Story Courtesy of Miami Sports Information
This weekend, the Miami RedHawks make their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance, all coming in the last 17 years, and first since 2016. Miami takes on Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, May 21 in the first day of the Lexington Regional. The game will be aired on ESPN3.
MIAMI VS. THE LEXINGTON REGIONAL FIELD: Friday marks the 11th meeting between the RedHawks and Fighting Irish, with Notre Dame holding a 6-4 edge. The teams last met in the 2016 NCAA Tournament and have squared off in NCAA Tourney action three times with Notre Dame going 2-1 against Miami.
The RedHawks own an 8-8 record against host Kentucky. The teams last met at Kentucky in 2019 with the Wildcats posting a 9-1 win in five innings.
Miami and Northwestern have meet twice with the Wildcats posting a 2-0 record against the RedHawks. The last time the teams met was at the Georgia Tech Tournament in 1999 with Northwestern notching a 3-1 win.
BACK-TO-BACK MAC CHAMPS: With a 3-2 win in the opening game of its doubleheader against Ohio University on May 12, Miami seized its second-straight Mid-American Conference regular-season championship. The RedHawks clinched the title with five games remaining on their regular-season schedule, including the nightcap of the Ohio doubleheader. Miami also won the MAC regular-season title in 2019, the last time the league season was played with last season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
REACHING 40: For just the second time in program history, Miami hit the 40-win mark. The RedHawks' 46 wins this season are a program record, topping the 41 amassed during the 2012 season.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK: Head Coach Kirin Kumar may be in her first season at Miami and as a head coach, but she has made a quick impact on the program. She has led the RedHawks to their second-straight MAC regular-season title, fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and shattered Miami and MAC records along the way to a 46-8 overall record and blistering 32-2 MAC mark. Kumar owns more wins than any active first-year softball head coach.
FAST AND FURIOUS: Miami has done quick work in nearly half of its victories this season. The RedHawks have won 21 run-rule games, including 18 in five innings, and have suffered just one run-rule defeat.
STREAKING: The RedHawks strung together 20-consecutive wins from March 7 to April 18, breaking the MAC record for consecutive wins and tying the Miami record from 1978 with 20 straight wins. Miami rides an 11-game win streak into the NCAA Tournament.
DOUBLE TIME: Ranking No. 1 in the nation in doubles, Miami has broken both the Mid-American Conference and Miami records for doubles in a season with 115. Twelve different RedHawks have contributed to that record with seven recording more than 10: Allie Cummins (15), Mackenzie Moore (15), Karli Spaid (13), Holly Blaska (13), Adriana Barlow (12), Karlee Juarez (11), Riley Coyne (11). Cummins and Moore tie for 23rd among national leaders in doubles. As a team, the RedHawks rank second nationally in doubles per game (2.13).
