This Week: Notre Dame College softball hosts three teams on Normandy Field this week. On April 10, the Falcons welcome Ashland University for a doubleheader, beginning at 3 and 5 p.m. West Virginia State University comes to South Euclid for games at 12 and 2 p.m. on April 13. And on April 14, NDC matches up with the University of Charleston for games that will begin at 2 and 4 p.m.

Records: Notre Dame went 3-3 last week and has a record of 23-16 on the year, while going 7-9 against the Mountain East Conference. NDC is in third place in the North Division of the MEC, one game ahead of West Liberty. Ashland has a mark of 14-17 in 2024, while West Virginia State has a record of 18-19, overall, and a 10-8 record in MEC play. Charleston has a 29-2 record and a 17-1 MEC mark. UC is the top team in the South Division, while WVSU is second.
 
Coaches Corner: Kelsey Stopp is in her sixth season at NDC, leading the Falcons to a record of 115-134 (62-80 MEC). Emlyn Knerem is in her seventh season coaching Ashland, Mattie Best has been at West Virginia State for six seasons and Michelle Frew has been at Charleston for three seasons.
 
Rankings: Charleston is ranked No. 13 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II top 25.
 
Series History: Notre Dame has a 5-9 record versus Ashland since 2013, but the Falcons have won three of the last four games in this matchup. That includes an NDC victory over the Eagles earlier this season. At the Blue Bridge Battle in Indiana, Notre Dame defeated AU by a score of 9-5, in eight innings. Since 2014, NDC has gone 7-14 against W.Va. State, but the Falcons have won three of last four games versus WVSU, including a season sweep in 2022. The Falcons hold a 4-15 record all-time against Charleston.

Noting the Falcons: Last week, Notre Dame swept a doubleheader against Walsh, and did not allow a run to the Cavaliers. Grace Fisher and Allison Weilnau combined to go 14 scoreless innings, allowing just eight hits and Fisher had seven strikeouts. The Falcons then ran their winning streak to three games by starting the weekend with a 7-5 victory over Fairmont State, in 10 innings. Fisher went all ten innings in the circle in that game, and only allowed one run after the third inning. Last week, Avery Robinson had a very good week in the batter's box. She went 7-for-12 (.583), with three multi-hit games. She had the go-ahead RBI single in a 1-0 win over Walsh and, in the win over Fairmont, she singled to drive in the first run of the game and, later in that game, she drove in the run that tied the game at four.
 
The Falcons have three players who are hitting over .300 now, with Destany Blake at .350, Avery Robinson at .323 and Katelyn DeWeese at .310. Those three have combined for 17 doubles and four triples. DeWeese has stolen 23 bases this season, which is already the second-most in a season in program history. Mia Cipriano is not far behind with a .292 average, while six of her 14 hits have gone for extra bases and she leads the team with a .500 slugging percentage. Danielle Fick still leads the team with nine doubles and four triples. In the circle, Grace Fisher has won 12 games in 18 starts, throwing 13 complete games and four shutouts with 109 strikeouts. Allison Weilnau has won seven games in 19 starts with seven complete games.
 
Noting the Eagles: Ashland has played better recently, but is still struggling away from home. At home this season, the Eagles have gone 7-3, but away from home, AU is 7-14. Ashland went 1-3 last weekend in four conference road games. In two games against Findlay, AU lost game one 5-4 in 10 innings and then lost game two 2-1 in eight innings. In both games, the Eagles led after the first inning, but UF came back. The Eagles split a doubleheader with Tiffin on Sunday.
 
Ashland has four hitters batting over .320. Delaney Maynard leads the way with a batting average of .344. She also has 10 doubles, three home runs and a slugging percentage of .578. Cassidy Shaffer is hitting .340, Danielle Robbins has a .330 average and Lily Rockwell is sitting at .326. Robbins leads the team with 16 stolen bases. The Eagles have a solid pitching staff, one that holds a 3.12 team ERA this season. Four pitchers have made at least four starts as Bryn Grabowski leads the way with a 2.80 ERA in 14 appearances and 10 starts, pitching in 55 innings.
 
Noting the Yellow Jackets: West Virginia State went 3-1 last weekend. Due to weather, the Yellow Jackets games were pushed back one day so WVSU took down Davis & Elkins, 4-1, in game one but then lost 11-3 in game two, on Sunday. Yesterday, the Yellow Jackets beat W.Va. Wesleyan, 2-0, in both games. In an incredible pitching battle in the first game on Monday, WVSU's Autumn Thompson threw a complete game shutout, but Wesleyan's Josi Fix tossed a no-hitter. W.Va. State took advantage of Wesleyan's five errors to score two runs and win the contest without a hit. WVSU then scored their two runs in the top of the seventh inning to win game two. Kaleigh Murphy pitched a complete game shutout for the Yellow Jackets.
 
Not only does Thompson lead the team with a 2.22 ERA, 11 wins, 14 complete games, five shutouts and 68 strikeouts as a pitcher, but she also leads the Yellow Jackets with a .333 batting average, 34 hits, 10 doubles, two home runs, 54 total bases and a .529 slugging percentage. However, she is the only batter on the team hitting over .300 and, as a team, WVSU has an batting average of .243. Emele Clark is hitting .293, and has stolen 29 bases in 30 attempts, which is 10th-best in NCAA D2. In the pitcher's circle, Thompson has made 18 starts, Autumn Hall has made 12 and Kaleigh Murphy has made seven starts. As a team, the Yellow Jackets have a 3.39 ERA.

Noting the Golden Eagles: Over the last 10 games, the Golden Eagles have won nine. Charleston went 4-0 last weekend, defeating Davis & Elkins, 5-0 and 3-1, and then beat West Virginia Wesleyan, 3-1 and 6-0. Charleston swept the MEC Player of the Week awards. Allison Rubal batted .583 last week, going 7-for-12 at the plate with a home run, six RBI's and four runs scored. Brianna McCown went 4-0 while on the mound with a 0.35 ERA in 20 innings pitched. She allowed just nine hits, one run, one walk while striking out 27 batters. She threw two complete game shutouts, while coming into the game in relief in the other two contests. Her record on the season currently sits at 20-1. 
 
Charleston has seven players currently hitting over .300 and, as a team, the Golden Eagles are hitting .345. Hannah Rose leads the team with a .510 batting average, nine doubles and 19 stolen bases. She has five home runs, but that ranks third on the team. Allysa Lake is third on the team with a .394 average, but she has 10 home runs, eight doubles, 77 total bases and a .819 slugging percentage. Brianna McCown and Chloe Elliott both have a 1.49 ERA. McCown has pitched 117 1/3 innings, striking out 145, with 16 complete games and seven shutouts. As a team, the Golden Eagles have a 1.63 ERA.
 
In the national Division II rankings, Charleston is first in fielding percentage (.984) and strikeout to walk ratio (6.85), while ranking second in walks and hits per innings pitched (0.86), they rank sixth in team strikeouts per game (7.83), ninth in ERA (1.63), 14th in on-base percentage (.427) and 15th in batting average (.343). Hannah Rose is fifth in batting average and seventh in on-base percentage (.581). Brianna McCown ranks second in the nation in wins (19), third in shutouts, sixth in complete games and seventh in strikeout to walk ratio (9.06).