Mastodons Travel to Eastern Kentucky to Take on the EKU Colonel Classic

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Purdue Fort Wayne softball travels south for the fourth straight weekend, this time to Richmond, Kentucky, for the EKU Colonel Classic. The Mastodons will be playing Ball State twice, Eastern Kentucky twice and Canisius from March 1-3.

EKU Colonel Classic
Host: Eastern Kentucky
When: Friday, March 1 - Sunday, March 3
Where: Richmond, Ky.
Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5
Watch: Game 2

Tournament Schedule
Friday, March 1
3 PM ET - Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Ball State
5:30 PM ET - Purdue Fort Wayne at Eastern Kentucky
Saturday, March 2
10 AM ET - Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Canisius
3 PM ET - Purdue Fort Wayne at Eastern Kentucky
Saturday, March 3
1:30 PM ET - Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Ball State

Series Histories
Ball State: The Cardinals lead the series 11-6. Last meeting: 5/4/2019, L, 3-4.
Eastern Kentucky: The Colonels lead the series 3-2. Last meeting: 2/18/2023, W, 2-1.
Canisius: First Meeting

Know Your Foes
• Ball State has started its season 8-9. The Cardinals are coming into the tournament after doubleheader losses to Georgia Tech during the I-75 Tournament. Ball State won the other three games during the I-75 Tournament over Kennesaw State twice and Georgia State. McKayla Timmons, the Cardinals' leading batter, is back for a redshirt junior season after being a top batter for the team last year. Timmons is batting .435 with 20 hits, 18 RBI's and 8 home runs. Francys King, the Cardinals' best pitcher, is back from last season with a 3-3 start to 2024 with a 3.88 ERA. This improves on her 3-9 record and 3.99 ERA in 2023.
• Eastern Kentucky is off to a 10-4 start to the season. The Colonels started the year by winning out both the Terrier Invitational, beating a familiar opponent in Robert Morris, and the South Alabama Invitational, beating Central Michigan twice. Eastern Kentucky lost four straight, twice to Weber State and twice to Utah State in the Utah Tech tournament. Kennedy Drafton, has been the Colonels leading batter during her freshman season. She is batting .469 with 15 hits and 11 RBI's. Maddi Rutan, the Colonel's best pitcher, is off to a 5-2 start with a 1.71 ERA during her freshman season.
• Canisius is 2-5 to start the season. Christie McGee-Ross, the Golden Griffins leading batter, is back for her senior season after being the top batter for the team last year. McGee-Ross is picking up where she left off last season, batting .409 with nine hits at her 22 total at bats. Megan Giese, a Golden Griffins top pitcher, is back for her senior season after being the best pitcher last year. She is 1-3 with a 2.55 ERA to start the season, after a 18-7 with a 2.42 ERA last season.

Bailey and Brayden Banter
This season, Bailey Manos batting .383 with 18 hits and two RBI's. Brayden Lickey is batting .308 with 12 hits and seven RBI's, while slugging .410.

Rad Roberts
Kayla Roberts picked up her first collegiate win against Presbyterian last weekend. She pitched 3.0 innings of relief and struck out three Blue Hose.

Gracied By Your Presence
After being named to the UTEP Invitational All-Tournament Team, Gracie Brinkerhoff was named Horizon League Pitcher of the Week on February 20. She finished the week with 15.1 innings pitched and struck out seven batters.

Last Time Out
Purdue Fort Wayne went 2-3 at the GATA Challenge, topping Presbyterian twice. Brayden Lickey batted .333 with four hits and three RBI's during the tournament.

Up Next
The Mastodons will travel to College Park, Maryland to play in Maryland's tournament. They will play Bryant, Maryland, Lafayette and Fairfield.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Mastodons Travel to Eastern Kentucky to Take on the EKU Colonel Classic

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Players Mentioned

Gracie Brinkerhoff

Brayden Lickey

Bailey Manos

Kayla Roberts

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics