WACO, Texas – The Northwestern State softball team will play its third consecutive game against a ranked opponent when it travels to No. 9 Baylor on Tuesday for a doubleheader starting at 3.

 

Tara McKenney is riding a three-game hitting streak for NSU (2-6) and has reached base safely in all of the last six games. She leads the team with a .391 batting average and also carries a .462 OBP.

 

The sophomore shortstop is coming off a great weekend where she posted a .455 batting average at the ULL Mardi Gras Invitational. In her most recent game, she finished 2-for-3 with a single and triple against No. 20 UL-Lafayette.

 

Brianna Rodriguez has also come on strong at the plate, tallying hits in each of the last two games. She missed the first six games due to an injury, but is hitting at an impressive .500 mark since returning to the lineup.

 

On the mound, Kylie Roos had a great showing over the weekend, allowing just one run in eight innings pitched. She held No. 25 North Carolina to merely one run on two hits in six innings.

 

Kelee Grimes leads the staff with a 3.94 ERA and has registered 38 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.

 

Baylor (6-1) is coming off a two-game sweep over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and has won four in a row. Its only loss was a 5-1 affair against Arkansas on Feb. 11, a team that NSU will square off with on Friday at the Arkansas Fastpitch Invitational.

 

Pitching has been a huge strength for the Bears as Whitney Canion has a 0.35 ERA in 20 innings, while Courtney Repka has a 0.79 ERA in 17.2 innings. Baylor also has seven players hitting above .300 with at least 10 at bats.

 

The Lady Demons will play their home opener on March 3 against UL-Monroe at 11 a.m. in the first game of the NSU Lady Demon Invitational. NSU will also host Southern on that same day.