CHICAGO (April 18, 2023) - Loyola softball (17-19, 11-4) heads south to Saint Louis (18-22, 10-4) for a midweek A-10 doubleheader. First pitch is slated for Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Billikens Sports Center. Both teams are coming off series sweeps from last weekend. The Ramblers took three from George Washington, while the Billikens swept Fordham. Both are fighting for top-three spots in the league standings.
LEADING OFF
• The Ramblers and Billikens meet Wednesday for an A-10 doubleheader. Loyola looks to sweep SLU for their second straight league sweep. The Ramblers enter the day third in league standings with the Billikens just behind in fourth.
• Loyola won all three games against George Washington last weekend in its return to its home turf. The Ramblers shutout game one, 1-0. Game two and three were near slaughters at 7-2 and 8-2 wins.
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Peyton Pepkowski recorded the shutout in the circle for Loyola. She also struck out 16 batters over her two appearances, and for the second straight year, Pepkowski recorded at least 100 Ks.
• Pepkowski is up to 117 total strikeouts this season. She is fourth on the A-10 leader boards in the category and ranks 67th in the nation.
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Amelia Thomas made an impact at the plate against GW. She led Loyola hitting .667 (6-of-9). Thomas plated the winning run in game one with a RBI triple. She added two hits, two runs, and a RBI in game two. Thomas capped the weekend going 3-for-3 with a double and triple in game three. She scored three runs.
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Sydney Barnett is on a 13-game reached base streak. Barnett was walked three times in the last game vs. GW. Before that, Barnett was on a six-game hitting streak. The 13-game streak sparked with a 3-for-3 outing vs. Saint Joseph's back on March 26.
• Head coach
Alicia Abbott is in her fourth year at the helm. During her tenure, the Ramblers are 59-87.
SCOUTING THE SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS
The Billikens sits at 18-22 overall and 10-4 in conference play with just over three weeks left in regular season action. Saint Louis is riding a three-game win streak into Wednesday after an A-10 sweep of Fordham over the weekend. The Billikens slipped to fourth in the standings after dropping the series to Dayton earlier this month. The team is currently hitting .294, while the pitching staff holds a 3.92 ERA.
BILLIKENS TO WATCH
• Gabbie Kowalik has started all 40 games for the Billikens this season. She is hitting a team-best .421, which ranks third in the league and 35th in the NCAA. Her 53 total hits also sits in the top-35 at 31st in the country. Kowalik is averaging one run a game for 33rd in the nation and first in the A-10. She has 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs, 29 RBI, and 40 runs so far this year.
• Jane Kaniecki is hitting .343 this season. In 134 at-bats, she's totaled 46 hits, including four doubles, one triple, and a homer.
• In the circle, Chloe Wendling has started 25 games and completed 17 of them. She has two shutouts and a 14-11 record. Wendling leads SLU with 123 strikeouts over 165.1 innings of work. Her opponents are hitting .279 off her.
SERIES HISTORY
SLU leads the all-time series 8-6. The last time the Ramblers and Billikens met was in the 2021 season. Saint Louis came out on top in both games.
