FLORENCE, Ala. (April 2, 2026) – Fresh off a national mid-major ranking from D1Softball and a three-game road sweep last weekend, the University of North Alabama softball team returns home for a crucial three-game set against Lipscomb on Friday and Saturday in Florence.
 
Both days begin at 1 p.m. at Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium. The Lions and Bisons will play a doubleheader to get things going on Friday, followed by the single-game finale on Saturday. These teams are five games apart in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings with UNA at 7-2 and Lipscomb at 2-7.
 
This will be UNA's only series with Lipscomb during the regular season.
 
For Friday, UNA is hosting a "Strike Out Sexual Assault" event to raise awareness for One Place of the Shoals. Fans are encouraged to bring individually-packaged snacks to donate at the main gate. It will also be Furry Friend Friday presented by Barktown.
 
All three games will stream on ESPN+ with "Voice of the Lions" Benjamin Ray and Ande Jones on the call. Fans can also keep up with the action on live stats and on the UNA Softball social media accounts. Tickets are available at this link or by calling 256-765-5466.
 
SERIES INFO
Teams: North Alabama vs. Lipscomb
Dates: April 3-4
Location: Florence, Ala.
Venue: Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium
 
Game 1 — ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes
Game 2 — ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes
Game 3 — ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes
 
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: UNA outscored Bellarmine 39-8 over three games last weekend in Louisville, taking a dominant three-game sweep back to Florence. The Lions won 10-0 in the opener and 17-6 in the nightcap Saturday, ending both in five innings. The finale ended with a 12-2 win for UNA after a six-run seventh inning. In game two, UNA scored 14 runs in the third inning to set a new Division I school record for inning scoring. UNA also set the DI school record for most scoring in a three-game series with 39 runs — averaging 13 per game.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: D1Softball announced its national mid-major rankings for Week 8 on Monday, announcing the North Alabama at No. 24 for its first ranking of the season. UNA is one of two ASUN teams in the mid-major rankings this week, joining Stetson at No. 17. UNA has played three games against teams in the mid-major rankings this week, including a split with No. 3 Belmont at the Samford Tournament on Feb. 13-14. The Lions won the first game with a 9-5 victory, then fell 4-3 on a walk-off the next day despite hitting two homers on All-American pitcher Maya Johnson.
 
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA brings a 24-8 record into the weekend, owning the fewest losses in the ASUN this season while second behind North Florida for the most overall wins. The Lions are tied with EKU atop the ASUN Gold Division standings with matching 7-2 records. UNA is the only team in the ASUN ranked top three in the league for batting average (.312), ERA (3.84) and fielding percentage (.968).
 
SCOUTING THE BISONS: Lipscomb is off to a slow start this season with a 9-25 overall record and a 2-7 record in league play. The Bisons opened conference play by losing two of three to both Bellarmine and Central Arkansas, then suffered a sweep last week at the hands of EKU. Junior Macyn Kirby and senior Presley Rader are both batting over .400 to lead the offense, while true freshman Brooke Beam leads the pitchers with a 4.15 ERA over 82.2 innings. Lipscomb is led by Hall of Fame player Kristin Ryman, who has been at the helm since 2006.
 
SERIES HISTORY: UNA has an 11-8 record against Lipscomb. All 19 matchups have taken place since UNA's move to Division I softball in 2019. The Lions have won five straight series against Lipscomb dating back to 2021. The last time Lipscomb took a series off UNA was 2019. Last year in Florence, UNA won 7-1, fell 5-2 and won 4-3 in a thrilling finale.
 
PITCHING PRODIGY: Fifth-year senior Alivia Wilken has a 2.74 ERA over 79.1 innings to rank third in the ASUN. She also ranks fourth in the ASUN during conference play with a 1.60 ERA against ASUN opponents. For league play, she leads the league with four wins, second in innings pitched with 30.2 and ranks fourth in opponent batting average at .189.
 
SIMON SAYS STRIKEOUT: Senior pitcher Katie Simon owns a 3.83 ERA heading into this weekend, pitching 67.2 innings with 47 strikeouts. She has an impressive 9-2 record, including two wins in ASUN play over Central Arkansas and Bellarmine. She is one strikeout away from 100 career strikeouts.
 
TOP TO BOTTOM: UNA's balanced offensive lineup has been a key reason for success. The top five hitters in the order are all batting over .300 this season, led by two-hole hitter Briley Dover with a .408 average and a team-high 42 hits. She is followed by sophomore Holly Merritt with a .376 batting average and a team-high 12 homers — seven away from the single season school record. Seniors Gyvan Hammons and Laura Leigh Wheeler and junior Bayleigh Rouse are also hitting above .500. Those five have combined for 175 hits and all have at least 30 hits.
 
SHE GETS ON BASE: Senior catcher Natalie Shaw has drawn 22 walks this season and ranks 36th in the NCAA with 0.79 walks per game. Although she is not in the top part of the lineup, Shaw has the highest on-base percentage of any UNA starter with a .486 clip. She is batting .255 this season.
 
ASUN PREVIEW: While UNA hosts Lipscomb, the 10 other ASUN teams are in action. EKU will travel to Central Arkansas, while Austin Peay welcomes Bellarmine. In the Graphite Division, Queens will host North Florida, Stetson will travel to West Georgia and Jacksonville welcomes FGCU.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.