RICHMOND, Ky. – Winners of 23 of their last 24 games, the Eastern Kentucky University softball team welcomes in-state foe Louisville in a midweek game on Tuesday night at Gertrude Hood Field.
 
Tuesday's game is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. EST and can be viewed on ESPN+ with Wes Chandler on the call.  Fans looking to see the contest in person can purchase tickets here or at the box office starting at $10.
 
Tuesday is "Taylor Swift/Greek Night" at the ballpark.  All Swifties in attendance can pick up a free EKU eras themed poster with friendship bracelet stations set up across the concourse.
 
EKU (32-5, 14-1 ASUN) is coming off a sweep over Austin Peay over the weekend, the program's seventh consecutive Atlantic Sun Conference series win dating back to 2022, fifth series win this season, and fourth sweep of the year.
 
The Colonels' 32-5 overall record is the best start to a season in program history.  EKU ranks No. 64 in the latest NCAA RPI ranking released on Monday morning, the highest ranking the team has received as a member of the ASUN Conference.  
 
EKU is also first place in the conference as of Monday afternoon with a three-game lead over North Florida, and is fourth in NCAA DI softball in win-loss percentage, only behind Oklahoma, Duke, and Boston University.
 
Additionally, freshman two-way star Maddi Rutan was named the ASUN Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Monday afternoon, the third ASUN weekly honor for the Columbus, Indiana native this season.
 
Rutan went 2-0 in the APSU series with 10 strikeouts and offensively, had five hits, three RBI's, two runs, and a double.  She improved her season pitching record to 18-2, her earned run average to 1.12, and improved a team-high 112 strikeouts on the year.  In the box, she now bats over .300 and leads EKU with six home runs.
 
Rutan is top 15 in the nation in wins, shutouts, hits allowed, and earned run average.  She is either first or second in the ASUN Conference in most pitching categories.
 
Offensively, Jeanay Riley is second on the team with a .398 batting average and leads EKU with 49 hits, 11 doubles, three triples, and 34 runs batted in.  Fellow teammate Madison Scott improved her average to .376 going 5-for-7 in the APSU series.
 
Louisville (24-18, 5-10 ACC) has lost back-to-back conference series against Florida State and Georgia Tech entering play on Tuesday.  The Cardinals are 8-7 (.533) in true road games this season.
 
UofL is led by senior Riley Frizell, who sports a .346 batting average with 47 hits starting in all 42 of the team's games.  In the circle, Miami native Alyssa Zabala is 17-11 overall with a 2.84 ERA and 82 strikeouts, appearing in 31-of-42 games this season.
 
EKU is seeking its first win over the Cardinals since 2014.  Louisville owns a record of 8-4 over the Colonels all-time.