LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Trine University softball team dropped one spot, to tenth, in this week's edition of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III Top 25 poll.
Last week the Thunder came in at ninth in the poll but in this edition the dropped one spot after losing eight points in the voting. Once again Virginia Wesleyan came in as the unanimous number one team.
The Thunder finished this week with a 3-1 record. They started with a convincing sweep of Kalamazoo College on Wednesday before splitting their doubleheader with Alma College on Saturday.
Junior Makenna Hartline (Niles, Mich. / Brandywine) paced the team offensively finishing the week with a mammoth 2.000 slugging percentage on the back of a double and three home runs. She was rewarded for the effort with Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Position Player of the Week honors, the first of her career.
The Thunder remain in a tie for first in the MIAA with conference foe Calvin College. Both teams currently sit with an 8-2 record.
The team continues to boast a potent offensive attack coming in the top five of three categories nationally. They are fifth in both doubles per game (2.31) and slugging percentage (.593) while coming in fourth with 1.23 home runs per game.
Trine will take the diamond later today, April 17 to face off with Albion College in a pair of games with first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. On Saturday, April 20 the team will host Calvin College in a crucial doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.