LOUISVILLE, Ky.-- The Trine softball team is ranked 14th in the nation in the latest NFCA Division III Softball Top 25 Poll, released Wednesday.
The Thunder received votes totaling 89 points in the poll. Trine has been ranked as high as 11th in the nation this season. Last week, the Thunder went 3-1, sweeping its home-opener against Transylvania and splitting a pair of games against DePauw. Trine owns a 12-6 overall record, with three wins over teams currently ranked in the top 10. The Thunder has a 3-1 record against teams currently ranked in the top 25.
Click Here for NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll.
Trine's .354 batting average ranks 29th in the nation. Eight Thunder players who have accumulated more than 30 at-bats are batting over .300. Trine is also getting on-base at a .415 clip, which ranks 42nd in Division III.
Rachell Noble (Indianapolis, Ind. / Decatur Central) has given the Thunder a tough out in the middle of the lineup this season. Noble is batting .500, getting on base at a .623 clip and slugging .650. Noble's OBP is the 14th-best mark in the nation. Kendra Marshall (Leesburg, Ind. / Warsaw) is slugging .500 with a team-leading five doubles.
The top of the lineup has been paced by Erica Robles (Long Beach, Calif. / Lakewood). A 13-game hitting streak has raised the sophomore's batting average to .439. Robles has stolen a team-high 10 bases while getting on base at a .471 rate.
Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif. / Lakewood) has been one of the toughest pitchers to hit in the nation this season, allowing 4.01 hits per seven innings- the 35th-best mark in the country. Robles owns a 7-2 overall record to go along with a 1.06 ERA that ranks 39th nationally. Robles has struck out 60 batters in 591.1 innings of work.
Trine travels to Anderson (Ind.) this afternoon for the first meeting between the two teams since the 2013 NCAA Regionals. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.
The Thunder open MIAA play at home Saturday, Apr. 2 against Adrian. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.