SIUE COUGARS (20-24, 6-10 Ohio Valley)
VS. MOREHEAD STATE EAGLES (11-26, 6-12 OVC)

Saturday, April 29, 11 a.m. CT (DH)
Sunday, April 30, 11 a.m. CT
Morehead, Ky./University Field

Follow the Game
Video: ESPN+
Audio: None
Live Stats: SIUEStats.com

GOING FOR FOUR STRAIGHT: After a 3-1 win last Sunday over Tennessee Tech, SIUE has won three consecutive Ohio Valley Conference series. After the Cougars defeated Tennessee Tech, Southern Indiana and Tennessee State, the team has remaining OVC series at Morehead State and at home against Lindenwood.
CONFERENCE RACE: The top eight team qualify for the OVC Tournament. SIUE stands in sixth place heading into the weekend.
LEAGUE LEADERS: Paige Rocha leads the OVC in runs scored with 33. Lexi King leads the OVC in stolen bases with 14.
MORE SHUTOUTS: SIUE is tied with Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois for the most shutouts this season with eight. Sydney Baalman has four complete-game shutouts and a shared shutout with Kelsey Ray. Ray has two complete game shutouts, and King has one.
TWO IN TOP FIVE: Rocha and King are second and fourth in the OVC with 54 hits and 53 hits, respectively.
HITS FOR KING: King has recorded 50-plus hits in back-to-back seasons after hitting No. 50 at Evansville. The most hits in a season during the Division I era is Haley Chambers Book who had 69 in 2015. King had 68 hits during the 2022 season.
RBI LEADER: Emma Neuman added a two-run double that proved to be the difference in Sunday's 3-1 win over Tennessee Tech. That also lifted her into the team lead in RBIs with 22. King is next with 20 followed by Rocha with 19.
RANKED FOURTH: SIUE's pitching staff holds a 3.18 earned run average for the season, which ranks the Cougars fourth in the OVC. Over the last 10 games, the Cougars' pitching staff has a team ERA of 2.59.
FIRST TO TEN: Baalman won her 10th game of the season Sunday. That matched her previous best in a season set two seasons ago as a freshman.
LOTS OF SAVES: Baalman, Rylie Pindel and Ray all have recorded a save this season. Ray leads the team with three, which is tied for the OVC lead. Baalman and Pindel each have one. Baalman recorded the final out last Tuesday at Evansville.
SERIES VS. MOREHEAD STATE: SIUE is 25-6 all-time against Morehead State. The Eagles, however, have won the last three meetings in a sweep at Morehead State last season.
START OF AN ERA: After spending nearly the last decade as an assistant coach in the Big Ten Conference, Ben Sorden was tapped as the new leader of the SIUE softball program. Sorden comes to SIUE after holding positions at Michigan State and Indiana, helping the pitching staffs to national honors and top-notch results. The Lone Tree, Iowa, native most recently spent five seasons at Michigan State, where the Spartans sported a 2.38 earned run average and a 1.11 WHIP over 350 innings of play.