LEADING OFF 
Loyola Chicago hits the road to Raleigh, N.C. for its final nonconference tournament of the season at NC State's Wolfpack Classic from Friday, Feb. 27 to Sunday, March 1. The Ramblers take on Toledo, Lehigh and NC State over the weekend before making a pitstop at UNC Greensboro on Tuesday, March 3.  

GAME SCHEDULE (All times listed in Central) 

• Friday, Feb. 27 vs. Toledo – 9:30 a.m. | vs. Lehigh – 12 p.m.  
• Saturday, Feb. 28 vs. Lehigh – 8:30 a.m. | at NC State – 1:30 p.m.      
• Sunday, March 1 at NC State – 10:30 a.m.   
• Tuesday, March 3 at UNC Greensboro – 3 p.m.  

QUICK HITS 

• Three Ramblers lead the team in hits (13): junior Nat Lesnicki, sophomore Alli Pawlowicz and rookie Megan Piotrowski. All three have started and played in all 15 games so far this year, and Pawlowicz is on a five-game hitting streak.  
• Junior Liz Sedakis and grad transfer Adelina Staden each have seven RBIs on the season and field above .940.  
• Out of the bullpen, freshman Anna Kiel (2-2) leads Loyola with a 2.77 ERA and through 35.1 innings pitched, she's recorded two saves, one complete game and 18 strikeouts. 
• Head coach Alicia Abbott is an NC State softball alum, graduating in 2011 with a degree in public and interpersonal communication.  
• Loyola returned 13 letterwinners and welcomed eight newcomers, including six true freshmen and two transfer students.   
• Abbott enters her seventh season at the helm of the program, sporting a 123-158 career record. She secured her 100th career win early last year against St. John's (Feb. 14, 2025).   

SCOUTING REPORT 
Toledo (11-1) has one win so far this season, a 9-3 victory over Longwood on Feb. 14. Sophomore outfielder Audrey Miller leads the Rockets at the plate behind a .385 BA, 15 hits, three homeruns and nine RBIs. Junior pitcher Katie McDonald has a 5.62 ERA through 18.2 innings pitched and the bullpen-high 12 strikeouts. 

Lehigh is off to a 5-4 start and secured its last win in an 11-10 battle against Gardner-Webb. Sophomore outfielder Kelly Fricker paces the Mountain Hawks with 11 hits on a .355 BA while rookie infielder Kyra Neiswender has the team-high 11 BRI. Pitching tandem of senior Chloe Hess and freshman Addison Moorman sport a 2.84 ERA after 12.1 innings pitched.  

Host team NC State is 8-7 overall, taking down Illinois (9-4) and Missouri (13-7) on the way. Senior outfielder Maia Townsend hits an average .347 and has the team-leading 17 hits, while rookie infielder Carly Short leads The Pack with 15 runs, 11 walks and a .625 slugging percentage. Redshirt junior pitcher Wynne Gore (3-1) paces the bullpen behind a 1.85 ERA, two complete games, one shutout and one save. 

The Spartans are rolling with an 11-5 season start and a 10-game win streak. Senior outfielder Kaylyn Belfield leads UNC Greensboro with 28 hits and 19 runs on a .483 BA. Meanwhile sophomore infielder Laney Deane has put away 21 RBI so far and is one of two Spartans with four homeruns. Junior pitcher Brooklyn Shroyer is 6-2 with a 1.53 ERA and already 63 strikeouts through 50.1 innings pitched.  

FOLLOW THE ACTION 
Stream the games against NC State on ACCNX via the ESPN app. Find the UNC Greensboro game on ESPN+. Follow Loyola on Instagram and X/Twitter @RamblersSB for in-game updates.