SOUTH BEND, Ind. (March 29, 2022) – The Loyola University Chicago softball team is back in action for another non-conference game as they travel East to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who received votes in the most recent NFCA Coaches Poll.
LAST TIME OUT
Loyola went to Carbondale, Illinois, to take on the Southern Illinois Salukis for Missouri Valley Conference play. Even though the Ramblers fought, they ended up losing all three games of this series. Haley Wallace came out of it with one of the best performances, hitting .444 on the weekend while Amelia Thomas led the way on defense.
FIGHTING THE IRISH
Notre Dame has had a phenomenal start to their season. They only took losses to some of the top teams in the country including Tennessee, South Florida, Wisconsin, Liberty and Virginia.
There are only two statistical categories where Notre Dame is ranked higher than 100, and that's in double plays per game and hit batters. In every other category, the team is in the top 100.
Two of the biggest offensive weapons for the Fighting Irish are senior Abby Sweet and sophomore Karina Gaskins. This duo has played in every game for Notre Dame, each notching batting averages above .400. Gaskins has a .430 with eight home runs while Sweet has a .422 with six home runs while also stealing 24 bases.
The Fighting Irish have a very strong pitching staff. Their three pitchers have a combined ERA of 2.23. Freshman Shannon Becker has the lowest ERA with a .88 in 48 innings pitched. Between her and seniors Alexis Holloway and Payton Tidd, they have a total of 154 strikeouts while they only walked 65 batters.
When they're in the field, Notre Dame's fielding percentage sits at .967. Gaskins has the most putouts on the team with 135 while senior Shelby Grimm has 113. Grimm also caught six people stealing bases.
WHEREABOUTS
The Ramblers will face off against the Fighting Irish on their home turf at the Melissa Cook Stadium in South Bend at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on the ACC Network Extra through ESPN and there will also be live stats available.
