COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Dominican softball team hits the road for a mid-week contest before welcoming GLIAC opponents, #7 Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State (RV), to end the weekend.

ODU will play a doubleheader at Wheeling University on Wednesday evening. On Friday, the Panthers and the Lakers meet before the Black and Gold wraps the week on Sunday with the Cardinals.

Opening First Pitch

• Over the weekend, senior Braxton Downs (Louisville, Ky.) dominated at the plate this past weekend going 6-8, collecting three doubles and two RBIs. Downs accounted for five of the team's runs in the two games.
• Freshman, Kendrick Sterling (Crothersville, Ind.) snagged five RBIs on Saturday. Sterling went 2-2 against the Pioneers and recorded a double against the Bobcats.
• The Black and Gold stole three bases from three different players. Alli Madden (Cincinnati, Ohio) ranks sixth in the conference with 10 stolen bases.
• Holding a 6-2 record in the circle is freshman Marlee Jacobs (Plain City, Ohio). Jacobs holds a 2.36 ERA through 50.1 innings pitched. The Plain City native leads the team with 38 strikeouts averaging 5.28 strikeouts per game.
• As a unit, Ohio Dominican has a .302 batting average and a .365 on base percentage. ODU is fifth in the conference with 25 doubles on the year.

About Wheeling

• The Mountain East institution is 1-15 coming into Wednesday's games, with losses to fellow G-MAC schools Ky. Wesleyan and Trevecca Nazarene.
• The Cardinals are 0-3 against the Panthers with their last meeting coming a season again. The two teams met at the Blue Bridge Battle in Kentucky with the Black and Gold coming out on top, 3-0.
• Freshman, Madison George, leads the way with a .361 batting average. George is 13-36 from the plate with four doubles and five RBIs.
• In the circle, junior Jamie Anderson has a 1-3 record with five starts. In 29.1 innings pitched, Anderson has recorded a 7.06 ERA with 13 strikeouts.

About Grand Valley State

• The Lakers enter Columbus with a 15-2 record, giving them a seventh place ranking in the NFCA. Grand Valley holds a 5-14 record over Ohio Dominican with them winning the last three meetings.
• Grand Valley is 1-1 against G-MAC opponents this season with a win over Walsh and a loss to Northwood.
• ODU and GVSU last faced off in the opening contest of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional last season with the Lakers taking a 1-0 win.
• Two players are hitting over .500 with Morgan Wagner leading the team with 22 RBIs and Lydia Goble with nine doubles. The Lakers have stolen 42 bases out of 49 attempts.
• On the rubber, senior Hannah Beatus has a 0.00 ERA with a 5-1 record in six starts. Beatus has four shutouts in 42.2 innings pitched and has netted 50 strikeouts.

About Saginaw Valley State

• The Cardinals sit at 15-3 in their 2023 campaign thus far and are receiving votes in the NFCA. The series is tied at 11-all with a double header split in their last meeting a season ago.
• SVSU is 4-0 against G-MAC institutions this year with wins over Walsh, Lake Erie, and Ashland. Saginaw will visit Cedarville and Findlay before coming to Columbus on Sunday.
• Cam Coonan has posted a .395 batting average, going 15-38 from the plate with three doubles, eight RBIs, and three stolen bases.
• In the circle, junior Alyssa Muench has recorded a 6-1 record in six starts, pitching 48.1 innings. Muench notched 36 strikeouts with a 1.30 ERA.

Schedule

The Black and Gold are set to play a 2:00/4:00 PM doubleheader at Wheeling on Wednesday afternoon. The Panthers then return to Sunbury Road for a 3:00/5:00 PM doubleheader against Grand Valley State on Friday and a 12:00/2:00 PM doubleheader against Saginaw Valley State on Sunday.

Contact: Bailee Worley

worleyb@ohiodominican.edu