Games #25
Lindenwood (12-12, 3-3 OVC)
at Saint Louis (9-16, 0-3 A10)
Game Information:
Dates: Wednesday, Mar. 19th
Location: St. Louis, Mo.
Venue: Billiken Sports Center
Start Times: 5:00 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: 2-2
Last Meeting: W, 7-5
Live Stats: Link

On-Tap
Lindenwood softball will play a familiar non-conference opponent on Wednesday, March 19th when they take on the Billikens of Saint Louis in the heart of the city. This marks the final road non-conference game for the Lions this season.

Heading into Wednesday's contest, Lindenwood is 12-12 on the year and were able to even their Ohio Valley Conference record at 3-3 after going 2-1 on the road at UT Martin. SLU has some common opponent with Lindenwood this season as Saint Louis played three games at Lou Brock Sports Complex earlier in the year due to weather conditions. Both teams played Northern Illinois and Green Bay during that weekend.

Lindenwood and Saint Louis are non strangers to each other as they have played each other four times since Lindenwood joined the Division I ranks. After dropping the first two games of the series history, Lindenwood responded with a 2-0 sweep of the Billikens last year with scores of 1-0 and 7-5. 

UT Martin Recap
Lindenwood uses a combination of offense and defense last weekend as they went 2-1 on the road at UT Martin. Due to weather, this series was moved to a single game on Sunday and a double header on Monday. After Lindenwood picked up a 10-5 win on Sunday, both teams split on Monday with the Lions winning the rubber match in game three by a final score of 3-2.

Avery Wapp started two games for the Lions on the mound including a complete game during game three. In total, Wapp threw in 10.2 innings allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits while striking out three. She finished with a 1-0 record and a 2.62 ERA. Ryleigh Owens picked up the other win in ame one after throwing 3.1 innings allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits with five strikeouts.

Dallis Darnell went 4-9 at the plate (.444 BA) while leading the Lions in hits. Jolie McMinn had six total RBI through the Martin series including five in game one after adding a three-run home run. McMinn joined Irelynn West and Tori Hatton who all had three hits while hitting .429 in three games. West also led the team with four runs scored and a .667 on-base percentage.

OVC Preseason Poll
The Redhawks of Southeast Missouri State were selected as the 2025 Preseason favorite, garnering nine first-place votes and finishing with 152 points after claiming the OVC Tournament Championship last season. They were followed by Southern Indiana who received six first-place votes (140 points) and 2024 OVC Regular Season Champion Eastern Illinois with five first-place votes (139 points).

Tennessee State follows the top three ranking fourth with 107 points followed by Tennessee Tech (82), Lindenwood (80), UT Martin (74), SIUE (73), Morehead State (30) and Western Illinois (23). There are a total of 27 conference games this season with each team playing the other schools three times.

2025 Statistical Leaders
Batting Average: Jolie McMinn (.304)
Hits: Irelynn West (21)
RBI: McMinn (11)
ERA: Ryleigh Owens (1.92)
Strikeouts: Avery Wapp (62)

Head Coach Erin Brown
Erin Brown is entering her fourth season as the head coach of the Lindenwood softball team in 2025. 

Brown led the Lions to an OVC Tournament appearance after guiding Lindenwood to a 25-25 record. Lindenwood had an impressive home record in 2024 going 12-5 at Lou Brock Sports Complex. Irelynn West earned First Team All-conference honors while Amanda Weyh earned Second Team. Under Brown, the Lions swept cross-town rivals Saint Louis in two games during a home-and-home series. The Lions went 13-14 in OVC play. Brown also coached five CSC Academic All-District players.

In 2023, the Lions went 16-32, including an 8-15 mark against OVC competition. Lindenwood finished with a winning record at home (12-10) and swept eventual conference champion Eastern Illinois late in the year at Lou Brock Sports Complex. Irelynn West and Dallis Darnell earned all-conference honors with West being a second-team selection and Darnell being named to the all-newcomer team. 

Up Next
Lindenwood returns home this weekend to Lou Brock to take on Tennessee State for a three-game series. Dates and Times are to be announced later this week due to weather. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.