The Basics
A solid 4-1 start to the season for Bulldog softball will face its next tests this weekend, as Drake will be in Tucson, Ariz. for the Hillenbrand Invitational, hosted at the University of Arizona. Four non-conference opponents await the Bulldogs for five matchups from Feb. 22-24.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Lindsay Diehl era got off to a strong start in their first action of the season as the Bulldogs went 4-1 in the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic in Cedar Falls. After beginning the season projected to finish eighth, the Bulldogs are currently first place in the MVC.
Allie Bishoff led the Bulldogs lineup in Cedar Falls with an average of .556 through the five games.
Addie Lightner and
Abby Martin also had a significant contribution to the batting lineup, with averages of .467 and .429, respectively. The Bulldogs currently have five players with an OPS greater than 1.000:
Emma Dighton,
Destiny Lewis, Bishoff, Lightner, and Martin.
Jayme Scheck led the Bulldogs pitching staff with an ERA of 2.21 in 6.1 innings pitched in the tournament.
Emma Dighton also pitched 11 innings and holds an ERA of 3.82.
Scouting the Competition
Drake will lead it off with a Thursday night with a 7 PM matchup against the No. 23 Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats competed in the Candrea Classic to open their season and competed in the Bear Down Fiesta this past weekend. Arizona began 9-0 before a 2-3 loss to Arkansas; they went on to beat Omaha in their most recent game.
The 10-1 start for the Wildcats was highlighted by a win over No. 15 Arkansas (3-2) and six shutout wins. Their lineup is led by 10 players with an OPS above 1.000. Their pitching staff features four pitchers with an ERA below 2.72. The Bulldogs are 0-10 in series history against Arizona, including a 1-9 loss in Fayetteville, Arkansas last February.
The Bulldogs will also have two matchups against Central Michigan; the first will be Friday at noon and the second will be Saturday at 10 AM. The Chippewas are on a 1-4 start after competing in the South Alabama Tournament, which included two losses against EKU, but they are coming off a 6-5 victory against NIU.
Drake brings a record of 1-2 all-time against Central Michigan. The most recent contest took place in Minneapolis last March, a 3-1 Bulldog victory.
Drake's third opponent will be the Thundering Herd of Marshall University. Marshall is 6-4 to begin their 2024 campaign, with a 2-3 mark in the FAU Paradise Classic but a 4-1 record in the East Carolina Pirate Clash.
The Thundering Herd lineup is led by strong starts from Rielly Lucas (.393 avg., .960 OPS) and Brooklyn Ulrich (.407 avg., .874 OPS). The matchup set for Friday, Feb 23 at 2 PM will be the first meeting ever between Drake and Marshall.
The tournament will come to a close with a date against Indiana. The Hoosiers are off to a great 8-2 start. They went 4-1 in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, which featured a 7-5 win over #15 ranked Oregon, and a 2-3 loss against #5 ranked Clemson. Indiana also finished the Troy Invitational with a 4-1 record - led by two wins against Florida A&M by a combined score of 20-0. Indiana received eleven votes in the most recent AP Top 25 Poll.
Taylor Minnick's average of .433 and OPS of 1.047 and Cora Bassett's average of .424 and OPS of 1.122 leads the Hoosier offense. The pitching staff is led by two 0.79 ERA pitchers: Briana Copeland and Sophie Kleiman.
Drake will look to improve their 1-3 record against Indiana in the first meeting between the teams since 2016 - which was a 1-0 Hoosier victory. The game is set for Saturday, Feb. 24 at 12 PM.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will remain in the south to begin March, as they will be in Oklahoma for the Oklahoma State/Tulsa Invite. They have two matchups scheduled against Kansas City, and one apiece against Oklahoma State, Tulsa, and Seattle. Games are scheduled from March 1-3.
