FLORENCE, Ala. (May 2, 2024) – The University of North Alabama softball team will conclude the regular season this weekend, welcoming Austin Peay for a three-game series set for Friday and Saturday, May 3-4 at Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium in Florence.
To combat potential weather, the series will begin with a doubleheader Friday at 12 p.m. The series finale is set for 1 p.m.
Saturday will be Senior Day, as the Lions will honor 10 current seniors and one from last season with a special pre-game ceremony at 12:30 p.m. Shortly after the game, the graduating seniors will take part in a special commencement ceremony on the field.
Saturday is also UNA's Shollenberger Family Benefit game, as all gate entry and additional donations from Saturday will be given to the family of assistant coach
Hannah Shollenberger to support her mother's current health battle.
Both teams have something on the line this weekend with the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship looming next week. The Lions are already in the ASUN Tournament, but can avoid the single-elimination round with a top four finish in the standings. UNA is currently tied for fourth with a 14-7 record and holds the tie-breaker over Central Arkansas, meaning a three-game sweep this weekend guarantees the Lions a top four seed.
Meanwhile, Austin Peay is one of five teams battling for the final spot in the eight-team tournament along with Kennesaw State, Stetson, Bellarmine and Lipscomb. The five teams are all within one game of each other, as the Govs are tied with KSU with a 6-15 record. The other three teams are a game behind at 5-16.
All three games will be streamed on ESPN+ and will have live stats via StatBroadcast. Tickets can also be purchased at the gate or online.
GAME 1
North Alabama vs. Austin Peay
Friday, May 3
12 p.m.
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Game Notes |
Tickets |
Twitter
GAME 2
North Alabama vs. Austin Peay
Friday, May 3
2:30 p.m.
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Game Notes |
Tickets |
Twitter
GAME 3
North Alabama vs. Austin Peay
Saturday, May 4
1 p.m.
ESPN+ |
Live Stats |
Game Notes |
Tickets |
Twitter
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: North Alabama finished a three-game sweep of Bellarmine last weekend in Louisville, Ky. The Lions dominated both games of the doubleheader, including a grand slam in each game, while finishing the series with a 4-0 shutout.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA is 33-15 overall and 14-7 in the ASUN to sit tied for fourth in the league standings. The Lions have won five of its seven ASUN series this season, including sweeps of Queens and Bellarmine. UNA has won at least one game in every conference series and was the only team with a win over EKU before last weekend's loss to North Florida.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Austin Peay is 21-27 overall and tied for eighth in the league standings with a 6-15 record. The Govs catapulted their way back into the postseason conversation with an impressive series win over FGCU. The Govs also possess a series win over Bellarmine, but losses to North Florida, Jacksonville, Central Arkansas, EKU and Queens.
SERIES HISTORY: UNA has a 6-3 all-time record against Austin Peay. The Lions and Govs met for the first time in 1990, splitting a doubleheader in Florence. Nearly 30 years went by before the next meeting, as the Lions made the move to Division I in the 2018-19 season. UNA and Austin Peay split two non-conference doubleheaders in 2019 and 2022 before becoming ASUN opponents for the first time in 2023. The Lions swept last season's series in Clarksville.
SENIOR DAY: The Lions will honor 11 seniors on Saturday, including current players
Felicity Frame,
McKenzie Patterson,
Haven Kirby,
Mariyn Waterman,
Sidney Bevis,
Cassidy Duskin,
Hannah Embry,
Jaiden Farnetti,
Danielle Taitt and
Grace Piotrowski. The Lions will also honor
Gracie Benton, who finished her playing career last season but will graduate this season.
ALL THREE PHASES: The Lions are the only ASUN team ranked in the top three of the major hitting-pitching-fielding categories, ranking third in batting average (.265), second in ERA (2.21) and first in fielding percentage (.976).
KIRB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: Senior shortstop
Haven Kirby is the reigning ASUN Player of the Week, landing the award after going 8-for-11 at the plate last weekend at Bellarmine. She hit a grand slam in game one of the series and added a pair of three-hit games in the final two contests. She went 3-for-3 in the series finale.
WILKEN'S WORLD: Junior pitcher
Alivia Wilken has been remarkable this season, leading the ASUN in almost every major pitching category. She has a 17-6 record and a 1.38 ERA over 162.1 innings pitched. She ranks third in the NCAA with eight shutouts this season, including one in the series finale at Bellarmine. She is atop the conference in complete games, shutouts, ERA, innings pitched, strikeout-to-walk ratio and walks per seven innings.
MRS. 300: Senior outfielder
Felicity Frame tallied her 300th career hit on Sunday at Bellarmine. She had 173 over her two seasons at Wallace State Community College and now has 127 over her two seasons at North Alabama. Last season, she led the ASUN with 72 hits and currently ranks among the top hitters in the league at 55 hits this season.
IDENTICAL OFFENSES: UNA and Austin Peay have both played 48 games and have similar numbers. The Govs rank second in the league with 339 hits, while UNA is third with 334 hits. The Lions have the edge in multi-base hits, but Austin Peay has a slim 168-166 advantage in RBIs. UNA has a 185-181 advantage in runs scored.
ON THE HORIZON: The 2024 ASUN Softball Championship is set for May 7-11 in Oxford, Ala. The tournament begins with two single elimination games on Tuesday, May 7 between the bottom four seeds. After that, the tournament becomes double elimination for the remaining six teams with a champion being crowned on Saturday, May 11.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
