NFCA Schedule

Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican softball team takes a trip to Columbus, Georgia for the 2023 NFCA Division II Leadoff Classic. The Panthers will play five games over the course of three days in the Peach State.

The Black and Gold are 2-7 entering the weekend. On Friday (Feb. 24), ODU will take on Missouri Western St. and Charleston (W. Va.). The next day, the Panthers will face off against Gannon and Bridgeport. On the final day of competition, Ohio Dominican plays Carson-Newman to wrap up the Classic.

Opening First Pitch

• Three different Panthers are hitting over .400 on the season thus far. Junior Alli Madden (Cincinnati, Ohio) has a .406 batting average thus far. Madden has collected 13 hits and leads the team with six stolen bases. Fellow outfielder, Kaleigh Golden (Thornville, Ohio) has netted 12 hits, one being a triple, and is batting .414 from the plate.
• Middle infielder, Alexis Stevens (Marion, Ohio) notched 12 hits out of 31 at bats. The junior has three doubles and five RBIs. Braxton Downs (Louisville, Ky.) leads the team with 11 RBIs. Downs has a homerun and two doubles.
• On the mound, senior pitcher Addison Smodilla (Terre Haute, Ind.) has started four of the nine games. Smodilla has struck out 10 opponents in 19.2 innings pitched. Freshman Pitcher, Samantha Schaefer (Louisville, Ky.) has an ERA of 5.25 and a 1-0 record on the mound.
• As a team, the Black and Gold are hitting a .295 from the plate. They have 74 total hits with 12 doubles, a triple, and five homeruns.

About the Competition

• Mo. Western St. holds a 5-3 record in the 2023 season. The Griffons are hitting .625 from the plate and have a team ERA of 2.13.
• Charleston opens their season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic this weekend after going 28-23 in the 2022 campaign. The Golden Eagles open up with Georgia Southwestern State before facing the Panthers.
• Gannon University also begins their 2023 campaign at the Classic where they take on fellow G-MAC institution, Hillsdale College, on Friday morning. The Knights went 19-18 a season ago.
• The University of Bridgeport is the third team to start their season at the Classic this weekend. The Purple Knights went 36-16 last year with an appearance in the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament.
• Carson-Newman sits at 10-1 so far into the 2023 spring season. The Eagles have a team batting average of .337 and a team ERA of 3.45.

Game Time

Ohio Dominican plays both Friday contests on field 5, beginning with Mo. Western St. at 10:00 AM and ending with Charleston at 12:30 PM. On Saturday, ODU faces Gannon on field 4 at 10:00 AM and then moves to field 1 to take on Bridgeport at 12:30 PM. The Panthers wrap up the weekend on field 2 with Carson-Newman at 11:30 AM.

Contact: Bailee Worley

worleyb@ohiodominican.edu