NKU’s Sarah King

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University softball team will play Lewis in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at 10 a.m. Friday at East Peoria, Ill.

NKU enters the GLVC Tournament with a 35-17 overall record. The Norse finished 15-9 in the GLVC and are the No. 6 seed.

Lewis is 36-11 overall, and the Flyers are the No. 3 seed after posting an 18-6 record in the GLVC. NKU and Lewis split two games this season at Romeoville, Ill.

NKU is the defending GLVC Tournament champion. Lewis won the GLVC Tournament title two years ago by defeating NKU in the finals.

NKU sophomore catcher/outfielder Sarah King enters the GLVC Tournament fourth in Norse history with 85 career runs batted in. King needs two RBI to pass Linda Schnetzer (86 RBI) for third place in school history.

King, a graduate of Louisville Male High School, leads NKU in RBI (40), home runs (6) and doubles (14). She is also batting .405 and has a .649 slugging percentage this season.

Norse senior second baseman Ricki Rothbauer is batting .385 with nine doubles. Rothbauer, a graduate of Louisville DuPont Manual High School, also has scored 38 runs and ranks third in NKU history with 211 career hits.

NKU’s Amanda Smith was named the GLVC Pitcher of the Week on Monday. Smith, a freshman from Canal Winchester, Ohio, posted a 3-0 record and allowed just two earned runs last week.

Smith hurled a three-hitter at Quincy during a 6-1 win on Saturday, and she came back and pitched 1 1/3 innings in the nightcap as NKU pulled off the sweep with a 4-3 victory.

Smith picked up a 10-2 win over Missouri-St. Louis on Sunday for her 19th victory of the season. She is now 19-9 this season and is looking to become just the second freshman in Norse history to reach the 20-win plateau.

Emily Breitholle also won 20 games as a freshman in 2002.