LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 27, 2026) – The University of North Alabama softball team returns to Atlantic Sun Conference play this coming weekend against Bellarmine, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday and the series finale on Sunday.
Both days begin at 12 p.m. CT, while game two of the series will follow game one Saturday.
The Lions have had Bellarmine's number in recent memory, owning a 14-game win streak in the all-time series that dates back to 2015. UNA has a 12-0 record against Bellarmine since the Knights joined UNA in the ASUN in 2021. Bellarmine seeks its first win in the series since 2009.
Both games on Saturday will air on ESPN+, but Sunday's game will not be streamed. All three games will have live stats available. Admission is free for all three games.
SERIES INFO
Teams: North Alabama vs. Bellarmine
Dates: March 28-29 (Saturday & Sunday)
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Venue: Knights Field
Game 1 — ESPN+ | Live Stats | Game Notes
Game 2 — ESPN+ | Live Stats | Game Notes
Game 3 — No Stream | Live Stats | Game Notes
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: UNA faced one of the nation's top teams on Wednesday, falling 12-0 in five innings against sixth-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Alabama completed its 11th perfect game in school history and improved to a 31-2 record. UNA had three pitchers take the circle, including three strikeouts from Katie Simon.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA brings a 21-8 record into the weekend, owning the fewest losses in the ASUN this season while tied with Central Arkansas for the second-most overall wins. The Lions are tied with EKU atop the ASUN Gold Division standings with a pair of impact series wins over Central Arkansas at home and Austin Peay on the road. UNA is one of three teams along with UCA and North Florida to rank top four in the ASUN for fielding percentage, batting average and ERA.
SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS: Bellarmine is under new leadership with the hire of head coach Whitney Arion this offseason, who came over as an assistant at EKU and is a first year head coach. The Knights already have 10 wins this season and are 3-3 in league play with a series win over Lipscomb and one game to salvage a series last week at EKU. The Knights fell 3-1 to Kentucky on Wednesday. Freshman Tia Ice leads the offense with 30 this and a .326 batting average, while sophomore duo Mackenzie Cowbern and Lele Bennett will primarily split duties in the circle.
SERIES HISTORY: UNA has a dominant edge in the all-time series with a 22-5 record since the first meeting in 1994. All five wins for Bellarmine came outside of its home stadium, including two wins in Florence in 1995 and one in 2002, then two more at neutral sites in 2003 and 2009. Outside of that, UNA has won every other game, including a 3-0 record in Louisville and a 12-0 record at the Division I level. UNA has scored 148 runs in the series while allowing just 70 — averaging 5.5 runs per game while allowing just 2.5 in the all-time series.
WATCH WILKEN: Fifth-year senior Alivia Wilken is living up to the hype of her ASUN Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year title, sporting a 3.09 ERA to rank fourth in the league. This past weekend against Austin Peay, she pitched 14.0 innings with two complete game victories, including a one-hit shutout to even the series in game two.
DOVER DOING IT: Junior infielder Briley Dover has 31 runs this season and leads the ASUN with 1.1 runs per game. She is currently batting .394 and had reached in 13 straight games when counting fielder's choice and errors prior to Alabama on Wednesday. She also has 13 multi-hit games.
WINNING WELL: North Alabama has a 21-8 record, ranking 31st in the nation for win percentage out of 308 teams in Division I. The only teams ahead of UNA that aren't from the Power Four level are Grand Canyon (33-1), Wofford (22-5), Western Kentucky (22-7), Southeastern Louisiana (27-9), Omaha (21-7), Texas Southern (18-6) and Belmont (22-8).
SIMON SHUTS IT DOWN: Senior Katie Simon has had a stellar start to the season with an 8-2 record. She owns a 3.68 ERA and is limiting opponents to a .238 batting average. She has pitched 64.2 innings with 15 games and 10 starts.
RAISING THE BAR: So far, the Lions are batting .304 as a team after batting .297 last year. Also last year, the Lions finished with 35 home runs, and this year, they already have 36. A key contributor in the home run column has been Holly Merritt, as she already has 10 on the season. UNA has also raised its slugging percentage from .449 last year to .503 this year.
BALANCED LINEUP: UNA is getting contributions up and down the lineup card, including all five hitters at the top of the order above a .300 batting average. Dover leads at .394, followed by Merritt at .363, junior infielder Bayleigh Rouse at .349 and senior outfielders Laura Leigh Wheeler and Gyvan Hammons at .337 and .312, respectively. Senior catcher Natalie Shaw is typically batting in the nine spot, but leads all starters with a .493 on-base percentage and ranks among the NCAA leaders with 21 walks. Nobody else on UNA's team has more than 10.
ASUN PREVIEW: The Lions and Knights will be the only 4-2 vs. 3-3 conference record matchup in the Gold Division this weekend. Fellow 4-2 leader EKU will travel to 2-4 Lipscomb, while 3-3 Central Arkansas will host 2-4 Austin Peay. In the Graphite Division, FGCU will host North Florida, Jacksonville hosts West Georgia and Stetson welcomes Queens. FGCU and UNF are going two different directions, as the Eagles struggled in non-conference play but are 5-1 in the league. UNF is the defending champion and has 26 overall wins, but sits just 1-5 in league play.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
