TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology softball team opens the 2023 season with an 8-game Southern trip to Georgia and Tennessee beginning on Sunday, February 26. The Fightin' Engineers will play four double-headers with Agnes Scott, Emory, and LaGrange in Georgia before traveling to Tennessee to take on Sewanee.

SOUTHERN SPRING TRIP SCHEDULE:
Sunday, February 26 - @ Agnes Scott (DH) - 12 pm and 2 pm - LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO
Tuesday, February 28 - @ Emory (DH) - 2 pm and 4 pm - LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO
Wednesday, March 1 - @ LaGrange (DH) - 2 pm and 4 pm - LIVE VIDEO
Thursday, March 2 - @ Sewanee (DH) - 1 pm and 3 pm - LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO

ROSE-HULMAN GAME NOTES:
* Rose-Hulman enters the season with a 15-player roster under the direction of 21st-year head coach Brian Shearer.
* The Fightin' Engineers finished last season at 18-14 with their first winning season since 2015. 
* Nicole Lang leads the Rose-Hulman returnees with a .408 batting average, .491 on-base percentage, and .735 slugging percentage. Lang totalled 21 extra base hits last season and was named All-HCAC Honorable Mention last year.
* Ashley Pinkham also returns with a .337 batting average and 8 doubles.
* The Fightin' Engineers also return a pair of pitchers with Phoebe Worstell and Baylee Uhrick who started 18 of 32 games last season.
* Rose-Hulman was picked to finish 7th in the HCAC this season, in a preseason poll of league coaches released in February.
* Players to Watch from Rose-Hulman in the HCAC preseason release included senior catcher/third baseman Lang; senior shortstop MaKenzie Morgan; and sophomore pitcher Worstell.
* After the Southern trip, Rose-Hulman will hit the road for three more road trips to Greenville, Fontbonne, and Blackburn. The Fightin' Engineers will open their home season with a double header against Eureka on March 25.

OPPONENT NOTES:
* Agnes Scott comes in at 2-6 on the season with double-header splits by Sewanee and Brevard College and sweeps by Delaware State and Emory.
* The Scotties finished 8-26 last season and were picked to finish ninth in the Collegiate Conference of the South preseason poll. 
* Emory comes in at 2-2 on the season with wins over LaGrange and losses to Pacific Lutheran.
* The Eagles finished 18-20 last season with a fifth place finish in the UAA.
* LaGrange comes in at 2-8 on the season with double-header splits by Sewanee and #19 Birmingham-Southern and sweeps by Reinhardt, Emory, and #5 Berry.
* The Panthers finished 8-29 last season and were picked to finish seventh in the Collegiate Conference of the South preseason poll. 
* Sewanee comes in at 3-8 with wins over LaGrange, Agnes Scott, and Wesleyan (GA).
* The Tigers finished 7-26 last season and were picked to finish seventh in the SAA preseason poll.

SERIES HISTORY:
* The Fightin' Engineers have never played Agnes Scott, Emory, or LaGrange in program history.
* Rose-Hulman leads the all-time series with Sewanee 20-13. These two teams would play a minimum of four games per season during Rose-Hulman's time in the SCAC from 2000-2006.

ROSE-HULMAN RECORDS:
* Nicole Lang currently ranks 5th in school history with 10 career home runs and 12th in school history with 8 career stolen bases.
* Kennedy Michnewicz currently ranks 3rd in school history in career intentional walks.
* MaKenzie Morgan currently ranks 8th in school history with 3 career triples and 8th in school history with 11 career stolen bases.
* Ashley Pinkham currently ranks 2nd in school history in career sacrifice flies with 5, 11th in career pitching shutouts, and 11th with 7 times being hit by a pitch in her career.
* Phoebe Worstell currently ranks 15th in school history with 48 career strikeouts.
* Baylee Uhrick currently ranks 14th in school history with 12 career strikeouts looking.