SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The 25th ranked Evangel Softball program travels to Shawnee, Okla., to compete in one of the premier NAIA softball tournaments in the nation, the NAIA SB Invitational.
First pitch is scheduled for noon on Friday as EU takes on #8 Central Methodist and Bellevue, followed by a 12:30 p.m. start on Saturday against #2 Oklahoma City and #21 Hope International.
SERIES HISTORY
Evangel leads the all-time series with Bellevue (6-2), but trails all-time against Central Methodist (31-53-1), Oklahoma City (1-9), and Hope International (0-1). Below are the most recent matchups with each squad.
vs. Bellevue - 6-0 win (2/27/16)
vs. Central Methodist - 3-1 win (4/8/23)
vs. Oklahoma City - 8-1 loss (2/25/17)
vs. Hope International - 3-0 loss (5/13/24)
OPENING STORYLINES
-
Naomi Perkins currently leads Evangel in batting average, swinging a .625 bat while also stealing nine bases.
-
Maddy Meierer and Madi Bentley have both opened the season 3-0 with Meierer boasting a 0.00 ERA and 23 strikeouts and Bentley at 2.95 and 18 strikeouts.
-
The Valor offense currently bats .353 this season as a team with four home runs and 42 RBIs.
-
Karli Facklam (.462) and Kenna Mayfield (.450) both boast batting averages over .400, with Natalie Morgan leading Evangel in RBIs with seven.
LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel Softball travels to Arkansas to take on the Williams Baptist Eagles next Tuesday (Feb. 24) afternoon at 1:00 p.m. for a doubleheader.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.
