Live Stream: Mercer
Live Stats: Indiana (Fri.) | Mercer | Akron | NC A&T St. | Indiana (Sun.)
 
CHICAGO (February 21, 2019) – The Loyola Ramblers softball team heads to the Peach State for the Mercer Black and Orange Challenge in Macon, Ga. The weekend slate sees the Ramblers matched up with Indiana (12:15 p.m. CT) and Mercer (4:45 p.m. CT) on Friday, Akron (3:45 p.m. CT) and North Carolina A&T St. (6 p.m. CT) on Saturday and finish up with Indiana on Sunday morning (10 a.m. CT). The contest against Mercer will have a live stream.
 
Last Time Out: The Ramblers doubled down on their fast start to the season with another weekend sweep in the Runnin' Bulldog Softball Tournament, improving to 9-0 to start the season. The 4-0 clip featured a 39-2 run differential and two run-rule victories. One of many offensive catalysts was Jessica Shields. The centerfielder led the Ramblers with nine hits to register a .643 batting average. She also posted an on-base percentage of .688 to lead the team, and was one of four players in the Maroon and Gold to compile 10 or more total bases.  As a result from the success, the Ramblers currently lead the conference in numerous categories, such as batting average (.373) and hits (93).
 
A Look at the Hoosiers: Also 9-0, the No. 19-ranked Indiana Hoosiers will pose as the Ramblers' top test yet. The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten with a 1.31 ERA and have been anchored by RHP Tara Trainer in the circle. The senior is fresh of earning Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors and enters the weekend with a microscopic 0.82 WHIP. Among position players, IU has two players posting an OPS over 1.000 in Maddie Westmoreland (1.033) and Camryn Woodall (1.007).
 
A Look at the Bears: Mercer looks to bounce back from last weekend's Jaguar Challenge that left them with five losses. Despite the 3-8 start to the 2019 season, the Bears have scored 42 runs to rank third in the conference. Entering Thursday, Katie Josselet leads the SoCon in doubles (5), a mark that is tied for 15^th nationally. Additional notable individual performances include Allie Jones' team-leading .382 batting average and Abby Walsh's two triples that shares the conference lead.
 
A Look at the Zips: Akron enters the weekend with a 5-3-2 record and is fresh off a convincing 9-3 win over George Mason (Feb. 17). Through 10 games, the Zips lead their conference in team batting average (.382), OBP (.437), slugging percentage (.443), runs (31) and hits (50). The lineup is paced by third baseman Sydney Jascoe's MAC-leading .625 batting average and 1.559 OPS. The Zips are also the only team in the conference to have four players with seven-plus hits.
 
A Look at the Aggies: The Aggies have just played two games this season and were run-ruled in both of them. N.C. A&T coach Kenya Peters enters her sixth season with the program and has five seniors, led by utility player Zadaisha Waddell. The Troy, North Carolina, native has All-MEAC recognition on her resume and entered the season with eight career home runs and 74 runs batted in.
 
Series Stuff: Loyola's games against Akron and Mercer marks the first time the programs have gone head-to-head. The Hoosiers are the most familiar opponent and hold a 4-2 edge. Loyola defeated IU in 2000 and 2005. The most recent meeting among this weekend's opponents was in 2017 against North Carolina A&T State in Montgomery, Alabama. Katie Kasubke had two multi-hit games and drove in five runs over the course of the two victories.
 
Up Next: The Maroon and Gold begin the month of March in Memphis, Tenn. for the Memphis Softball Tournament. The team's last official non-conference tournament of the regular season has them paired up with UT-Martin, Mississippi Valley State, Sam Houston State and Memphis.
 
#OnwardLU