The Matchup

The Lafayette softball team is headed into its second weekend of competition at the University of Florida T-Mobile Tournament in Gainesville, Fla. The Leopards will take on Illinois Chicago (UIC) and Florida twice and will play a single game against Patriot League foe Colgate to close out the weekend.

Lafayette plays UIC on Friday at 11:30 a.m. followed by No. 17 Florida at 5:30 p.m. Saturday's action will be a repeat of the opponents, with games scheduled for 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. A 9 a.m. Sunday game vs. Colgate finished the event for Lafayette.

Last Time Out

The Leopards started off the season at the Tarleton State Whataburger Invitational in Stephenville, Texas, where they went 2-3. Lafayette opened with 12-6 and 8-1 losses to Mississippi Valley State and Tarleton State, respectively. On day two of the tournament, Lafayette went undefeated, beating Buffalo, 4-2, followed by a 3-0 shutout of Tarleton State. The Maroon and White closed out the weekend by taking a 10-win Idaho State team to extra innings before dropping a 4-3 final.  

About the Leopards
Lafayette softball returns eight players who started 15 or more games, including six players who started more than half of the games last season. The Leopards are coached by head coach Karavin Dew and assistant coach Bridget Bailey, each in their second season with the program. 

Rookie of the Week
Freshman Regan Dillon was named the Patriot League Softball Rookie of the Week coming off of the Leopards' first weekend of competition. Dillon hit for a .600 average, batting cleanup for four of the five games at the Tarleton State Whataburger Invitational, with nine hits, four doubles and two runs batted in. In her collegiate debut, Dillon went 3-for-4 against Mississippi Valley State, 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored against Buffalo and 2-for-3 with an RBI in the 3-0 win over Tarleton State. The Texas native played first base in four games while getting behind the plate in one.

Great Start for M.G.O.
Junior Mary Grace O'Neill hit .400 out of the lead-off spot in five games. The Pleasantville, N.Y. native banged out eight hits with two doubles and a triple, scored six runs and stole five bases in her opening weekend with the Leopards. 

The Opponents

Florida is nationally-ranked (No. 17) and comes in with an 10-2 mark through the early going. The Gators have captured wins against Oregon State, Illinois State, Bethune-Cookman, South Florida, Jacksonville, Georgia Southern, Loyola and North Florida with the only losses to No. 6/8 Oklahoma State (3-0) and Michigan (2-1 in 10 innings).  Seniors Katie Kistler  (.526) and Skylar Wallace (.514) lead the Gators in hitting while combining to drive in 22 runs through 12 games. In the circle, freshman Ava Brown boasts a minuscule 0.28 ERA with a 5-0 record while classmate Keagan Rothrock is 4-2 with a 1.02 ERA .

Illinois Chicago (UIC) is 1-9 on the season, coming into its third weekend of play. The Flames captured their lone win against Hofstra in a tournament at South Florida on Feb. 17. Junior Grace Fleming leads the Flames in batting average with a .370 in 27 at bats that include a triple and four RBI. In the circle, three different players have pitched in five games apiece with junior Alyssa Clark leading the team with a 2.10 ERA. 

Colgate comes into the tournament with a 3-6 record, securing victories against Indiana State in the Houston Invitational and Bethune-Cookman twice in the Hatter Classic. Freshman Kiley Shelton leads the Raiders with a .370 batting in 27 at bats, collecting 10 hits, two home runs and five RBI. On the mound, fifth-year senior Bailey Misken has thrown 22.2 innings with a 3.71 ERA while striking out 12. Lafayette took two of three from Colgate in the Patriot League series in 2023, but this game will serve as a non-conference matchup.