LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Trine softball team is ranked No. 6 in the latest Top 25 poll released by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
The Thunder checked in with 160 points in this week's poll. The team was previously ranked No. 4 the last three weeks, Trine's highest ranking of the season. Last week, the Thunder went 3-1 with a sweep of Olivet and a split at Kalamazoo. Trine owns an overall record of 24-2 and is 5-1 in conference play. The team has victories over currently ranked foes Luther (No. 4), Messiah (No. 7) and Cortland (No. 22).
Trine's power has been on display consistently all year. The team leads NCAA Division III in home runs per game (1.42) and ranks fifth in the nation with a .537 slugging percentage. The team has belted 37 home runs on its way to averaging 6.88 runs per game, the 24th-best scoring rate in the country.
Kaylee Fox's (Vermilion, Ohio / Edison) 10 home runs lead the Thunder and rank fourth in the nation. Fox moved into second place in team history with 39 career home runs over the weekend and is within striking distance of the program record of 42 homers held by Andi Gasco (2010-13).
Freshman Makenna Hartline (Niles, Mich. / Brandywine) sits just behind Fox with nine home runs, the sixth-highest total in the nation. Hartline and Fox lead Trine and the MIAA with 26 RBIs apiece. Carly Bachna (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria) has added six home runs, while Catherine Porter (Canton, Mich. / Plymouth Canton) homered three times last week to bring her season total to five.
Danielle Ray (Hamilton, Ohio / Badin) is on a dominant streak in the circle. The freshman has not allowed a run in her last 30.2 innings, a span that includes four complete-game shutouts. She has not walked a batter in 36.1 innings, while striking out 45 during that time frame. Ray's 90 strikeouts this season rank 28th in the nation. She owns a 1.21 ERA to go along with an 11-0 record and four saves.
This past week, head coach Don Danklefsen notched his 400th career victory in a win at Olivet. Danklefsen has totaled a 401-137 career record (.745 winning percentage) while leading the Thunder to nine consecutive NCAA Regional appearances, including two Regional titles and one National Championship appearance. The team has won at least a share of five consecutive MIAA titles.
Trine returns to action Saturday, Apr. 15 when the Thunder host Albion. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
