RUSTON – Louisiana Tech softball returns to Conference USA action as the Bulldogs continue their five-game road trip, traveling to Bowling Green, Ky., to take on Western Kentucky in a three-game CUSA series this weekend. LA Tech is eyeing its third consecutive CUSA series sweep after taking down UTEP and MTSU the past two weekends. The series will begin on Friday at 6:00 p.m., followed by a single game on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. Sunday's contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
Series Information
Date: March 28-30
Time: Friday – 6 p.m. | Saturday – 2 p.m. | Sunday – 1 p.m.
Location: WKU Softball Complex (Bowling Green, Ky.)
Watch: ESPN+ (Sunday Only)
Series: Tech, 12-9
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 22^nd all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and the Hilltoppers. LA Tech and WKU played four times last season, with three games coming in the regular season along with one more in the CUSA tournament. LA Tech took the regular season series 2-1 (5-3, 5-6, 10-4). The Hilltoppers took down the Bulldogs 10-6 in the second round of the conference tournament.
 
ABOUT LA TECH
The Bulldogs won their ninth straight game and moved 20-11 (7-2 CUSA) this season after defeating Northwestern State 3-0 on Tuesday night in Natchitoches. The 3-0 shutout marked LA Tech's second shutout of the season.
 
LA Tech outhit the Demons 7-5 in the win as Alexis Gilio and Nicole Hammoude had two hits apiece. Reagan Marchant recorded one RBI. The Bulldogs stole a season-high six bases as Gilio led the way with three swipes, followed by Alannah Rogers with two.  
 
True freshman Laney Johnson earned her second career win and her second win over NSU this season after pitching a complete game shutout against the Demons. The Stonewall native limited NSU to just five hits across 7.0 innings while striking out two and walking one batter. Johson moves to 2-1 on the season with two complete games under her belt, with a 7.0 inning CG and a 5.0 inning CG. She has 32.1 innings of work under her belt and has a 3.25 ERA.
 
Elena Heng became the first Bulldog to reach 40 hits this season after going 1-for-4 against NSU. Heng is batting .392 and ranks second on the team with 29 runs, while leading the team with nine stolen bags. Claire Raley and Hammoude both have 35 base knocks, while Hammoude leads the team with a .422 average. Gilio recorded her 30^th hit of the season after collecting two hits in Tuesday's win. Hammoude and Raley lead the team with 26 RBI, followed by Marchant who has 21 RBI. Marchant leads the team with seven home runs.
 
Allie Floyd enters the weekend as the CUSA's top arm as she leads the league with a 15-5 record. Her 15 wins rank second in the NCAA, while her 118 strikeouts ranks 15th in the nation. Floyd has a 2.70 ERA in 114.0 innings of work.
 
WKU
The Hilltoppers come into this weekend's series at 15-14 (2-6 CUSA). WKU was edged by Louisville 3-2 on Tuesday night in Bowling Green. WKU went 1-2 against UTEP last weekend, falling in game one 4-5 and game three 1-4, but were able to take game two 12-10. The Hilltoppers' other CUSA win came against Sam Houston in a 9-5 12 inning game to start CUSA play.
 
WKU is outing its opponents 208-207, while they are batting .271 as a team. The Hilltoppers have three players with a .300 batting average or better as Morgan Sharpe leads the bunch with a .316 average and 30 hits. Kendle White also carries a .316 average while she has collected 25 base hits. Maci Masters has logged 30 hits and is batting .313. Masters leads the team with 25 RBI and eight home runs.
 
Rylan Smith leads the WKU pitching staff with a 6-3 record in the circle with a team high 65.1 innings pitched. She has a 4.18 ERA and has allowed 65 hits and 42 runs while fanning 61. Maddy Wood (4-2) and Erica Houge (4-8) have both tallied four wins in the circle and have both pitched 50+ innings.
 
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