LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Bellarmine softball will make its long-awaited home debut this weekend, hosting Western Illinois and Northern Kentucky for the Bellarmine Softball Classic Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21 at Knights Field.

The weekend will feature three games each day, opening with Bellarmine taking on Western Illinois on Friday morning at 11 am E.T. WIU will follow with a neutral site game against Northern Kentucky at 1:30 pm E.T. before Bellarmine takes on the Norse in the finale at 4 pm E.T. On Saturday, the Knights will once again open the day against the Leathernecks, this time at 11:30 am E.T., with WIU and NKU to follow once again at 2 pm E.T. and a final matchup between Bellarmine and Northern Kentucky at 4:30 pm E.T.

The Knights (1-9) are coming off a 10-2 loss at Louisville where junior Kendall Gaddie and sophomore Lele Bennett launched Bellarmine's first ever home runs against the Cardinals. For Gaddie, the homer was the first of her career while Bennett blasted her second of the year.

Freshman Tia Ice leads the Bellarmine offense, hitting .394 on the season with two doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI. Sophomore Peyton Arnold is second on the team, hitting .344 with a team-high tying three doubles, adding one homer and 7 RBI. Gaddie is hitting .333 on the year with freshman Jayla Manning right behind her, batting .324. Senior Jacklyn Zuege rounds out the team's top hitters with a .300 average, adding a team-high tying three doubles with the Knights' only triple and seven RBI.

As a team, Bellarmine is hitting .299 this season with 43 runs scored and 20 extra-base hits.

Sophomore Natalie Kerr has been the most used arm on Bellarmine's pitching staff as she has appeared in 10 games. She currently ranks first in the Atlantic Sun and third in the NCAA in pitching appearances this season. Kerr only trails Amber Estrada (CSU Bakersfield) and Tatyana Vega (UTEP), who tied for first with 11 appearances each.

About the Leathernecks
Western Illinois is off to a 3-7 start to its season and is coming off a massive 21-5 win over Alabama A&M in their last time out. The Leathernecks were picked to finish ninth in the Ohio Valley Conference this season after the same finish in 2025. Junior Payton Brown, the reigning OVC Player of the Year was the lone Leatherneck on the Preseason All-OVC Team. Last season, Brown led the league in hits (48), doubles (13), total bases (89), slugging (.908) and tied for first in home runs (8). This season, Brown is hitting .387 with 12 total hits, three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI. The Leathernecks are led by freshman Angie Ortiz, hitting .538 on the year with 14 total hits, a double, triple and seven RBI. WIU has seven players hitting over .300 and own a .344 team average with 65 runs scored and 31 extra-base hits. In the circle, the Leathernecks own a 6.54 ERA with 49 strikeouts to 62 walks.

Bellarmine and Western Illinois have met twice since the Knights rose to Division I. The series is tied 1-1 with BU winning the last meeting 2-0 on March 3, 2024.

About the Norse
Northern Kentucky is 4-4 to start its 2026 season and is coming off a 6-1 win over Monmouth in its last game. The Norse were tabbed to finish tied for third in the Horizon League preseason coaches' poll after a fifth place finish a year ago. Northern Kentucky has four players hitting over .300 this season with freshman Kenzie Gulley leading the group at a .480 clip. Gulley has 12 total hits on the year with two RBI and five runs. Junior Mack Brow is second on the team, hitting .400 with 12 total hits, a double, an RBI and eight runs. Seniors Jena Rhoads and Brielle DiMemmo round out the group hitting .393 and .385, respectively. Rhoads leads the team with four doubles while DiMemmo adds two doubles, a triple and a home run. As a team, the Norse are hitting .303 with 40 runs and 16 extra-base hits. In the circle, Northern Kentucky owns a 5.36 ERA with 30 strikeouts to 26 walks.

Bellarmine and Northern Kentucky have met 11 times in series history with the Norse owning an 8-3 advantage. The Knights won the most recent meeting 6-1 on April 16, 2025 at Knights Field. Before that, NKU had one four meetings in a row.

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow BUKnights on X, Instagram and Facebook.