Lincoln, Nebraska- Nebraska Wesleyan (21-17) travels to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to face Central College (30-8) in the first round of the American Rivers Conference Softball Tournament.

THE SERIES
Nebraska Wesleyan leads the all time series 8-7. Friday will mark the 16th matchup between the two schools. The two teams split the regular season series. Nebraska Wesleyan won the first game 4-3, and Central won the second game 10-2.

REGIONAL RANKINGS
Both teams find themselves in the top seven of Region IX. Central College currently sits at #3, while Nebraska Wesleyan University is at #7.

A LOOK AT NEBRASKA WESLEYAN
The Prairie Wolves earned a split with Loras in their last series. Loras won the first game 3-2, and Nebraska Wesleyan earned a 4-0 victory in game two.. The Prairie Wolves have produced a slash line of .298/.373/.416 with 207 runs on 300 hits including 18 home runs and 63 doubles. Emma Alfieri is batting .393, and leads the team in hits, and is tied with Val Gerlach for the team lead in home runs. Gerlach also leads the team in RBIs. On the defensive side, the Prairie Wolves have a .933 fielding percentage. Pitcher Elise Warneke is 17-9 with a 3.64 ERA. 

A LOOK AT CENTRAL
The Dutch are coming off a series split with Loras. Central has produced a slash line of .316/.398/.393 with 248 runs on 320 hits including five home runs and 50 doubles. Haley Bach enters the game with a .422 batting average and leads the team in hits. Franie Burnett leads the team in RBIs. Defensively, the Dutch have a .966 fielding percentage. Sydni Huisman carries a 15-4 record and has posted a 2.14 ERA.