Softball Readies for Blues City Classic

CHICAGO - DePaul softball continues early season tournament play as they head to Memphis, Tenn. to participate in the Blues City Class this weekend. The Blue Demons open up the weekend against SIUE and Tennessee Tech on Friday, with first pitches scheduled for 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. CT, respectively. Saturday will see DePaul meet SIUE and Tennessee Tech at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. CT before wrapping up the weekend against Memphis on Sunday at 9 a.m. CT.

Coverage of all games can be found through StatBroadcast.

BLUE DEMON BITS

Fifth year senior Brooke Johnson is second in the BIG EAST in slugging percentage with a .750 clip. Johnson is also tied for first in the conference and 40th in the country in home runs (3) and tied for fifth in RBI (7).
Johnson is joined by Addison Talbot, Riley Pool and Bibianna Rodriguez as they all own batting averages over .300. The four Blue Demons have recorded 30 of DePaul's 54 hits and have started all nine games.
Brenna Smith leads the pitchers with a 1.87 ERA through 15 innings pitched. Sophomore Bella Nigey owns a 4.27 ERA in 19.2 innings pitched, starting in four games and appearing in five. Nigey went five innings against UT-Arlington on Feb. 18, giving up two hits and one run in her best outing of the season thus far.
Redshirt freshman Kali Blount made her DePaul debut, earning a start in right field and recording her first hit against UT-Arlington.

ABOUT SIUE

SIUE comes into the weekend with a 4-4 record after sweeping Texas A&M Commerce last weekend.
Lauryn Yslava leads the Cougars at the plate with a .400 batting average, 10 hits, six runs, two home runs and a slugging percentage of .720.
Senior pitcher Kelsey Ray leads the team with a 1.35 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched for a 2-0 record.
Ben Sorden is in his second year leading the Cougars, who were selected to finish fifth in the Ohio Valley Conference. Sorden's squad had a 30-win season and advanced to the OVC Championship in 2023.
The series is tied, 1-1, between the Cougars and Blue Demons.

ABOUT TENNESSEE TECH

The Golden Eagles are 4-0 after earning wins over Norfolk State and Presbyterian to begin the season.
Abby Buettner leads the team with a .727 batting average, recording three runs on eight hits with two RBI. Buettner is second on the team in slugging percentage, owning a .909 clip.
All four pitchers for Tennessee Tech have a 1-0 record, with Lennon Spicer recording the most innings pitched (10.2).
Danielle Penner is in her second season at the helm of the Golden Eagles.
The last meeting was in 2004 and the series is tied 1-1.

ABOUT MEMPHIS

Memphis is 0-10 to start the season, dropping contests to LSU, Arizona State and Cal.
Zoe Adebayo leads the Tigers' offense with a .313 batting average, tallying six RBI, five hits and two runs. Adebayo ranks first on the team in slugging percentage (.563) and second on the team in on base percentage (.389).
Taniyah Brown paces Memphis in the circle, pitching 30.1 innings and two complete games. Brown has an ERA of 6.92 and an overall record of 0-5.
Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro is in her second season with the Tigers.
The series is tied, 1-1, with the last meeting in 2019

UP NEXT
DePaul rounds out the tournament portion of their schedule at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. on March 1-3. The Blue Demons will meet Florida, UCLA, Texas A&M, San Jose State and Fresno State.

FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all the latest information on DePaul Softball, visit DePaulBlueDemons.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Blue Demons on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

2024 TICKET INFORMATION
Season ticket packages for the 2024 DePaul Softball season are available now. Season ticket packages start at just $39 and for a limited time includes an exclusive DePaul mini bat. Single-game tickets and Group Ticket Offers are on sale now and start at $5. Fans can visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets for more information.

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Players Mentioned

Kali Blount

Brooke Johnson

Bella Nigey

Riley Pool

Bibianna Rodriguez

Brenna Smith

Addison Talbot