LEADING OFF 
Loyola Chicago road trips to Mobile, Ala. to face off against UT Martin, North Alabama, South Alabama and West Georgia in the South Alabama Invitational from Friday, Feb. 20 to Sunday, Feb. 22.  

WEEKEND SCHEDULE (All times listed in CT)  

• Friday, Feb. 20 vs. UT Martin - 10 a.m. | vs. North Alabama - 12:30 p.m.    
• Saturday, Feb. 21 vs. North Alabama - 9 a.m. | at South Alabama -2 p.m.     
• Sunday, Feb. 22 vs. West Georgia - 9 a.m.     

QUICK HITS 

• Last weekend, the Ramblers went 5-0 at THE Spring Games, highlighted by a six-inning 7-0 shutout against the Long Island Sharks (Feb. 14).  
• Against Bethune-Cookman, junior infielder Nat Lesnicki recorded the first homerun of her career and added two RBIs. She finished the weekend with five total RBIs, two runs and one triple.  
• Rookie Megan Piotrowski led the Ramblers with 11 runs and nine hits at THE Spring Games. She recorded a .500 batting average and added two triples and one double.  
• Freshmen pitching tandem Anna Kiel and Katie Geydoshek each went 2-0 at the tournament, recording a 1.26 and 2.03 ERA, respectively. Kiel struck out eight batters in the weekend while Geydoshek knocked out 14.  
• Loyola returned 13 letterwinners and welcomed eight newcomers, including six true freshmen and two transfer students.    
• Head coach Alicia Abbott enters her seventh season at the helm of the program, sporting a 122-154 career record. She secured her 100th career win early last year against St. John's (Feb. 14, 2025).    

SCOUTING REPORT 
UT Martin is off to a 7-2 start this season and on a seven-game winning streak heading into the weekend. The Skyhawks most recently swept their home tournament, securing a victory over Atlantic 10 team Saint Louis and another win against Valparaiso; they closed out the weekend with two straight shutouts of Mississippi Valley. Senior catcher Avary Makarewicz leads the team with 14 hits on a .467 batting average and inside the circle sophomore pitcher Natalie Kreuziger has the team-best 2.19 ERA and 12 strikeouts.  

The Lions are 6-3 so far and are coming off a 10-2 six-inning victory at Samford. Earlier this season, North Alabama bested Chattanooga and Southern University in back-to-back run-rule games. Offensively, five Lions have at least eight RBIs and six have one or more homeruns. Junior infielder Briley Dover leads the team at the plate with 15 hits and a .455 batting average while sophomore infielder Holly Merritt paces North Alabama with a .821 slugging percentage and a .531 on-base percentage.  

Host team South Alabama is 7-5 early in the year, highlighted by an 11-inning 5-4 victory over Missouri. Out of the bullpen, junior Ryley Harrison holds a 1.96 ERA with a 3-2 record and 31 strikeouts. Sophomore outfielder Presley Lively is the team leader in batting average (.364), hits (12), runs (9) and triples (2). Two Jaguars, Olivia Bransetter and Lillie Stagner, each have two homers so far this season, and five others have one.  

West Georgia is currently 4-7 overall and led by junior utility Jenna Samuel with 16 hits and a .457 batting average. She has 16 RBI and three homers so far this season. Freshman Ella Oswalt has hit four homeruns on 10 hits and a .323 batting average while rookie Cacie Cutright paces the Wolves' bullpen with a 5.18 ERA through 24.1 innings pitched and 14 strikeouts.  

FOLLOW THE ACTION  
Keep up with live stats throughout the weekend and follow Loyola on Instagram and X/Twitter @RamblersSB to stay updated on Ramblers softball.