Thursday, May 17
Richmond, Ky.
6:00 P.M.
University of Toledo
at
Eastern Kentucky
Junior Kaitlyn Bergman and the Rockets travel to Eastern Kentucky for the first round of the NISC on Thursday.
Toledo to Meet Eastern Kentucky in NISC First Round Matchup
5/16/2018 12:35:00 PM | Softball
TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo softball team will take on Eastern Kentucky to begin the National Invitational Softball Championship on Thursday, May 17 at 6:00 p.m.. The Rockets will play the four-team, double-elimination regional tournament at Gertrude Hood Field in Richmond, Ky.
The winner of the Richmond regional will move on to play a separate four-team tournament for the NISCÂ crown.
Toledo (34-21)
The 2018 season has been one to remember for the Toledo softball program. The Rockets' 34 wins mark the most victories for the program since a 37-win campaign in 1995. Furthermore, their current winning percentage of .618 under MAC Coach of the Year Kristen Butler is the best since 1992 (.639).
In last week's MAC Tournament, the Rockets won their first-round contest in dramatic fashion over Central Michigan. Freshman Brittney Davis blasted a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give UT the win. After a loss to Northern Illinois, Toledo bounced back to earn a win over Western Michigan to keep their tournament hopes alive, marking the first time that the Rockets have won multiple games in the conference tournament. Toledo was ultimately eliminated from the tourney with a loss to Ball State on Friday.
During the MAC Tournament, conference freshman of the year Bailey Curry broke the single-season home run record with her 14th blast of the year. Curry's team-leading 46 RBIs rank as the second most in a season at Toledo.Â
Junior pitcher Kailey Minarchick was named first-team All-MAC after posting an 11-1 record with a 1.51 ERA in league play. Overall, Minarchick is 18-6 with a total of 169.0 innings pitched.
Eastern Kentucky (40-18)
The Colonels recorded their third 40-win season in program history and their first since the 2004 squad won the Ohio Valley Conference championship.
EKU is led by OVC Player of the Year Paige Murphy. Murphy is hitting .461 (76-for-165) with 22 home runs and 58 RBIs. The senior's 22 homers ranks fourth in the country.
Murphy is joined by first-team all-conference selections Mollie Paulick and Destinee Lizzmore. Paulick is 21-6 with a 2.03 ERA in the circle, while Lizzmore hits .307 (59-for-192) with a dozen home runs.
Up Next
The winner of the Toledo-Eastern Kentucky matchup will take on the winner of Towson and Austin Peay on Friday at 3:00 p.m. The losers of the first-round games will meet in an elimination game on Friday at noon.
The winner of the Richmond regional will move on to play a separate four-team tournament for the NISCÂ crown.
Toledo (34-21)
The 2018 season has been one to remember for the Toledo softball program. The Rockets' 34 wins mark the most victories for the program since a 37-win campaign in 1995. Furthermore, their current winning percentage of .618 under MAC Coach of the Year Kristen Butler is the best since 1992 (.639).
In last week's MAC Tournament, the Rockets won their first-round contest in dramatic fashion over Central Michigan. Freshman Brittney Davis blasted a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to give UT the win. After a loss to Northern Illinois, Toledo bounced back to earn a win over Western Michigan to keep their tournament hopes alive, marking the first time that the Rockets have won multiple games in the conference tournament. Toledo was ultimately eliminated from the tourney with a loss to Ball State on Friday.
During the MAC Tournament, conference freshman of the year Bailey Curry broke the single-season home run record with her 14th blast of the year. Curry's team-leading 46 RBIs rank as the second most in a season at Toledo.Â
Junior pitcher Kailey Minarchick was named first-team All-MAC after posting an 11-1 record with a 1.51 ERA in league play. Overall, Minarchick is 18-6 with a total of 169.0 innings pitched.
Eastern Kentucky (40-18)
The Colonels recorded their third 40-win season in program history and their first since the 2004 squad won the Ohio Valley Conference championship.
EKU is led by OVC Player of the Year Paige Murphy. Murphy is hitting .461 (76-for-165) with 22 home runs and 58 RBIs. The senior's 22 homers ranks fourth in the country.
Murphy is joined by first-team all-conference selections Mollie Paulick and Destinee Lizzmore. Paulick is 21-6 with a 2.03 ERA in the circle, while Lizzmore hits .307 (59-for-192) with a dozen home runs.
Up Next
The winner of the Toledo-Eastern Kentucky matchup will take on the winner of Towson and Austin Peay on Friday at 3:00 p.m. The losers of the first-round games will meet in an elimination game on Friday at noon.
Players Mentioned
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Game 2 Highlights vs. Akron (May 15)
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