LEXINGTON, Ky. – Fresh off a series victory over Jacksonville State and two midweek wins against Morehead State, EKU softball (25-20, 7-11 ASUN) makes the short trip up I-75 with a date against No. 24 Kentucky (27-15-1, 8-10 SEC) on Wednesday evening at John Cropp Stadium.
 
EKU's final midweek game of the season is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. ET will be available on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app. Fans looking to make the drive to Lexington can purchase tickets starting at $5 on UKAthletics.com. 
 
The Colonels picked up their second ASUN series victory of the 2023 campaign with 16-10 and 11-10 wins over the Gamecocks, who were situated in the top two of the league standings entering the weekend. EKU combined for 34 hits and 29 runs in the three-game set, its most since joining the conference last season.
 
EKU's high-powered offense was led by upperclassmen Vianna Barron and Lou Bowers, who combined for five home runs, 13 hits, and 13 runs batted in against JSU. Bowers multi-homer performance and consecutive games going 3-for-4 from the plate led to being selected as the ASUN Player of the Week, the first of her career and the Colonels' second of the season.
 
Bowers, Barron, Maggie Pertee, Jeanay Riley, Jasmine Miller, and Jaelin Haynes have started in all 45 of EKU's contests and currently hit .270 or higher with 30-or-more hits apiece. EKU enters Wednesday's play winners of nine of its last 12 games.
 
From the circle, sophomore Lauren Narvaez (13-14) leads the Colonels with 160.1 innings pitched on the season and sports a 5.39 ERA with 60 strikeouts. Freshman Brooke Davis (7-4) has recorded 88 innings in her first year with 30 strikeouts. Both EKU hurlers have recorded three saves this season.
 
Wednesday's contest is EKU's first game against a ranked opponent this season. No. 24 Kentucky fell eight spots, from No. 16, as this week's D1 Softball poll was released yesterday. The Wildcats dropped two of three against No. 11 Arkansas at home over the weekend and have lost five of their last seven games.