Games #17-19
Lindenwood (9-7, 0-0 OVC)
vs. Eastern Illinois (8-12, 0-0 OVC)
Match Information:
Dates: Saturday, Mar. 8th / Sunday, Mar. 9th
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Lou Brock Sports Complex
Start Times: 1:30 p.m. & 4:00 p.m. CT (Sat.) / 12:00 p.m. CT (Sun.)
All-Time Series: 3-3
Last Meeting: L, 0-12 (5 inn.)
Live Stats: Link
On-Tap
Lindenwood softball continues their stretch of home games to start the month of March as they host Ohio Valley Conference opponent Eastern Illinois this weekend starting on Saturday, Mar. 8th with a double header. This marks the first week of OVC play for the league as they will play every team at least once for a three-game series.
The Lions defended their home turf last weekend as they hosted the Lindenwood Invitational. LU went a perfect 4-0 picking up two wins each against Green Bay and Valparaiso. Lindenwood is in the middle of a 12-game home stand and will not go on the road until Saturday, March 15th at UT Martin.
Coming into the season, Lindenwood enters their third Division I season in the Ohio Valley Conference led by fourth year head coach
Erin Brown. Brown has led the Lions to the OVC Tournament in two consecutive seasons and is coming off a 25-25 record in 2024.
Last Weekend Recap
Avery Wapp dominated on the mound for the Lions going 2-0 last weekend at the Lindenwood Invitational. Wapp earned the OVC Pitcher of the Week after going 3-1 including the games played on Monday due to weather. At home, Wapp posted a 0.62 ERA at the Invitational throwing a complete game against Green Bay in a 3-2 win. She struck out a season-high seven on the day.
Dallis Darnell hit .500 in four games at the tournament posting a team-high four RBI including a bases clearing triple in a 8-2 win over Green Bay last Saturday.
Madisen Noll also hit .400 with three run scored.
Jolie McMinn and
Anna Sanders each had four hits leading the Lions to a perfect record.
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 (.324)
Hits:
Irelynn West (13)
RBI:
Madisen Noll/Dallis Darnell (7)
ERA:
Avery Wapp (1.07)
Strikeouts:
Avery Wapp (34)
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 will return to Lou Brock Stadium for a double-header mid-week series against Evansville on Wednesday, March 12th starting at 1:00 p.m. CT. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.
