Following a successful road trip to Columbus, Georgia, that saw the Linfield softball team go 5-1 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, the Wildcats return to Northwest Conference play at home, hosting Whitworth at Del Smith Stadium. Live coverage will be provided on the Linfield Sports Network with play-by-play commentary from Joe Stuart.

THE RECORDS
Linfield enters the week at 11-2 overall with a 2-0 Northwest Conference mark. Whitworth is 11-5 on the season but 1-3 in NWC play. The Wildcats jumped nine spots to No. 11 in the latest NFCA Division III Coaches Poll.

LINFIELD AT A GLANCE
The Wildcats won five games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, beating No. 8 Salisbury along the way. Tayah Kelley was named the NWC Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week after she went 3-0 in the tournament with 37 strikeouts. Her 15 punchouts against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps set a new career high and ranks tied for fourth in a single game in Linfield history. Claire Seats batted .500 in the tournament with five runs, 10 RBI and a grand slam. Katrina Johns is batting .475 and is tied for the team lead with Seats with 15 RBI. Katie Phillips leads the Wildcats in hits (21), runs (14) and doubles (6).
 
WHITWORTH AT A GLANCE
The Pirates were riding an eight-game winning streak before they dropped three of four games to Pacific Lutheran. Last week's series against Pacific was postponed. Nashoni Boyd is batting .542 with 13 hits, seven RBI and two home runs. Maddy Thomas has scored 16 times and leads the team with seven homers and 22 RBI. Momi Lyman is 5-1 in the circle. She owns a 3.11 ERA and has limited opposing batters to a .299 batting average.
 
THE SERIES
Linfield and Whitworth have met 93 times. The 'Cats lead the series with a 76-17 record. The 'Cats are 65-17 against the Pirates in NWC play and 29-11 at home. Linfield has won 13 of the last 15 meetings. The two teams met nine times in 2021 with the 'Cats winning eight of those games, including a five-inning, 9-1 victory in the championship game of the NWC Tournament.
 
THE WILDCATS
TEAM STATISTICS
Runs Per Game: 7.8
Runs Allowed Per Game: 2.9
Batting Average: .348
ERA: 2.61
 
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Batting Average: Katrina Johns (.475)
Hits: Katie Phillips (21)
Runs: Katie Phillips, Kamryn Mobley (14)
RBI: Claire Seats, Katrina Johns (15)
Doubles: Katie Phillips (6)
Home Runs: Claire Seats (2)
ERA: Tayah Kelley (0.93)
Strikeouts: Tayah Kelley (62)
 
THE PIRATES
TEAM STATISTICS
Runs Per Game: 6.1
Runs Allowed Per Game: 4.4
Batting Average: .284
ERA: 3.71
 
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Batting Average: Nashoni Boyd (.542)
Hits: Haley Montoya (24)
Runs: Maddy Thomas, Rylee Gentner (16)
RBI: Maddy Thomas (22)
Doubles: Haley Montoya (4)
Home Runs: Maddy Thomas (7)
ERA: Momi Lyman (3.11)
Strikeouts: Corinne Vasiloff (19)