LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After nearly two full weeks off, the Bellarmine University softball team resumes its season with another non-conference tournament this weekend traveling to Madeira Beach, Fla. for the Spring Games to play five games from Friday, February 23 through Sunday, February 25.
 
The Knights will face off against St. Bonaventure University on Friday morning at 11 a.m. ET before finishing the day with a game against Siena College at 1:30 p.m. ET. Play will resume Saturday with another two-game slate, kicking off with an 11 a.m. ET contest against Cornell University and closing out with a 1:30 p.m. ET game against Brown University. The Knights will close out the weekend on Sunday morning, taking on Butler University at 10 a.m. ET.
 
Bellarmine opened its season on February 9 with a 2-1 win over Siena College in the CSU Kickoff Tournament, the team's first season opening win in the Division I era. Overall, the Knights went 1-4 on the weekend.
 
During its five-game opening weekend slate, Bellarmine saw a consistent presence from junior transfers Harlie Bickett and Serenity Shemwell who started all five games. Three freshmen saw extended action on the weekend with Nicole Waters making four starts, Brooke Shewmaker making three starts and Genevieve Chiellini making two appearances with one start. The newcomers joined grad student Olivia Bricker, seniors Caitlyn Watson and Carson Goatley, juniors Chloe Collins, Megan Konermann and Claire Lehmkuhler and sophomore Madison Davis who were stalwarts in the Knights lineup last season. 
 
Shemwell leads the Knights with a .333 average, and one home run. Bickett ranks second on the team with a .313 batting average and leads the team with five hits. On the rubber, Lehmkuhler leads the Knights with a 2.06 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, owning the one win for Bellarmine, adding team-highs in innings pitched (17.0) and strikeouts (14). N
 
About the field
 
St. Bonaventure went 12-35-1 in 2023 and will start its 2024 campaign on Friday at The Spring Games against Bellarmine. The Bonnies were picked to finish last in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll after a 6-20, last place finish in 2023. St. Bonaventure returns its top three hitters from last season, a trio of seniors in outfielders Olivia Whitecar and Brooke Bobbey and infielder Kennedy Haberl. Whitecar led the Bonnies with a .365 batting average, tallying 23 hits, three doubles, two triples, seven RBI, 16 runs and seven stolen bases in 32 games played, 25 starts. Bobbey led the team in hits (44), runs (21), triples (4), walks (20), stolen bases (11) and games played and started (46) while ranking second on the team with a .324 batting average. Haberl played in 35 games, starting 33 in 2023 and ranked third on the team with a .292 batting average, collecting 26 hits, four doubles, 16 runs and three stolen bases along with a team-high five home runs and 23 RBI. On the mound, St. Bonaventure returns its top arm, another senior, in Emily Phelan. Phelan made 36 appearances last season, starting 34 games, compiling a 9-21 record with a 4.15 ERA, tossing 18 complete games and 182.0 innings while recording 139 strikeouts to just 60 walks. As a team, the Bonnies hit .220 in 2023, totaling 55 extra-base hits, 259 total hits, 102 RBI and 122 runs scored, paired with a 5.09 team ERA and .340 opponent batting average.
 
Siena, a team the Knights are now familiar with, started the 2024 season at the CSU Kickoff Tournament, going 2-3 on the weekend. Bellarmine and Siena faced off twice in the opening weekend and will face off once more in The Spring Games. Junior Madi Silber leads the Saints with a .571 batting average, notching eight hits, two doubles and three RBI while playing in all five games. Grad student Nicole Patille leads the effort on the mound, owning a 1.11 ERA and .95 WHIP after appearing in three games, making two starts, tossing 12.2 innings and recording 13 strikeouts to just two walks. As a team, Siena is hitting just .194. On the mound, Siena owns a 2.47 team ERA with a .244 opponent batting average. The Saints were picked to finish fifth in the MAAC preseason poll after finishing fifth last year. Sienna's 32 wins last year tied a program record and marked a second consecutive season with 30+ wins and was capped with its sixth straight postseason appearance.
 
Cornell went 16-26 in 2023 and will also begin its 2024 season this weekend at The Spring Games. The Big Red were picked to finish fifth in the Ivy League this season. Cornell returns much of its offensive production as reigning Ivy home runs leader sophomore Lauren Holt (nine home runs, 28 RBI), junior Emma Antich (seven home runs, 26 RBI) and sophomore Sydney Stapf (five home runs, 27 RBI) combined for 21 homers and 81 runs batted in. In the pitcher's circle, the Big Red will rely on sophomores Kyrie Denny and Madalyn Covelli and junior Maxine McGraw. As a team, Cornell hit .234 with 92 extra-base hits, 34 of which left the yard, 142 RBI and 156 runs scored. On the rubber, the Big Red turned in a 4.09 team ERA with a 1.49 WHIP, striking out 162 while walking 72.
 
Brown went 13-26 last season and will also start its 2024 season this weekend. The Bears were picked to finish sixth in the Ivy League this season. Brown returns most of its offensive production from last season in seniors Moe Kastens and Dara English, junior Laurel Moody and sophomore Jasmine Hsiao. Kastens led the team last year with a .308 batting average with six doubles, a triple and six RBI. Moody was second on the team with a .292 average, with six doubles, one home run and seven RBI while adding a team-high 31 hits. English also recorded a team-high 31 hits while sitting third on the team with a .287 batting average, adding six doubles, a triple, a home run and 12 RBI. Hsiao rounds out the group, placing fifth on the team last year with a .255 average, tallying a team-high 11 doubles, seven home runs and 16 RBI. The Bears return junior Alexis Guevara to the pitching circle who led the team with 22 appearances, 19 starts, going 8-10 with a 3.29 ERA, tossing 120.1 innings with 93 strikeouts and 40 walks.
 
Butler opened its season two weeks ago and is off to a 4-6 start after an 18-35 record in 2023, finishing as the fourth seed in its third straight Big East Tournament. The Bulldogs were picked to finish fifth in the Big East preseason poll. Through the team's first 10 games, four players own a batting average of .300+ in junior Ella White (.357), senior Teagan O'Rilley (.348), redshirt freshman Hailey Conger (.333) and redshirt junior Paige Dorsett (.310) with all four having played in all 10 games. White is second on the team with 10 hits and second with three doubles, adding a home run, two RBI and seven runs. O'Rilley leads the team with two home runs and seven RBI and is second with three doubles. Conger leads the team with 11 hits, adding two doubles, a triple and an RBI. Dorsett is tied for the team lead with two runs home and ranks second with six RBI. On the rubber, freshman Katie Petran has worked the bulk of the team's innings, throwing 29.1 across five appearances, four starts. Petran owns a 3-0 record with a 2.39 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 16 strikeouts and five walks. As a team the Bulldogs are hitting .255 with 20 extra-base hits, 33 RBI and 35 runs scored. In the pitcher's circle, Butler owns a 3.10 team ERA with a 1.32 WHIP and .256 opponent batting average.

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