The Weekend To Come

The Lafayette softball team is headed into its third weekend of competition at the University of North Carolina Mizuno Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Leopards will play single games against Rutgers, Rider, Campbell and North Carolina. 

Lafayette plays Rutgers on Friday at 9 a.m. and then Rider on Saturday at 4 p.m. Sunday's games will be against Campbell at 11:30 a.m. and host North Carolina at 2 p.m. before heading back to the Lehigh Valley.

The Weekend That Was

The Leopards' second weekend of the season took them to Gainesville, Fla. for the University of Florida T-Mobile Tournament. Lafayette opened with a 7-6 loss to Illinois-Chicago (UIC) in extra innings followed by a 16-0 final at the hands of No. 14 Florida. Losses to UIC (3-1) and Florida (8-0) came on Saturday followed by the Sunday morning tournament finale, a 9-1 loss to Colgate.

About the Leopards
Lafayette returns eight players who started 15 or more games in 2023, 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 following 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. Through 10 games, Dillon still leads the Leopards in batting average with a .440 clip in 25 at bats. Dillon has a .548 on-base percentage with 11 hits, four doubles and two RBI.

Great Start for M.G.O.
On the opening weekend, 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. O'Neill is hitting for a .353 average through 10 games.

Theft on the Rise

O'Neill has swiped nine bases through 10 games, a mark that has already eclipsed the Leopard leader from 2023 (Kylee Sweet who was one of two players with four stolen bases). 


The Opponents

Campbell is 5-11 on the season, coming into its fourth weekend of play. The Fighting Camels captured wins against Connecticut, Incarnate Word, Winthrop and St. Joseph's in the Marucci Classic and Camel Stampede. Freshman Lindsay Lumsden leads Campbell in batting average with a .400 in 35 at bats that include 14 hits, two doubles, a home run and four RBI. In the circle, three different players have pitched for the Fighting Camels with junior Isabella Smith leading the team with 39 strikeouts and a 3.25 ERA over 32.1 innings.

Rider enters its second weekend of competition with a 3-2 record, securing victories against North Carolina Central and Towson at the East Carolina Tournament in Greenville, N.C. Freshman Tristen Wren (.417) and senior Jessie Niegocki (.412) lead the Broncs in hitting with a combined 12 hits, four doubles and six RBI. Junior Kathryn Schmierer and sophomore Jadeyn Merrill both boast of a 0.00 ERA through four appearances and 18.1 innings.

Rutgers is 10-6 coming into the Mizuno Invitational, garnering victories over Colgate, Indiana State, Houston, Army, Hawaii, UC Riverside, Cal Poly and CSUN in their first three weekends of competition. Graduate student Katie Wingert leads the Scarlet Knights with a .404 batting average, collecting 19 hits with three doubles, eight home runs and 20 RBI. In the circle, seniors Morgan Smith and Mattie Boyd have 2.68 and 3.40 ERAs, respectively, with a combined 73 strikeouts in 89.2 innings. 

Host North Carolina is 13-2 on the season, capturing victories over NC A&T, Winthrop, Central Florida, UNC-Greensboro, Lipscomb, George Washington, Mount St. Mary's, NCCU and Oakland University with only losses to Lipscomb (1-0) and No. 18 Kentucky (12-10). Junior Alex Coleman (.583) and freshman Sanaa Thompson (.575) lead the Tar Heels in hitting, combining to drive in 26 runs with 51 hits. In the circle, four different players have pitched, with sophomore Kenna Raye Dark leading the team with a 1.31 ERA.