Red and White Kick off 2018 Campaign at Gardner-Webb Tournament

WKU Notes

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Softball is set to open the 2018 season this weekend in Boiling Springs, N.C., at a Gardner-Webb-hosted tournament. Five games are on the slate with doubleheaders on both Friday and Saturday and one more tilt on Sunday. Still one of the youngest teams in the nation, the Hilltoppers sport a 15-person roster that features 10 underclassmen and a redshirt-sophomore.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Friday, Feb. 9 – 11 a.m. CT | vs. Hampton | Livestats
Friday, Feb. 9 – 3 p.m. CT | at Gardner-Webb | Livestats
Saturday, Feb. 10 – 9 a.m. CT | vs. Youngstown State | Livestats
Saturday, Feb. 10 – 11 a.m. CT | vs. Hampton | Livestats
Sunday, Feb. 11 – 9 a.m. CT | vs. Hampton | Livestats

Weekend action is set to commence Friday morning with the first of three weekend games against Hampton, a team the WKU program has never faced. The Pirates are coming off of a 23-22 campaign in 2017. In the day's second contest, the Hilltoppers will take on the host Runnin' Bulldogs in a 3 p.m. tilt. WKU and Gardner-Webb have met once prior, back in 2002 when the Red and White came out on top of a 5-3 decision in Atlanta, Ga.

On Saturday, Tudor and company will meet their third opponent of the weekend in Youngstown State. The Penguins went 31-28 a year ago and have been predicted to finish second in the Horizon League's preseason poll. This will mark the first meeting between WKU and YSU.

Games four and five on the weekend pit the Hilltoppers against Hampton to close out tournament play.

WKU Softball has claimed its season-opener each of the last five seasons and will look to extend the streak to include the 2018 campaign. Coach Tudor is 13-0 in her career in season-opening contests entering her 14^th season as a head coach.

Brittany Vaughn is the lone senior on the 2018 roster for the Hilltoppers after transferring in from Memphis prior to her redshirt-junior campaign last season. Vaughn started all 62 games in her first year on The Hill, primarily at shortstop. At the plate, Vaughn slashed .277/.482/.362 with nine home runs while leading the team with 38 RBI and 43 runs scored.

Remaining upperclassmen include outfielders Kelsey McGuffin and Jordan Vorbrink – a transfer from Louisville – and infielder Rebekah Engelhardt. Redshirt-sophomore pitcher Cassidy Blackford also enters her third season on The Hill.

Following this weekend's action in North Carolina, the Hilltopper squad will hit the road again next weekend to head to Tennessee for the Chattanooga Challenge.

Red and White Kick off 2018 Campaign at Gardner-Webb Tournament

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Players Mentioned

Cassidy Blackford

Rebekah Engelhardt

Kelsey McGuffin

Brittany Vaughn

Jordan Vorbrink