GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball team will conclude its regular season slate hosting a three-game series this weekend against The Southern Conference (SoCon) foe Western Carolina at UNCG Softball Stadium.

Prior to the games on Saturday, UNCG's seniors will catch a first pitch from a family member. On Sunday, UNCG will celebrate its six seniors at approximately 12:40 p.m. 

The Spartans are currently 36-16 overall and 12-6 in the SoCon, while the Catamounts are 22-28 overall and 6-12 in the league. Last season, UNCG went 2-1 against Western Carolina in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and the Spartans have won 14 of the last 15 games against the Catamounts.

Chattanooga is currently standing in first place with a 13-4 SoCon record and UNCG is in second place. Wofford and Samford sit tied for third with an 11-7 record. The Terriers and Bulldogs will face each other this weekend to determine the tiebreaker, while Mercer is in fifth place with an 8-9 record.
 

 
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE SPARTANS

• UNCG traveled to Macon, Georgia, for its final road SoCon regular season series, where the Bears took the series two games to one.
• The Spartans secured game one behind a 5-2 victory and then fell 8-0 in five innings and then 7-0 in game three.
• In the Spartans' victory, Kaylyn Belfield hit an RBI single and then Jessie Shipley followed with an RBI double, bringing her season total to nine.
• Jorde Chartrand hit her ninth homer of the season and 23^rd of her career. It was a two-run homer that drove in Shipley.
• Reese Byrd recorded her 10^th win of the season in the circle.

RUNDOWN ON THE SPARTANS

• UNCG is nationally ranked in the top 25 in home runs (12th/76), home runs per game (15th/1.46) and total sacrifice bunts (25th/40).
• Belfield is leading the Spartans with a .414 batting average and has successfully stolen 12-of-14 bases.
• Grace Loftin is leading the Spartans with 58 hits, swinging .269 at the plate in 52 games played with a team-high 50 RBI. She also paces the team with 13 doubles, three triples and 13 home runs.
• Nationally, she is 46th in total bases (116), 69th in RBI, 89th in home runs, 90th in slugging percentage (.739) and 99th in doubles.
• Shipley and Hadley Gardner are second on the team with 10 homers each. Chartrand has hit nine homers, while Macy Michael has eight and Rylie Williams has seven home runs.
• Chartrand, Shipley and Samantha Beck each have nine doubles and are second on the team.
• Along with Loftin, nine other Spartans have double-figure RBI, with all 10 totaling 20 or more. Chartrand is second on the team with 35 RBI and Shipley is third with 33 RBI.
• Chartrand leads the pitching staff with a 2.04 ERA and 84 strikeouts. She is 10-6 when in the circle with six complete games and three saves in her 123.1 innings pitched.
• She has kept batters to a .205 batting clip in her 27 appearances and 20 game starts.
• Chartrand's ERA is nationally ranked 44th, while her 5.05 hits allowed per seven innings is 34th in the nation.
• Salem Ward is second on the pitching staff with a 2.88 ERA and 84 strikeouts. She has a 13-6 record this season with six complete games and three saves in 121.2 innings of work.
• Ward earned SoCon Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 17 after going 4-0 in the Spiro Invitational.
• Gardner earned SoCon Player of the Week, while Chartrand was tabbed SoCon Pitcher of the Week after the Spartans' 4-0 weekend at the CSU Round Robin.
• This season, the Spartans have walked off in six games: vs. Toledo (16-14), Iona (5-3), Fairfield (4-2), Radford (2-1), Wofford (2-1 and 9-8).
• The Spartans are leading the SoCon in nine categories, including hits, home runs, home runs per game, RBI per game, RBI, scoring, slugging percentage, total runs, total sacrifice flies and walks.
• Head Coach Janelle Breneman earned her 400th win at the helm of the Spartans following a 7-2 win over Saint Francis on Feb. 16.
• UNCG was chosen to finish second in the SoCon Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Spartans received one first-place vote.  
• Loftin was named to the SoCon Preseason First Team, while Betsy Eatmon and Chartrand were voted to the Preseason Second Team.
• The Spartans concluded the 2024 season 33-26 overall and 13-8 in the SoCon.
• It was the fifth-straight season with 30 or more wins.
• It was also the ninth year with 30 or more wins under the direction of Breneman, who is in her 13^th year with the Blue & Gold.
• The Spartans reached the SoCon Championship game for the sixth-straight year in 2024, excluding the COVID 2020 shortened season, falling to Chattanooga in the double-elimination game.
• UNCG added four freshmen and two transfers.

RUNDOWN ON WESTERN CAROLINA

• Western Carolina was voted to finish sixth in the 2025 SoCon Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Lily Bell was voted to the Preseason All-SoCon First Team.
• The Catamounts won the series against Furman last weekend 2-1. This was the third series victory for Western Carolina this season.
• Nationally, the Catamounts are ranked 41^st in total sacrifice flies (18), 49^th in total stolen bases (72), 57^th in stolen bases per game (1.44) and 64^th in team strikeouts per seven innings (5.58).
• Bell is currently leading the team and conference with her .439 batting average, while sitting 36^th in the nation.
• Her 68 hits are 29^th nationally and leading the SoCon, while she is 58^th in the nation in toughest to strikeout (22.1).
• Bell has successfully stolen 27 of 33 bases this season.
• Maya McPherson is ranked sixth in the nation with six sacrifice flies, is leading the team with 46 RBI and 13 doubles.
• Tessa Juett has 121 total strikeouts this season, which is third in the conference and 63^rd in the nation.
• Sydney Dirks has hit a team-leading 10 home runs.

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UP NEXT 
Following the completion of the SoCon regular season on Sunday, UNCG and the rest of the conference will learn their fate in the 2025 SoCon Softball Championship, presented by One Spartanburg. The Championship is set for May 7-10 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, at Hope Field.  

Click here for 2025 SoCon Softball Championship Information