UNI softball preps for four game appearance in I-75 Tournament

UNI softball at Georgia Tech

3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. | March 3
Atlanta | Mewborn Field (1,500)
ACCN+ | Game 1, Game 2

UNI softball vs. Brown/ at Kennesaw State

10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. | March 4
Kennesaw, Ga. | Bailey Park (1,432)
KSU Owl Network

ATLANTA -- The Panthers will play four games in two days to wrap up their time in Georgia this weekend.

Due to inclement weather in the Atlanta area, UNI will now play only four games this weekend, including canceling its doubleheader with Georgia State. Instead, the Panthers have added a game against the Brown University Bears and a rescheduled game against the Kennesaw State Owls on Saturday. This will be UNI's first-ever matchup with Brown while it's the second time the team has played Kennesaw State and Georgia Tech in program history.

THE PANTHERS:
- After a slow start to the year, UNI is back to a .500 record with six-straight wins in Georgia. The Panthers have picked up wins against four different teams, including the Georgia State Panthers.
- The Panther bats have been hot since hitting the Peach State the past weekend. UNI is now leading the Missouri Valley Conference in home runs per game and slugging percentage after only collecting two home runs in its first five games of the season.
- UNI had two players earn their first weekly honors of the 2023 season. Redshirt senior infielder Hannah Kelley and redshirt senior pitcher Kailyn Packard picked up Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week nods from the MVC for their first week on the road.
- Redshirt senior infielder Brooke Snider has put her name on the national map early in the season. With four home runs already on the year, Snider is 61st and 34th in the nation for overall home runs and home runs averaged a game. She also leads the Missouri Valley Conference in both categories.

THE YELLOW JACKETS:
- Georgia Tech comes into the weekend tournament with an 8-8 record after a recent loss to in-state rival No. 18 Georgia. The Yellow Jackets have excelled in games away from home and at neutral sites early in the season, with only two losses away from Mewborn Field.
- Yellow Jacket's Head Coach Aileen Morales picked up her career 250th win last week while Georgia Tech was at the Queen City Classic. Coach Morales has spent the past six seasons with the Yellow Jackets, taking over the program after a successful two-year run at Radford University in Virginia.
- First baseman Abby Hughes is the most efficient Yellow Jacket at the plate as she leads the team with a .444 batting average. The Leesburg, Ga., native owns eight hits and a double, all of which came last weekend, except for a hit against Kennesaw State.
- In the circle, Georgia Tech is led by sophomore Sophia Voyles. Voyels has the lowest ERA on the team at 2.62 with two wins and one loss in seven appearances after taking over in the circle on the weekend. Senior Blake Neleman has spent the most time in the circle for the Yellow Jackets with 40.1 innings pitched and a record of 2-3.

THE BEARS:
- Brown has just begun its season with only five games played so far in 2023. The Bears lone win of the weekend at the Auburn Plainsman Invitational was to Merrimack last Friday in a 7-5 decision.
- The Bears entered the season after a sixth-place finish in 2022 when Brown went 16-25 overall and 7-14 in Ivy League play.
- Brown Head Coach Kate Wheeler enters her fifth season at the helm of the Bears. Overall she has a 31-66 record in Rhode Island with Brown and returned to the team after being an assistant coach from 2014-2017.
- The Bears are led by junior Dara English who is hitting .500 with a double and three RBI. English had three RBI off the bench in Brown's season-opening win against Merrimack. In the circle senior Erin Elgas allowed just three runs over 7.1 innings pitched for a team-best 2.86 ERA. While sophomore Alexis Guevara threw a team-high 10.1 innings and collected nine strikeouts.

THE OWLS:
- Kennesaw State comes into the weekend with a 5-10 record and is coming off two thrilling victories. The Owls beat Samford in extras on Tuesday evening and knocked off No. 11/7 Alabama on Sunday afternoon. Kennesaw State's victory over the Tide was the program's first win over a ranked opponent in eight years.
- The Owls have never finished with a losing record in the I-75 Tournament after a .500 record last year at 2-2.
- Kennesaw State has not lost a game at home in Bailey Park yet this season. In two contests so far, the Owls have picked up a 7-0 win over Mercer and a 1-0 win in nine innings over Samford on Tuesday.
- Senior infielder Brinaya Bailey leads the Owls, slashing .295/.718/.364 in the young season. Bailey has 13 hits, one home run, and six RBIs in 44 appearances at the plate. Kennesaw State's strength comes in the circle as true freshman Kenley Hilleary leads the team with a 2.33 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

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