Complete Notes
Upcoming in Gray Wolves Softball: Lourdes heads into the final week of the softball season looking to earn its first WHAC tournament berth since 2016.  The Gray Wolves travel to 14th-ranked Aquinas on Tuesday afternoon for a doubleheader before closing out the regular season on Friday with a twinbill at Cornerstone.

Head Coach Caitlin Blanchard: In her first season on the Lourdes bench, Caitlin Blanchard has a 13-20 (.394) record at the helm of the Gray Wolves as well as a collegiate head coach.  She is the only the second head coach in Lourdes program's history.

Series Notes: Aquinas holds a 12-5 all-time series advantage against Lourdes dating back to April 26, 2013.  The Saints have won the last four meetings between the two schools after sweeping last year's doubleheader by scores of 10-2 and 6-5 at Gray Wolf Field.  Aquinas holds a 4-2 series edge in games played in Grand Rapids, Mich.  Cornerstone is 11-9 all-time against the Gray Wolves in a series that began March 4, 2013.  The Golden Eagles won four games against Lourdes last season, all at Gray Wolf Field, by scores of 13-5, 7-5, 6-0, and 8-4.  Lourdes and Cornerstone have split four games, 2-2, in Grand Rapids, Mich. on Cornerstone's campus. 

Wrapping Up Last Week: Lourdes split its final non-conference doubleheader of the season on Wednesday, dropping the opener to Ohio Christian 13-5 before Kirsten Smith tossed a complete game shutout in game two as the Gray Wolves notched a 8-0 victory.  The Gray Wolves dropped a twinbill at home against Northwestern Ohio on Thursday, falling 6-2 and 5-3.  Cleary won the opener on Saturday against Lourdes 6-5 before the Gray Wolves bounced back on Senior Day to win the nightcap 6-4 to close out the home slate.  On Sunday, Lourdes fell twice to 20th-ranked Madonna on the road, dropping 8-0 and 7-1 decisions to the Crusaders.

Scouting Aquinas: The Saints have dropped three of their last four games after splitting a doubleheader with Northwestern Ohio on Sunday.  Aquinas won the opener 12-1 before falling in game two 5-1.  Kaelyn Stafford leads the Saints batting .454 with seven home runs and 31 RBI.  Carson Hendrickson is hitting .410 for the Saints while Jordan Humitz has hit six homers and has a team-leading 36 runs batted in.  The Saints are batting .344 as a team.  The pitching staff sports a 2.71 earned run average and opponents are batting .271 against Aquinas hurlers.  Leah Ash is 13-3 with a 2.26 ERA while Kayla Fessenden is 11-4 with a 2.51 ERA.

Scouting Cornerstone: The Golden Eagles enter the week having dropped four straight games after falling in a doubleheader against Northwestern Ohio on Saturday by scores of 9-1 and 7-4.  Cornerstone hosts Concordia (Mich.) on Wednesday before entertaining Lourdes.  Jolie Groeneveld leads Cornerstone batting .34 on the season while Sydney Carr is hitting .341 with five home runs and a team-high 24 runs batted in.  Delaney Wilson also has five homers for an offense batting .269.  The Golden Eagles pitching staff sports a 5.06 earned run average with opponents batting .340 against them.  Kaitlin Johnson leads Cornerstone in the circle with a 5-7 record and a .424 ERA.

Battling for a Tournament Berth: Lourdes has not qualified for the WHAC tournament since 2016 when the Gray Wolves advanced to the title game.  Lourdes enters the final week tied with Concordia (Mich.) for the eighth and final spot in the tournament but the Gray Wolves are only one game behind seventh place Cornerstone as well.  Concordia and Cornerstone meet on Wednesday before the Gray Wolves play the Golden Eagles on Friday.

Smith Tosses First Collegiate Shutout: Kirsten Smith notched her first career shutout against Ohio Christian in game two on Wednesday in an 8-0 victory.  The rookie scattered just four hits and struck out seven in the win.  On the season, Smith has won eight games for Lourdes in the circle while limiting teams to a .265 batting average.  She sports a 3.48 ERA and has struck out 108 in 102.2 innings of work.  Smith has 12 complete games during her freshman season.

Offensive Leaders: Brooke Albert enters the final week of the regular season with the chance to finish the year with a .400 batting average.  The freshman is hitting .394 on the season with 15 doubles, four triples, three homers, and 25 runs batted in, all marks that lead the Gray Wolves.  She is slugging .702 on the year with a .439 on base percentage.  Albert also has six stolen bases.

Streaking: Brooke Albert enters the week holding the team's longest active hitting streak and on base streak at five games.  She had a 10-game streak earlier this season.  Emily Wallace has the longest streak this season for the Gray Wolves, reaching safely in 18 consecutive games and registering a hit in 11 straight contests earlier this year.

This and That: Annalisse Palma has scored a team-high 27 runs ... Palma also has 16 stolen bases ... Palma, Brooke Albert, and Emily Wallace have started all 25 games ... Lourdes has already more than doubled last year's win total with 13 victories ... Sam Stimmel made her first appearance of the season on Sunday, delivering a pinch-hit single upon her return from injury.