SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team welcomes in its final midweek opponent of the season Wednesday night as the Fighting Irish will host the Central Michigan Chippewas at 5 p.m. at Melissa Cook Stadium. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
The Irish enter the weekend on a bit of a cold stretch, falling in a three-game series to No. 3 Florida State during senior weekend. Overall, the Irish went 10-7 in April, while hitting for a .327 team average. Overall on the season, Notre Dame hits for a .320 average while owning a 3.32 staff ERA.
Joley Mitchell leads the offense, hitting at a .384 average with 18 extra-base hits. She’s third on the team with 39 RBI and leads the Irish with 15 stolen bases. Macie Eck and Carlli Kloss add a .359 average each. Kloss is tied for the team-lead with 20 extra-base hits, driving in 23 and scoring a team-best 41 runs. Karina Gaskins and Lexi Orozco have each tallied 14 home runs on the season. Orozco leads the squad with 44 RBI, while Gaskins has 40 RBI of her own, and matched her career-best with 40 walks drawn this season. Gaskins is one away from tying the school record, and two from setting a new benchmark in Notre Dame softball history.
The pitching staff is led by Payton Tidd. The graduate student has appeared in 28 games, making 23 starts. Shannon Becker adds 27 appearances while Micaela Kastor has 26 appearances of her own. Tidd has thrown 145.0 innings, striking out 102 hitters. Kastor owns a 2.64 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 74.1 innings. Becker adds 60 punch outs in 75.2 innings of work.
The Chippewas enter the weekend at 27-22 overall, 17-9 in the Mid-American Conference. Last time out, CMU dropped all three games against the conference-leading Miami (Ohio) Redhawks. Prior to the sweep, Central Michigan had won 12-straight, and 16 of its last 18 games.
Michaleigh Valimont leads the Chippewa offense with a .385 average. In her 143 at bats, she’s totaled 55 hits, 11 doubles, a triple and six home runs. Kelsey Alexander leads the team with 20 extra-base hits, recording nine doubles, a triple and a team-best nine home runs. She also adds 33 RBI to lead the offense. Abbey Tolmie adds a .384 average with 10 doubles, 17 RBI and 31 runs scored.
Kaitlyn Bean and Grace Lehto led the pitching staff. Lehto has thrown in a team-best 29 appearances, making 26 starts. In 162.1 innings, she’s thrown 18 complete games and earned 13 wins. Opponents hit .222 against her as she’s struck out 171 hitters while in the circle. Bean owns a 3.79 ERA, starting all 20 games she’s appeared in. In her 107.0 innings, she’s struck out 85 hitters, and walked just 33.