Pioneer hitting above .300 at .326. Emma McLean is hitting .297, with nine doubles, two triples, four home runs and eight steals. 

Noting the Mountain Lions: Concord played a lot of close games last week, but had a record of 2-4. The Mountain Lions split a series with Wheeling and Frostburg State. Then, on Sunday, CU dropped two games against Fairmont State, both by one run (2-1 and 4-3).

Kylee Stacy is batting .416 in 41 games. with five doubles, three triples and 18 stolen bases. Lacie Lewis (.349), Courtney Raines (.328) and Madison Hollis (.325) are all hitting over .320. Lewis has hit five homers, while Raines has 16 doubles, which ranks 16th in the country, and 36 RBI. As a team, Concord is hitting .285. The Mountain Lions' pitching has been solid with a 3.69 team ERA. Nancy-Jo Roberts has a 2.99 ERA, a 10-7 record, 10 complete games and three shutouts.Madison Hollis has a 9-10 record, with a 3.78 ERA.