#20/22 Boston University (46-4-1, 15-0 PL) vs. Lehigh (30-15, 14-1 PL)
Date & Time: Friday DH - 1 p.m. | Saturday - 12 p.m.
Venue: BU Softball Field | Boston, Mass.
Twitter: @BUGameDay | @TerrierSoftball

BOSTON – Riding a 32-game home unbeaten streak, the No. 20/22 nationally-ranked Boston University softball team will conclude the regular season by hosting conference rival Lehigh in a three-game series with Patriot League tournament hosting rights on the line. Friday's doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m., and Saturday's single contest will feature at 12 p.m. first pitch.

Fans will be encouraged to arrive early Saturday to help the program celebrate the four graduate students and five seniors. A food truck with free tacos will be on site as well.

BU (15-0 PL) has claimed the last five Patriot League regular season titles and is currently one game ahead of Lehigh (14-1 PL). Whoever wins the series will host the PL tournament on May 9-11 with the other team earning the No. 2 seed. Bucknell (9-9 PL) has clinched a spot, and Colgate (7-8 PL) will face Army West Point (7-8 PL) for the other spot over the weekend.

TERRIER TIDBITS

• Following Tuesday's 6-1 win over Boston College, the Terriers are 14-0-1 this season at home. In the last PL home series, BU outlasted Bucknell in a pair of 1-0 victories after posting a 7-0 game-one victory.
• The Terriers own 34 homers this year, marking the most since BU tallied 38 in 2012.
• BU features three of the nation's top five batters in terms of hits earned so far. Senior Kayla Roncin (.414 avg) owns a team-high 43 RBIs with 79 hits, while classmate Lauren Keleher (.428) has 49 runs scored, eight homers, 41 RBIs and 16 doubles after hitting for the cycle on Tuesday. 
• Graduate student Caitlin Coker leads BU at .430 with 46 runs, 34 RBIs and six homers while tying Roncin at 10 stolen bases. She set a conference record for PL Player of the Week awards this past Tuesday with her eighth overall.
• In the circle, sophomore Kasey Ricard (23-3, 1.17 ERA) has posted 223 strikeouts in 180.0 innings while holding opponents to .139 batting average to earn BU's first-ever spot on USA Softball's Top 25 Collegiate Player of the Year finalists' list. Graduate student Allison Boaz (17-1,  1.49 ERA) has tallied 93 strikeouts in 122.0 innings. They have combined for eight PL Pitcher of the Week awards this spring.
• Graduate student Lizzy Avery (6-0, 1.35 ERA) has earned both Pitcher and Player of the Week honors this season. She's currently hitting .338 with 27 RBIs.
• Overall, BU is batting .336 while holding opponents to .168 with a 79-27 advantage in doubles.

SCOUTING LEHIGH

• The Mountain Hawks are 11-9 in true road games compared to their 11-0 home mark. They are also 2-10 against top-100 RPI squads, earning wins at Villanova (#88) and against Iowa State (#84). They dropped two tightly-contested games at Penn State (#34), 4-3 and 14-12.
• Lehigh suffered its lone PL loss at Army, 3-1, before posting 10-2 (5) and 5-3 victories.
• Peyton Sward leads Lehigh in batting at .402 with seven RBIs and 32 runs scored, while Emily Cimino (.331) owns a team-high 36 RBIs alongside 13 doubles and four homers.
• In the circle, Katelyn Young (16-8, 2.90 ERA) has posted 130 strikeouts in 154.2 innings, while Maria Urban (7-1, 2.31 ERA) has earned 15 strikeouts in 60.2 innings. Chloe Hess (6-5, 4.82 ERA) has earned 49 strikeouts in 56.2 innings as well.
• The Mountain Hawks are batting .311 and holding opponents to .271 with opponents owning a slight 99-91 advantage in extra-base hits. Lehigh has a slight edge in stolen bases, 39-38.

SERIES HISTORY

• BU leads the all-time series, 24-17, after capturing the PL regular season title last year with a 2-1 road mark and then advancing to the championship game with an 8-3 home win.
• In 2022, the Mountain Hawks went 4-2 at BU, highlighted by a 2-1 record in the tournament to hoist the trophy.
• Overall, BU is 13-7 all-time at home.

UP NEXT

• The PL tournament will take place on Thursday (May 9) - Saturday (May 11).
• BU has reached the championship round every season with head coach Ashley Waters at the helm, having claimed five titles.