SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame softball team is heading to Virginia for a five-game weekend hosted by Liberty University. The Irish will take on George Washington, Rutgers, James Madison, Liberty and Lehigh during their time at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium. Notre Dame will play doubleheaders Friday and Saturday, with a single matchup Sunday.
Weekend Recap
The Irish are coming off of a perfect 5-0 weekend at THE Spring Games in Leesburg, Florida. Alexis Holloway, Payton Tidd and Shannon Becker shined in the circle during the weekend, allowing just five earned runs in five games. The trio held opponents to just a .188 average against and only three extra base hits throughout the weekend. Holloway worked in three games, throwing two complete games and earning a save in a relief appearance. She logged 17.0 innings, scattering 10 hits and striking out 13. Tidd and Becker each threw a complete game as well. Tidd made another start, working 4.0 innings in the weekend finale with FGCU.
The Irish offense hit for a .314 team average, led by a .625 week from graduate student Sarah Genz. Genz went 5-for-8 with three RBI during the week. Cassidy Grimm added a 4-for-8 weekend with a double. Leea Hanks and Abby Sweet each tallied seven hits in the five games, scoring five and four runs, respectively. Emma Clark drove in the most runs during the weekend, bringing in four on five hits, a double and stole a base.
Scouting the Opponents
George Washington (5-7) – Friday, March 4 – 11:30 a.m.
The Colonials enter this weekend’s tournament as the reigning Atlantic 10 Champions. GW finished last season 37-11 as they earned a spot in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional.
This year’s team is led by Alexa Williams, Allesandra Ponce and Mia Parker at the plate. Williams hits for a .324 average, all singles, driving in nine runs and scoring six times. She is 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts. Ponce also hits .324, but with three doubles, a home run and six RBI. Parker is a .303 hitter with five runs scored, four doubles and a home run.
Sierra Lange is the top GW pitcher. She’s earned a 4.01 ERA having started nine games. She’s thrown two-thirds of the Colonials innings on the season, striking out 54 hitters in 51.2 innings. Opponents are hitting .229 against her with 19 extra-base hits.
Rutgers (11-4) – Friday, March 4 – 2 p.m.
The Scarlet Knights also competed at THE Spring Games last weekend, going 4-1. Against similar opponents, Rutgers defeated Princeton (5-0), FGCU (4-3 8 innings) and dropped a matchup with North Florida (10-7).
The Rutgers offense is led by Gabrielle Callaway. In 49 at bats, she’s earned a .367 average with a team-high four doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI. Payton Lincavage hits for a .354 average with 15 starts. She’s scored 13 runs, driven in eight with four stolen bases. Kyleigh Sand leads the team with 16 runs scored, and has stolen nine bases.
Jaden Vickers leads the Scarlet Knights in the circle. She’s appeared in 10 games with eight starts, throwing 55.0 innings. She’s struck out 65 and held opponents to a .179 average against. She’s earned a 7-1 record with three complete games.
James Madison (3-5) – Saturday, March 5 – 4:30 p.m.
The Dukes are coming off of a 2021 season that saw them don a glass slipper in Oklahoma City. JMU finished 41-4 and fell to eventual National Champion, Oklahoma at the Women’s College World Series. This season, the Dukes have stumbled out of the games, having gone 3-5 through the early part of the year. JMU has dropped four-straight entering the weekend and will open the Liberty Softball Invitational against the host.
Hannah Hennessy and Hannah Shifflett lead the JMU offense. Each have hit above the .300 mark at .364 and .304, respectively. Each have recorded six RBI and Shifflett is tied for the team lead with two home runs. Through eight games this season, The Dukes are hitting for a .232 team average with just one stolen base having played some stiff competition.
The Dukes have a 4.67 staff ERA, using four pitchers this season. Alexis Bermudez and Alissa Humphrey each have four starts on the season. Bermudez has a 3.61 ERA in 21.1 innings. She’s added 17 strikeouts and a .268 average against. Humphrey has a 4.75 ERA in a team-high 28.0 innings. She’s struck out 28 as opponents have hit for a .282 average with seven home runs.
Liberty (9-6) – Saturday, March 6 – 7 p.m.
The Flames are the only other team in this weekend’s field that is receiving votes in several NCAA softball polls this season. Liberty was picked to finish top in the league after finishing the 2021 season 44-15. The Flames have been tough at Kamphuis Field, going 25-5 at home over the past two seasons. After falling in the first five games of the season, Liberty has gone on to win nine of the last 10 and are currently on a three-game winning-streak.
Devin Howard and Caroline Hudson lead the offense with a .400 and.304 average, respectively. Of Hudson’s 18 hits, four have been doubles as she leads her team with 10 runs scored while also driving in seven runs. Hudson leads the Flames with two home runs and nine RBI on the year. She’s added six walks and been struck out just four times. In 388 at bats, the Flames have punched out just 63 times this season.
In the circle, six players have logged innings. Megan Johnson leads the charge as the primary reliever. She’s thrown in five games with one start, logging 20.2 innings with 13 strikeouts to go with a 2-0 mark. Karlie Keeney is the primary starter, having thrown in seven games and a team-best 45.2 innings. She’s earned a 5-2 record with four complete games.
Lehigh (2-3) – Sunday, March 7 – 11:30 a.m.
The Mountain Hawks enter the weekend at Liberty having played just five games thus far. After opening the season a week late, Lehigh took last weekend off after posting a pair of wins over Fairfield.
The offensive unit is led by Josie Charles, Emily Cimino and Rory Dudley. Charles owns a .417 average in 12 at bats this year. Cimino has driven in two runs on the season to go with a double and a triple with a .389 average. Dudley has a .385 average with a double and an RBI. She leads the team with a pair of stolen bases.
Four pitchers have earned time in the circle for the Mountain Hawks. Gabriella Nori and Katelyn Young each have two starts and three appearances. Maria Urban has three appearances to go with one start. The staff has held opponents to a .227 average against in 37.0 innings. In 13.2 innings, Nori owns a .182 average against with 16 strikeouts. Young has a team-high 15 innings of work and 15 strikeouts. Urban has given up four earned runs in 7.2 innings with three strikeouts.
Starting Hot
The Irish are 12-3 through the first 15 games this season. It’s the best start for Notre Dame softball since the 2016 season where the team also was 12-3 through the first 15 games. Notre Dame went on to earn a 23-3 record before dropping their fourth game of the season at Syracuse in the final weekend series in March. During that 23-3 start, Notre Dame won 19-straight games. Currently the Irish are on a seven-game winning streak.
Getting Out of the Blocks
Notre Dame has scored 23 runs in the first inning of games this season, and 54 runs in the first three innings this season. When scoring in the first inning, the Irish are 6-1 this season and when scoring the first run of the game Notre Dame is 9-1 on the season.
Top 25 wins
After falling in the first three games of the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational, the Irish went on to take down a pair of Top 25 teams.
Against then #21 LSU, Notre Dame rallied from down two to tie it up in the fifth with a home run from Tidd. Miranda Johnson drove in the game-winning runs with a single to right field. Tidd shut the door in the seventh with a strikeout to end the contest and earn the 8-6 win.
The next outing saw the Irish take down then ninth-ranked Texas. Notre Dame used a 7-run fifth inning to take the lead 9-2 and eventually the game. The win was the first over a top 10-nationally ranked opponent since defeating No. 3 Florida State in Tallahassee March 16th, 2019.
It’s the first weekend with wins over different top 25 teams since sweeping No. 13 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 2021.
Hit or Be Hit
Lead-off hitter Abby Sweet picked up right where she left off after a record-setting on-base percentage in 2021 (.537). She leads the Irish with a .554 on-base percentage this season. She has a team-best .444 batting average, has drawn five walks and has been hit by six pitches. The six hit by pitches in 15 games ranks 12th-nationally in HBP per game. She has eight extra-base hits, leading the team with four doubles, a triple and three home runs. Her .778 slugging percentage is highest among the Notre Dame regulars.
On the Move
The Irish have stolen 27 bases in 30 attempts this season, averaging 1.80 per game. That average ranks 36th nationally, and is second in the ACC. Notre Dame has four players who have attempted at least five steals. Emma Clark leads the team with 6 bases on seven attempts. Leea Hanks is 5-for-5 in attempts and freshman Emily Tran who’s been primarily used as a pinch runner has stolen five bases in five tries. Abby Sweet adds four bases on six attempts. In 2021, Notre Dame was fourth in the ACC with 83 stolen bases, averaging 1.73 per game.
Finding the End Zone
The Irish have scored 90 runs through 15 games this season, averaging six runs per game. That ranks 46th nationally, and seventh in the ACC. It is over a full run more per game than what the offense averaged in 2021 (4.9). Leea Hanks leads Notre Dame with 15 runs scored so far this season, followed by Abby Sweet (15) and Emma Clark (11).
Going for Two
With 29 doubles through the first three weeks of the season, Notre Dame is averaging 1.93 per game. That ranks 13th nationally. The Irish are led by graduate student Abby Sweet and Leea Hanks who have each doubled four times. Miranda Johnson, Karina Gaskins and Emma Clark have all tripled three times on the year. 2021 saw Sweet finished third all-time with 18 two-baggers on the season.
Mighty Mitchell
Joley Mitchell returned to the diamond after an injury kept her out of the lineup in 2021. She has played in nine of 10 games this year, hitting for a .258 clip with a double, a triple, two home runs and seven RBI. Her second home run of the season was the go-ahead run to lead off the sixth inning in a 2-1 victory over Florida Gulf Coast.
Seeing What You Got
Opening weekend saw the Irish play a full 7 innings just one time while going 5-0. In those victories, Head coach Deanna Gumpf made the most of her bench, getting 22 of 23 rostered players an appearance in the circle or an at bat.
Sister Act
Notre Dame softball has a pair of sisters on its roster this season. Shelby and Cassidy Grimm are playing their second collegiate season together in 2022. Alexis and Anna Holloway are playing their first year of softball together this season. The extra year of eligibility for Alexis allowed for her to stay at Notre Dame long enough to play with her younger sister.
Fast First Weekend
The Irish offense scored 49 runs in the first five games of the 2022 season. Its the most runs on the first weekend of the year in Notre Dame softball history, and the most in a five-game stretch since the Irish scored 51 April 20 through April 28, 2019.