The Notre Dame softball team is currently 6-2 overall for the season, coming off a strong weekend in the Jacksonville/University of North Florida Invitational. The Irish picked up three wins before the unfortunate cancellation of their last game due to weather conditions. Notre Dame started off strong in its first game with an 11-1 win against Samford, won the second game against Jacksonville 6-4 and took the final win of the weekend with a 7-2 win against Samford.
This upcoming weekend the Irish will face off against five teams in the Mary Nutter Classic. They will face Mississippi State (8-1), Baylor (3-3), Oregon (6-5), Oregon State (5-5) and Utah (5-4).
Coming off of two wins and one loss this past weekend at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, Mississippi State will be Notre Dame’s first opponent this weekend. Jessie Blaine leads the team with a .462 batting average. Right next to her, Aquana Brownlee is hitting .421. Pitching-wise, Aspen Wesley and Josey Marron lead the team in strikeouts, both having a total of 17.
Baylor is the second team that the Irish are set to face off against. Shaylon Govan leads the Bears with a .550 batting average as well as a team-high 11 hits. Emily Hott is right behind Govan with a .375 batting average. Pitcher Aliyah Binford leads the staff with a total of 16 strikeouts in the circle.
After two wins and three losses this past weekend, Oregon is the third game on the list for the Irish. Leading in batting average for Oregon, Kai Luschar comes in at .459 followed closely by Vallery Wong’s .444. Pitching-wise, Oregon has used five pitchers in the circle. Stevie Hansen leads in the circle with a total of 14 strikeouts on the season so far.
Fourth on the list for the Irish, they will go head-to-head with Oregon State. Last weekend, Oregon State played in the Fresno State Tournament, going 2-3. Savanah Whatley currently leads the team with a .316 batting average. Pitching-wise, Ellie Garcia, Logan Hulon, and Sarah Haendiges have pitched for Oregon State. Garcia leads with a total of 20 strikeouts.
The fifth team the Irish will face is Utah. Last weekend, alongside Mississippi State, the Utes also were playing in the Puerto Vallarta Challenge. They are coming off of three losses, one win and one game being canceled. Haley Denning leads the team with a .483 batting average and a total of nine runs scored. Utah has primarily used two pitchers, Mariah Lopez and Sarah Ladd. Lopez leads with an overall total of 23 strikeouts.
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