South Bend Regional (May 15-17) at Notre Dame, Indiana
Kentucky (29-2-4) vs. Northwestern (28-21)
Ball State (33-23) vs. No. 16 seed Notre Dame* (40-13)
This is a region that may have left people scratching their heads. The top seed and host school Notre Dame had a good season winning 40 games. They did get bounced in the first round of The ACC tournament but had been playing well going into the tournament. Their pitching has been solid and consistent for the most part. The have also been good at the plate with a team average of .349. They will face Ball State who is 8-2 over their last 10 games. They have not fared all that well against ranked teams though. Pitching has been a bit of a concern and will need to be improved to navigate this field.
Kentucky had a rough season and if they were not playing in the SEC they may not have received a bid, matter of fact many think a few other teams may have been more deserving. The reason being that they are 29-24 and have loss 12 of their last 14 games and seven in a row. Kelsey Nunley was outstanding last season and has pitched well this year but has suffered a fair number of losses. Their downfall has been there lack of hitting only posting a .253 team average. They will face Northwestern who should give them a game. They have been a bit erratic this season but can be dangerous. Pitching has been an issue but their offense can be explosive. If they get decent pitching they should not be over looked.
On paper this is Notre Dame’s region to lose, but both Kentucky and and Northwestern have decent shots if their pitching can hold up.
Notre Dame
Slash Lines (Batting Average, On-Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage)
At the Plate
- Karley Wester .432/.485/.536
- Katey Haus .409/.484/.707
In the Circle
- Allie Rhodes: 19-5, 2.76 ERA and 113 SO
- Rachel Nasland: 16-7, 2.79 ERA and 161 SO
Kentucky
At the Plate
- Christian Stokes: .318/.387/.500
- Griffin Joiner: .301/.445/.601
In the Circle
- Kelsey Nunley: 12-14, 2.45 ERA and 113 SO
- Meagan Prince: 16-8, 3.53 ERA and 161 SO
Northwestern
At the Plate
- Sabrina Rabin: .411/.465/.440
- Andrea Filler: .392/.461/.741
In the Circle
- Kristen Wood: 16-10, 4.18 ERA and 113 SO
- Amy Letourneau: 11-9, 5.66 ERA and 161 SO
Ball State
At the Plate
- Hanne Stuedemann: .394/.505/.644
- Emily Dabkowski: .358/.403/.668 and 16 home runs
In the Circle
- Nicole Steinbach: 18-13, 3.35 ERA and 160 SO
- Carolyn Wilmes: 5.54 ERA and 36 SO
