LOUISVILLE, Ky.-- The Trine softball team is ranked ninth in the nation in the latest Top 25 Poll released Wednesday by the NFCA.
The Thunder earned votes totaling 132 points in the poll. Trine has been ranked as high as sixth in the nation this season. The Thunder have gone 4-0 since the last national rankings, with sweeps of MIAA-foes Kalamazoo and Calvin. Trine most recently scored 41 runs on 41 hits and hit seven home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Calvin. Trine is 23-2 overall this season, with a 7-1 conference mark that is tied for first in the MIAA.
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Entering the week, Trine was leading the nation in stolen bases at a clip of 3.78 per game. The Thunder have stolen 89 bases already this season, the third-most in team history. Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) was ranked third in the nation in steals per game at the beginning of the week, while Dani Kirchner (North Vernon, Ind./Jennings County) was 14th.
Searles leads the nation with eight triples. The two-time All-American also ranks fifth in the nation in runs scored per game as the catalyst atop the Trine lineup.
Kaylee Fox (Vermilion, Ohio/Edison) has been on a tear lately with six home runs in the last five games. The freshman leads the MIAA in RBIs with 32 and is tied for the conference lead with seven home runs.
Kaitlyn Clark (Mount Juliet, Tenn./Wilson Central), Jamie Schnarr (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering) and Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind./Warsaw) have also been swinging hot bats lately. Clark has a hit in 12-straight games and is batting .476 over that span. Schnarr has hit safely in the last 11 games, including homers in the last two games. Marshall is riding an eight-game hitting streak.
The multitude of threats throughout the lineup have Trine ranked 10th in the nation in home runs per game, 14th in slugging percentage and 17th in scoring.
Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lakewood) has paced the Trine pitching staff with 12 wins and five shutouts. The junior's next shutout would tie the single-season school record. Robles is striking out over a batter an inning and sports a 1.86 ERA.
Trine is scheduled to complete a previously-suspended game at DePauw tomorrow at 5 p.m. The Thunder lead the Tigers 13-4 in the top of the fifth. Trine will host Case Western Reserve this Saturday, Apr. 11 at 1 p.m.