THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The Thomas University softball team is set for its final weekend road trip of the regular season, as the Lady Night Hawks finish its regular-season series against the Ave Maria Gyrenes Thursday before heading to Miami Gardens on Saturday to face the St. Thomas Bobcats.  Both matchups are The Sun Conference doubleheaders.
 
The Lady Night Hawks (17-15, 8-10 TSC) picked up a crucial tiebreaker with a doubleheader sweep over #27 Southeastern Friday after winning the regular season series over Coastal Georgia just two days earlier.  Now sitting in the middle of the conference standings, TU has a chance to solidify its chances to clinch a spot in The Sun Conference tournament with opportunities to pick up more wins. 
 
The Hunter Green & White enter the weekend coming off an impressive team .415 batting average from the last four games.  Last week featured Freshman Averie Sheppard hitting .500 while scoring six runs and tallying four stolen bases.  The TSC Player of the Week currently bats .381, a tenth-best mark in the conference.  Sheppard leads the team in Runs Scored (22) and Stolen Bases (16) on the season.
 
Junior Shaela Brown (6-4) has had a strong showing at the circle, pitching a complete game against Coastal Georgia that saw no runs allowed in just four hits while recording three strikeouts against The Sun Conference's best batting average at the time. Brown continued her momentum into Friday's doubleheader against #27 Southeastern, allowing one earned run in three hits with four strikeouts.
 
Ave Maria (Thursday 4/24)
Ave Maria (19-15, 7-11 TSC) mostly struggled since its last meeting against Thomas, but have been on a three-game win streak since Wednesday, with two of those victories being decisive shutouts.  What is even more impressive about the Gyrenes is that their streak includes a doubleheader sweep against The Sun Conference's top team (at the time) Keiser.
 
From the batter's box, Angela Cataldo is also hitting .381, accumulating the second-most hits (40) on the team behind Katie Romig (42).  Both Cataldo and Romig's hitting totals are Top 10 marks in the conference.  RBI leader Marisa Michi (30) has been a threat at the plate, hitting 5-for-11 in the previous three games.
 
In the pitcher's circle, the Gyrenes are led by Alissa Bollinger and Sarah Shepard.  Bolinger (4-4) played a paramount role in AMU's sweep over Keiser, picking up a save in Game One before pitching a complete shutout in Game Two, allowing just three hits.  The TSC Pitcher of the Week heads into Thursday with a 2.50 ERA, ranked 12th in the conference.  As the primary pitcher, Shepard (9-7) holds a 2.82 ERA that features 62 strikeouts on the season.
 
The Lady Night Hawks have won three of the last four meetings in Ave Maria, Fla.
 
First pitch at Ave Maria Softball Field is set for 2 p.m.  Fans can access live coverage of the doubleheader by clicking on the links below:
 
Live Stats                                             Live Video
 
St. Thomas (Saturday 4/26)
St. Thomas (12-18, 6-14 TSC) split with USC-Beaufort Thursday.  Do not let the record fool you; only Coastal Georgia and Keiser have been able to sweep the Bobcats this season.  In St. Thomas' last two conference outings, the team split with RV Webber International and #20 Warner, including an 8-0 blowout win over the Royals.
 
Eliza Artilles has been the player to watch on the Bobcats.  Artilles is batting .383 on the season while also leading the team in Runs Scored (15) and Stolen Bases (11).  RBI leader Daniela Bautista (16) is the other Bobcat hitting over .300, averaging .303 from the plate.
 
The pitching staff for the Bobcats, led by primary pitcher Erica Winter (6-9), holds a team ERA of 3.10.  Winter holds a personal ERA of 2.27 that includes 31 earned runs allowed and 48 strikeouts on the season.
 
The Lady Night Hawks lead the overall series against St. Thomas 15-6 that features its longest, active winning streak (12) over a The Sun Conference opponent.
 
First pitch at Colonel Jacquelin J. Kelly Field is slated for Noon.  Fans can access live coverage of the doubleheader by clicking on the links below:
 
Live Stats                                             Live Video
 
For up-to-date information on these games and other TU Athletics, visit www.TUNightHawks.com.  Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, and feature stories of your TU softball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksSoftb.