West Liberty, W.Va. – The West Liberty University softball team will make their home debut on Friday, March 1, as they welcome No. 8 Indianapolis to the hilltop. The Hilltoppers look to build some momentum as they continue their non-conference portion of the schedule with 1 and 3 p.m. first pitch times against the Greyhounds at the Hilltopper Softball Complex.

GAME DETAILS

• Location: West Liberty, W.Va. (Hilltopper Softball Complex)
• First Pitch: 1 & 3 P.M.

WEST LIBERTY STORYLINES

• West Liberty enters Friday's doubleheader with an 0-6 record on the season following 6-4 and 9-3 losses at Indiana (Pa.) in a road doubleheader on Wednesday, February 21.
• The Hilltoppers were picked to finish fourth in the North Division of the 2024 MEC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll following a third place finish a year ago with a 16-38 (12-20 MEC) record.
• As a team WLU is hitting .224 with 32 hits, eight doubles, two homeruns, 11 RBI, and 14 runs scored through six games played this season.
• Key position players returning for West Liberty include Kayla Mancuso, who earned Second Team All-MEC honors as an outfielder, and Sydney Johnson.
• Ashlyn Tapman has emerged as a key player at the plate for West Liberty, hitting .412 with an on-base percentage of .444, a slugging percentage of .588, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.032. She has tallied a team-high seven hits with one homerun, three RBI and one run scored.
• Johnson, who has reached base in all six games thus far in 2024, leads the team with three doubles in the early portion of the season. She is hitting .250 with an on-base percentage of .368, a slugging percentage of .438, and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .806.
• On the base paths, Johnson leads WLU by going 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts in the early weeks of the season while as a team the Hilltoppers are 4-for-5 on stolen base attempts.
• The Hilltoppers' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 7.98, allowing 52 hits and 29 walks, while throwing 24 strikeouts. Opponents hold a .325 batting average against WLU pitchers.
• In the circle the Hilltoppers return all three starting pitchers from 2023, including Tapman, Madison Angus, and Leah Alford.
• Angus' 10.2 innings pitched are the most by the five Hilltopper pitchers who have seen action in the circle this season. She posted a team-low 5.91 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP while holding opponents to a .234 batting average. With two starts in three appearances, she has thrown one complete game while totaling seven strikeouts.
• Kadence Pettit, the 2023 MaxPreps West Virginia Player of the Year has made two starts in three appearances to open her freshman campaign, pitching 8.1 innings thus far. She holds a 6.72 ERA and a 3.24 WHIP while striking out seven batters. Her eight earned runs allowed are the fewest among pitchers who have thrown an average of at least 1.0 inning per game for WLU.
• Sara Pelegreen is in her first season as the head coach at West Liberty with a record of 0-6 with the Hilltoppers. Overall, she is in her fifth season as a collegiate head softball coach and has compiled a career record of 69-136 which includes four prior seasons at Wheeling.

#8 INDIANAPOLIS STORYLINES

• Indianapolis enters the weekend with a record of 9-2 on the season following a 5-0 win over Trevecca Nazarene and an 8-3 loss to Ohio Dominican on Saturday, February 24, the final day of competition at the Blue Bridge Battle. UIndy is slated to open the weekend with a doubleheader at Wheeling on Thursday, February 29, prior to playing at West Liberty.
• The Greyhounds have moved up to No. 8 in the NFCA DII Coaches' Poll after opening the season at No. 11. They were also tabbed first in the GLVC Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 53-10 record a year ago where they claimed the GLVC regular season title and advanced to the NCAA DII Midwest Super Regional where they fell to Grand Valley State.
• As a team UIndy has hit .296 with 84 hits, 19 doubles, two triples, seven homeruns, 63 RBI, and 71 runs scored through 11 games played this season.
• The Greyhounds return four First Team All-GLVC position players as Jocelyn Calvin, Emily O'Connor, Lexy Rees, and Megan Nichols are all back in the lineup in 2024. As a freshman in 2023, Shelby Cook was named Third Team All-GLVC.
• Cook and Calvin lead UIndy at the plate with batting averages of .444 and .394 respectively. Cook has posted an on-base percentage of .500, a slugging percentage of .556, and a 1.056 on-base plus slugging percentage as she has tallied 12 hits, three doubles, and has four RBI. Calvin has recorded a .545 on-base percentage, a .576 slugging percentage and a 1.121 on-base plus slugging percentage as she has tallied 13 hits, four doubles, a triple, and five RBI.
• O'Connor is also hitting above .300 on the season at .379 and is one of three players with a pair of homeruns, joined by Rees and Sydnee Perry. Rees is the team's leader with 15 RBI on the year.
• The Greyhounds' pitching staff has recorded an ERA of 2.24, allowing 63 hits and 21 walks, while throwing 63 strikeouts. Opponents have held a .226 batting average against UIndy pitchers.
• Kenzee Smith, the reigning GLVC Pitcher of the Year and 3-time All-American, leads the Indianapolis pitching staff with an ERA of 0.24, a WHIP of 0.67, and is holding opponents to a .126 batting average. She has made five starts in seven appearances, pitching 29.2 innings as she has recorded a 4-0 record with four complete games and shutouts. Smith has tallied 28 strikeouts while limiting opponents to only 13 hits and one earned run.
• Another key pitcher in the circle is Jayden Casebolt, who was a Third Team All-GLVC selection last season. She holds a 3-1 record as she has pitched 33.1 innings in five starts and seven appearances, posting a 1.68 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP, and has held opponents to a .254 batting average. She has thrown 32 strikeouts so far during the 2024 season.
• Melissa Frost is in her 20^th season as the head coach at Indianapolis with a record of 770-281-1 during her time with the Greyhounds. Overall, she is in her 23^rd season as a collegiate softball head coach with a career record of 840-335-1, as she spent three prior seasons at Wheeling Jesuit from 2002-04.

SERIES HISTORY

• West Liberty and Indianapolis have one prior meeting in the series, which was a 13-2 (5 inn.) win for the Greyhounds on February 22, 2020, in Westfield, Indiana.