The Matchup
The second weekend of Patriot League play brings Army to Easton for a three-game series. Because of weather considerations, the series schedule has been shuffled. Lafayette will play Army on Friday at 4 p.m. and will then host a Sunday doubleheader beginning at noon. All games are slated to be streamed on on ESPN+.

The Leopards
Freshman Kylee Sweet made the most of her first Patriot League series. She was a Patriot League Rookie of the Week Honorable Mention after hitting for a .625 average in three games. 

Rookie Marisa Powell is off to a strong start to her career, leading the team in hitting with a .351 average. She has played in 18 games with 17 starts. 

Soph. SS Harlie Bickett is second on the team with a .308 batting average. She is slugging at a .431 clip (that includes five doubles) with a .387 on-base percentage for an .818 OPS. 

Competitiveness Numbers
Despite coming up just short in three games vs. reigning Patriot League champion Lehigh, Lafayette showed significant improvement. The Leopards were -5 in run differential in the 2023 series while in the previous five seasons, Lafayette averaged a -14.8 run differential vs. Lehigh. Game one was a pitchers' duel as Lafayette starter Kailee Sawai and Lehigh's Katelyn Young surrendered only 10 hits over 14 combined innings in a 2-0 Lehigh win. In games two and three Paige Sandidge and Harlie Bicket each connected for home runs, but saw Lehigh claim 5-3 and 5-4 decisions to close out the weekend. 

The Opponent
Army  checks in with an 11-20 overall mark and a 3-0 record in Patriot League play. The Black Knights have won their last four games, sweeping the Patriot League-opening series with Holy Cross (8-3, 9-6, 8-0) on March 24 and 26 and before taking a single game vs. Hofstra on Wednesday (8-6). 

Senior INF Angelina Bebek leads the team in hitting (.318) and RBI (13) in 31 games played. Junior outfielder Kayla Edwards checks in at .311 with seven doubles and 11 RBI. Freshman INF Taylor Brown has driven in 16 runs to go along with four home runs (both team bests)

In the circle, freshman Breanna Izzo is 4-1 in 19 appearances with a team-low 3.59 ERA, despite having started in just two games. Freshman Amanda Eaglin, sophomore Olivia Farris and senior Alicyn Grete have 29 starts among the three off them. Teams are batting .309 against the Black Knights' pitching staff. 

A New Skipper
Karavin Dew was named head coach of the Lafayette softball program on Aug. 15, 2022, arriving on College Hill after five collegiate coaching stops. Dew spent the 2022 season as an assistant coach at Tennessee State where she helped the team set a mark for its most wins since the 2014 campaign. Dew was responsible for developing and implementing practice plans for the pitchers and catchers and was integrally involved in recruiting. Prior to her lone season at the school in Nashville, Tennessee, she spent the fall 2021 campaign at Austin Peay State University as an assistant coach and director of operations. That followed three seasons (2019-21) at Brown University in Providence, R.I. where she worked primarily with the team's hitters, infielders and catchers. Dew was integrally involved with student-athlete recruitment at the Ivy League school while also helping to organize the school's softball camps while facilitating team travel. 
 
Dew worked the 2017-18 school year as a volunteer assistant coach at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, mentoring the program's catchers while also involving herself in video analysis and scouting. The year prior, Dew was an assistant coach at Brevard College, assisting in all aspects of the Division III program in North Carolina. Dew graduated from Western Kentucky in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. She was two-time (2011, 2012) All-Sun Belt Conference First-Team selection who helped guide the Hilltoppers to the 2013 NCAA Regional. The catcher set a school record for triples in a season (5) in 2011. A dean's list student, Dew was a Sunbelt Conference Honor Roll selection from 2010-13.
 
Next Up
Lafayette continues its eight-game home stand, hosting a mid-week non-conference doubleheader vs. Drexel on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Patriot League plays resumes at Boston U. on April 8-9.