LOUISVILLE, Ky.-- The Trine softball team is ranked seventh in the nation in the latest NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll, released Wednesday.
The Thunder are receiving votes totaling 144 points, tying them with Salisbury for the seventh spot in the national poll. Trine is receiving 12 more points than last week, when the team was ranked ninth. The Thunder have gone 2-0 since the last national rankings, with a doubleheader sweep of Case Western Reserve this past Saturday. Justine Robles (Long Beach, Calif./Lakewood) earned MIAA Pitcher of the Week honors for her efforts last week. Trine is 25-2 overall and in first place in the MIAA with a 7-1 league mark.
Click Here for NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll.
A balance of speed and power have led the Trine offense to ranking second in the nation in stolen bases per game and slugging percentage, third in home runs per game, sixth in doubles per game and eighth in scoring.
Leadoff hitter Carly Searles (Levering, Mich./Petoskey) leads the nation with eight triples, and ranks third in runs per game and eighth in stolen bases. Searles is batting .457 with three home runs, 23 RBIs, 24 steals and a .777 slugging percentage. She is five triples from tying the all-time NCAA career mark of 51 set by South Carolina's Tricia Popowski (1988-91).
Kaylee Fox's power surge has vaulted the freshman into the number 10 ranking in the nation with eight home runs. Fox (Vermilion, Ohio/Edison) leads the MIAA in home runs and also sits atop the conference leaderboard in RBIs with 35- a mark that ranks 21st nationally. She is batting .370 with a .707 slugging percentage.
Nine Trine players with 30 or more at-bats are batting .300 or better. All 10 Thunder players averaging more than one at-bat per game are slugging .461 or better.
Robles has paced the pitching staff thus far this season with an MIAA-leading 13 wins. The junior's five shutouts are tied for 13th in the nation and are tied for the second-most in a single season in team history. Robles has fanned 105 hitters at a rate of 7.87 per game and sports a 2.03 ERA.
Trine travels to Olivet for a MIAA doubleheader Thursday, April 16. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.