VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova softball is getting ready to embark on its second trip of the 2020 season. Fresh off of a weekend in Jacksonville, Fla. for the River City Leadoff at Jacksonville University, the Wildcats will be headed to Orlando for the Knights Classic hosted by Central Florida.
A Look at Villanova: The Wildcats capped off the first weekend of play with a 3-2 overall record with wins coming against San Diego State, Jacksonville and Nicholl's State. Several players showed promise and helped carry Villanova to its current mark.
Paige Rauch began the season 3-0 with an ERA of 1.69 in 16 innings of work. The junior also hit three home runs, led the team in runs scored (6), RBI (7) and total bases (15).
Chloe Smith made a splash in her collegiate debut, getting her first home run in her first at-bat. Smith recorded a hit in every game, recorded 5 RBI and stole two bases.
Megan Kern hit .429 in five games, registering six hits and four RBI. She also had nine putouts and a .955 fielding percentage. Rauch, Smith, Kern and
Becky Ducar are all hitting over .400 so far this season.
A Look at Penn State: Villanova will face Penn State twice at the Knight Invitational, playing them on Feb. 14 at 11:30 a.m. and again on Feb. 16 at 9:00 a.m. The Nittany Lions are 3-2 on the season with wins coming against California, Florida International and Michigan State. They are led on the mound by Bailey Parshall, who is 1-0 with a 2.28 ERA in 15.1 innings pitched. On the opposite end, Kaitlyn Morrison has a team-high seven hits in 16 at-bats with a .438 average.
A Look at Iowa State: The Cyclones carry a 4-1 record after winning against Northern Colorado, Memphis and two games against Hawaii. Iowa State is currently averaging just under seven runs a game, while allowing less than three per contest. Hannah Carter leads the team with seven hits and a .538 average. Meanwhile, Karlie Charles is 2-0 on the mound with a 3.00 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched.
A Look at Florida Atlantic: FAU is 1-3 on the year after hosting the FAU First Pitch Classic. The lone win came against Northern Illinois, while they dropped games against No. 25/23 Wisconsin and two against Purdue. The Owls are giving up close to eight runs a game, but only scoring two.
A Look at Central Florida: The host of the Knight Classic, UCF is 5-1 on the season after earning wins against Indiana twice, Clemson, Duke and St. John's. The Knights are averaging over six runs per contest while surrendering under two. Justene Molina had nine hits this season and is tied for the team lead with one home run. On the mound, Alea White is 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA in 19 innings pitched.
