RICHMOND, Ky. - Just one weekend before conference play in the ASUN kicks off, the Eastern Kentucky University softball team welcomes Indiana State and Purdue Fort Wayne to Gertrude Hood Field for the EKU Round Robin from March 8-9.

Doubleheaders await the Colonels on both days as they open the weekend taking on PFW at 1:30 PM before matching up with Indiana State at 4:00 PM on Saturday.

The schedule flips on Sunday as the team faces off against Indiana State at 12:30 PM and PFW at 3 PM to close out.

Live stats will be available for all games on the weekend while both Sunday games will be avaiable for streaming on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT

The Colonels are riding a five-game win streak into the round robin after completing a perfect 5-0 weekend last time out at the Colonel Classic. The team recorded three shutouts over the weekend including a 9-0 run-rule win over UIC.

Kennedy Drafton turned in the standout performance of the weekend, earning ASUN Player of the Week honors after recording 10 hits and 11 RBIs in 14 at-bats over the five games. The performance boosted her average from .278 coming into the weekend all the way to .400.

The Colonel pitchers also put in work as Victoria Byrum (5-0) recorded two complete game shutouts while Maddi Rutan (4-3, 2 SV) tallied 26 strikeouts in three appearances. Tayteum Vigansky (3-0, 1 SV) and Lauren Narvaez (1-1, 1 SV) also recorded their first saves of the season.

SCOUTING THE MASTODONS

The Mastodons of Purdue Fort Wayne come to Richmond with a 2-10 record after going 0-4 at the Coach B Classic hosted by Southern Illinois. There, the Mastodons took on SIU and Purdue, as well as ASUN foe Central Arkansas. PFW fell to the Bears 8-0 in five innings.

PFW leads the Horizon League so far in home runs with nine as well as fielding percentage at 0.958

EKU leads the series against PFW, 5-2, with their last meeting being a 3-1 victory on Mar. 2, 2024.

SCOUTING THE SYCAMORES

Indiana State brings a 5-13 record into the weekend after going 2-3 at a weekend hosted by future Colonel foe Tennessee. The Sycamores picked up a 9-1 win over Delaware State and a 4-0 win over UT Martin, but dropped both games to Tennessee, 8-0 and 6-0, as well as a second game against UT Martin.

Brailey Mills leads ISU from the batter's box, leading the team in batting average at .324. Abby Widmar leads the team in RBIs with 11 and in home runs with two.

The Sycamores lead the series against EKU at 4-2 with ISU getting the better of the Colonels in their last two matchups, 6-1 and 4-3 in the teams' two meetings in 2023.