LOUISVILLE, Ky.-- The Trine softball team is ranked seventh in the nation the latest NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll, released Wednesday.
The Thunder are receiving votes totaling 146 points in the poll. Trine opened the season with an 11-1 performance in the Dot Richardson Spring Games, which included five victories by run-rule. Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) became NCAA Division IIIs all-time leader in triples in the final game of the spring break trip, a 9-0 victory over Becker. The senior now has 44 career triples and is seven shy of tying the all-time NCAA mark for all divisions. Searles also became Trine's all-time leader in total bases last week.
Click Here for NFCA Top 25 Poll.
After leading the nation in slugging percentage last season, Trine has picked up right where it left off in the power department. The Thunder have hit nine home runs and are slugging .521 as a team. Amy Newell (Three Rivers, Mich./Three Rivers) has returned from injury to lead the way with three home runs and a .659 slugging percentage. Rachel Harris (Uniontown, Ohio/Hoover) has hit two homers and added three doubles.
The Thunder have added elite speed to their arsenal this season, stealing 49 bases already. At the current rate of 4.25 steals per game, Trine would obliterate the previous team record over the course of the 38-game schedule. Searles, Newell and freshman Dani Kirchner (North Vernon, Ind./Jennings County) have all topped 10 steals in the early going.
Trine's pitching staff has shut opponents down with a 1.35 team ERA this season. Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lakewood) sports a gaudy strikeout-to-walk ratio of 53-to-2 to go along with an 0.72 ERA in 39 innings. Bree Fuller (Hubbardston, Mich./Fulton) has tossed two shutouts and sports a 1.47 ERA over 28.2 innings.
Trine travels to DePauw this Saturday for a matchup between two ranked teams. The Tigers are ranked 25th in the nation. The two teams met in a regular-season matchup and in the NCAA Regionals last season, with the Thunder winning all three meetings. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.