LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Days after defeating Louisville in a midweek tilt, the Eastern Kentucky University softball team heads West to battle Bellarmine from Friday to Sunday at Knights Field.
 
This weekend's Atlantic Sun Conference series will begin on Friday at 5:00 p.m. EST, game two will be on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., and the series will conclude on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.  Fans can find all three games streamed live on ESPN+, admission is free to Knights Field.
 
EKU head softball coach Jane Worthington enters the series just one win away from 900 career wins over her 32-year career with the program.  She's 22nd among active DI coaches in total wins.
 
EKU (33-5, 14-1 ASUN) enters play winners of 23 of its last 24 games, including a 6-2 midweek upset on Tuesday at home.  The Colonels have won their last seven ASUN Conference series and have swept 4-of-5 series this season, ranking first in the league by three games over second-place North Florida.  As of Thursday, EKU is 57th in the NCAA RPI rankings.
 
Freshman Maddi Rutan travels to Louisville with high praise, recently being named the ASUN Player of the Week and the No. 5 two-way player in the country by Softball America.  The Columbus, Indiana product enters play with a 19-2 pitching record with a 1.17 ERA and 116 strikeouts. 
 
Offensively, she sports a .316 batting average and leads the club with six home runs.  Rutan is a three-time ASUN weekly honor recipient this season.
 
Additionally, EKU's Madison Scott remains in the national spotlight just one day removed from being featured on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of April 17th, today receiving a call-up from the Australian National Team to play in the 2024 Softball World Cup.  She extended her hit streak to six straight games against Louisville, and in those games, is 8-for-16 from the plate with four runs and three RBIs.
 
EKU's power-hitting duo of Jasmine Miller and Lilly Davis, both state champions with Louisville Male High School, return to their home city combining for nine homers and 44 runs batted in on the year.  Senior Jeanay Riley is also from Louisville, she leads the Colonels with 50 hits and is second with a .394 batting average. 
 
Bellarmine (13-24, 5-10 ASUN) fell on the wrong end of a sweep last series at Kennesaw State and enters play losing six of its last seven games.  Infielder Chloe Collins leads the Knights with a .310 batting average and 35 hits.