LOUISVILLE, KY.—The Trine softball team is ranked 16th in the nation in the Week Three National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Top 25 Poll, which was released Wednesday morning.
The Thunder are ranked 16th for the second-consecutive week. TU received votes totaling 95 points in this week's poll. Last week, the Thunder went a perfect 7-0 at the Dot Richardson Spring Games to improve to 8-1 on the season. The Trine bats have provided over nine runs per game during the current seven-game winning-streak, while the pitching staff has combined to toss three shutouts during that span. The NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll is selected by eight NCAA Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions. Records as of Monday are listed, with first-place votes in parentheses.
Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) has been a key table-setter atop the Trine lineup. The junior leads all MIAA performers with a .533 batting average, 13 RBI's, four triples, eight steals and a .967 slugging percentage. She became Trine's all-time leader in steals in a 9-3 victory over Neumann. Searles is also 2-0 with a 0.38 ERA in the circle this season.
Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central) and Leah Hall (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) have supplied the power, each with a team-leading two home runs. The duo is tied atop the MIAA-leaderboard in that category. Hall has driven in eight runs, while Clark has knocked in seven. Rachel Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) is batting .458 with a homer and nine RBI's.
In the circle, Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) has led Trine with shut-down performances. The junior leads the MIAA with 44 strikeouts, racking that mark up in just 26 innings pitched. Fuller is 4-1 with a 1.35 ERA. Opponents are batting .170 against Fuller this season.
Trine is scheduled to play a pair of games at Fishers High School in Fishers, Ind. this weekend. The Thunder will face Bluffton this Saturday at 1:00 p.m., followed by a Sunday afternoon tilt against Mount Union beginning at 2:00 p.m.