REGULAR SEASON COMES TO AN END – Saint Louis softball (32-16, 15-5 Atlantic 10) concludes the regular season with four games this week. The Billikens play their final home contest Tuesday, April 28, against SIUE (38-11). First pitch at the Billiken Sports Center is scheduled for 4 p.m. SLU travels to Amherst, Mass., for a three-game A-10 series against Massachusetts (14-23, 8-11) Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3. Action begins at 11 a.m. (CT) for Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single game.

FOLLOWING THE ACTION – Free live statistics are available for every game this week. The links are located on the home page of Saint Louis' official athletics website, www.SLUBillikens.com, in the schedule section just below the lead stories, as well as on the softball schedule page. On the schedule page, the links are located under Related Links. In addition, UMass will offer a live video stream (fee required) for all three games. The video links can be found in the same locations as the live stats links (in the Watch column on the schedule page).

BILLIKENS SET SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS – An 11-1 victory in game two of last Saturday's doubleheader at Saint Joseph's was the Billikens' 31st win of the season, breaking the previous school mark of 30 set in 2010 and equaled last year.

NICKEL EARNS SECOND A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD – Alex Nickel was selected Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Week for April 20-26, her second POTW honor this season. Read the full release by clicking the link in the Related Links box.

A-10 STANDINGS – Entering the final week of play, Dayton leads the Atlantic 10 with a 17-2 record and needs just one win in its final three games at La Salle to clinch the A-10 Championship's top seed, which includes a first-round bye. Second-place Saint Louis (15-5) and third-place Fordham (14-5) are battling for the other first-round bye; Fordham plays a three-game series at George Mason. If SLU wins at least one more game than Fordham, the Billikens will finish second. La Salle (9-6), which hosts Saint Joseph's in a midweek doubleheader before taking on Dayton, is in fourth place, and George Mason (11-9) is fifth. UMass (8-11), St. Bonaventure (7-11) and Saint Joseph's (6-11) are fighting for the sixth and final spot in the conference tournament. Saint Joseph's is at St. Bonaventure for three games following its twinbill at La Salle. The A-10 Championship will be played Wednesday-Saturday, May 6-9, at Sortino Field in Amherst, Mass. The winner of the double-elimination tournament earns the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.

ABOUT THE BILLIKENS – Saint Louis carries a .303 batting average and averages 5.96 runs. SLU's pitching and defense have been solid as well; the Bills have a 3.37 ERA and a .961 fielding percentage. Shortstop Alex Nickel tops the team's batting average chart with a .450 mark, followed by pitcher Brianna Lore (.331), second baseman Allie Macfarlane (.319), third baseman Elizabeth Everingham (.314), right fielder Emma Buckles (.309), center fielder Lindsay Friedman (.297) and left fielder Josie Knesel (.286). Macfarlane and Friedman lead the club with 44 and 43 RBIs, respectively, and Everingham has 30. Nickel's 11 home runs lead the team; she is followed by Friedman (10), Everingham (seven) and Macfarlane (seven). The quartet has combined for 35 of the Billikens' school-record 52 homers. Other leaders are Nickel (68 hits, 12 doubles, 50 runs, 113 total bases, .748 slugging percentage, .550 on-base percentage, 34 walks) and Friedman (16 steals, 14 hit-by-pitch). In the circle, Lore is 17-9 with a 2.58 ERA and two shutouts; Laney Kneib is 6-1 with a 3.33 ERA, one shutout and six saves; and Maddie Baalman is 9-6 with one shutout.

RECAPPING LAST WEEK – The Billikens were 4-1 last week, including a three-game A-10 sweep at Saint Joseph's. In a 6-3 win at Southeast Missouri State, SLU hit three home runs to break the school season record. Saint Louis won 7-1 and 11-1 in Saturday's twinbill at Saint Joseph's. The Billikens had 16 hits in game two, their season high in a conference game this year; among the hits were two doubles that tied and broke the SLU season record. The Bills won the series finale 6-5, scoring twice with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie.

SCOUTING SIUE – The Cougars lead the Ohio Valley Conference and have won nine of their last 11 games, including a 5-0 win over Saint Louis April 15 in Edwardsville. SIUE's strength has been its pitching. Haley Chambers (21-5, 1.42 ERA) has 248 strikeouts and has allowed just 127 hits and 36 walks in 182 innings. Baylee Douglass (16-5, 1.88 ERA) has 139 strikeouts in 130 1/3 innings while surrendering 94 hits and 36 walks. Rebecca Gray has a team-high .393 batting average, followed by Chambers (.380) and Jordan LaFave (.316). Chambers has team highs of eight home runs, 13 doubles and 37 RBIs. Allison Smiley has driven in 32 runs.

SCOUTING MASSACHUSETTS – The Minutewomen feature the A-10's leading hitter in Quianna Diaz-Patterson, who carries a .519 batting average. Diaz-Patterson also has power, ranking second on the team with nine home runs. Ashton Wince bats .309, followed by Bridget Lemire (.300) and Tara Klee (.289). Lemire leads UMass with 10 home runs and 30 RBIs, and Klee has swatted seven homers. Pitcher Caroline Raymond has 10 of the Minutewomen's 14 victories and owns a 3.89 ERA.

HEAD COACH CHRISTY CONNOYER – Now in her fifth season at the Billiken helm, head coach Christy Connoyer owns a 173-147 career record and a 142-117 mark at SLU. Connoyer previously served as associate head coach at Southern Illinois, and in 2005 she was head coach at Tulsa, where she became the first coach in program history to compile a winning record in her first season. Connoyer is a 1994 graduate of Notre Dame, where she was a four-time first-team All-Conference selection.

TEAM SETS NUMEROUS SCHOOL SEASON RECORDS – In addition to the school record for wins, Saint Louis has set or tied six other season records. School marks have been broken for runs (286; old record 242 in 2007), RBIs (258; old record 216 in 2014), home runs (52; old record 46 in 2010), total bases (637; old record 581 in 2007) and doubles (77; old record 76 in 2007). The Billikens have tied the school record of 194 walks established last year. With 396 hits, SLU is on the verge of breaking the school record of 416 (2007). Also, the Bills are well ahead of the pace to set school standards for batting average (.303; record is .273, 1989), slugging percentage (.487; record is .392, 2014) and on-base percentage (.405; record is .369, 2014).

SINGLE-GAME TEAM RECORDS TUMBLE – The Billikens have set or tied four single-game school team records this season. Saint Louis drew a school-record 11 walks vs. Mississippi Valley State (Feb. 6), Jackson State (Feb. 19) and Northern Colorado (March 12). The Bills equaled school marks with five home runs vs. Fordham (March 22), six doubles vs. Austin Peay (Feb. 6) and seven stolen bases vs. Mississippi Valley State (Feb. 6).

FRIEDMAN, LORE, KNEIB SET SLU CAREER RECORDS – Lindsay Friedman, Brianna Lore and Laney Kneib have ascended to the top of various Saint Louis career statistical lists. Friedman holds three career marks. After breaking Laura Bohning's (2010-13) record of 18 home runs last season, she has padded her total to 29 four-baggers. Friedman also is the SLU record-holder with 121 RBIs, breaking Nicki Jost's (2007-10) total of 119, and 91 walks, shattering Alyson Brand's (2010-13) previous standard of 79. Lore owns the school record for wins with 56, breaking the previous school standard of 45 set by Nicole Bohnenstiehl (2001-03). With 100 starts in the circle, Lore has tied the school record established by Lorena Floccari (2005-08). Kneib has 10 career saves, surpassing the previous record of seven shared by Floccari and Kelcie Matesa (2009-12).

NICKEL ASSAULTING THE RECORD BOOK – Alex Nickel already has broken four Saint Louis single-season records and is poised to set several more. Nickel has ascended to the top of the Billiken lists for home runs (11), total bases (113), runs (50) and walks (34). She is second on the Bills' single-season hits chart with 68, just six shy of breaking Jill Pursell's record of 73 (2007). With 12 doubles, she has a chance to surpass Pursell's school mark of 16 (2007). Also, Nickel owns healthy leads in batting average (.450; Dawn Elser set the record of .405 in 1989), slugging percentage (.748; Lindsay Friedman set the record of .608 in 2014) and on-base percentage (.550; Katie Johns set the record of .482 in 2009).

KNEIB, MACFARLANE ALSO GRAB SCHOOL SEASON RECORDS – Laney Kneib has a school-record six saves this year, and Allie Macfarlane's 44 RBIs are the most by a Billiken in one season.

FRIEDMAN BATTLING TEAMMATES FOR SCHOOL MARKS – In three statistical categories that have seen school season records fall, the race is not over if Lindsay Friedman has anything to say. Alex Nickel has set school records with 11 home runs and 50 runs, but Friedman is right on Nickel's heels with 10 round-trippers and 46 runs. Allie Macfarlane's 44 RBIs are a school standard, but Friedman is just off the pace with 43.

SEVERAL BILLIKENS SET SEASON RECORDS BY CLASS – Seven Billikens have established or tied school season records by class. Lindsay Friedman has set SLU season marks for seniors for home runs (10), RBIs (43) and runs (46). In the junior class, Brianna Lore owns the school season records for wins (17) and starts (29); Laney Kneib has a record six saves; and Elizabeth Everingham has tied the record for hit-by-pitch (nine). Among sophomores, Alex Nickel holds SLU standards for hits (68), home runs (11), total bases (113), runs (50) and walks (34). Allie Macfarlane has set freshman records for RBIs (44) and home runs (seven), while classmate Alyssa Tarquinio is the record holder for chances (395) and putouts (364).

INDIVIDUAL SINGLE-GAME RECORDS SET – Alex Nickel set a Billiken record with five hits vs. Rhode Island (April 3) and matched a school mark with three walks vs. Northern Colorado (March 14). Elizabeth Everingham (Austin Peay, March 6), Allie Macfarlane (Fordham, March 22) and Hailey Weavers (Fordham, March 22) tied a SLU single-game standard with two home runs. Lindsay Friedman was hit by a pitch twice vs. Dayton (March 25) to tie a school mark, and Emma Buckles' two sacrifice hits vs. Southeast Missouri State (April 22) equaled the school record.

BILLIKENS IN THE NATIONAL STATISTICS – Through games of April 26, Saint Louis ranks among the top 50 in the nation in doubles (27th, 1.60/game), home runs (39th, 1.08/game), runs (45th, 5.96/game), slugging percentage (48th, .487) and win-loss percentage (49th, .667). Laney Kneib is sixth in saves (six); Alex Nickel is 22nd in on-base percentage (.550), 28th in batting average (.450) and 49th in runs (1.04/game); and Lindsay Friedman is 33rd in hit-by-pitch (0.29/game).

BILLIKENS IN THE A-10 STATISTICS – Through games of April 26, SLU ranks among the top three in the Atlantic 10 Conference in runs (first, 286), hits (first, 396), RBIs (first, 258), home runs (first, 52), doubles (first, 77), on-base percentage (first, .405), total bases (first, 637), walks (first, 194), hit-by-pitch (first, 38), wins (second, 32), slugging percentage (second, .487), saves (second, six), fewest home runs allowed (tied for second, 18), batting average (third, .303), ERA (third, 3.37), pitchers' strikeouts (third, 184), stolen bases (third, 54) and lowest opponents' batting average (third, .273).

Alex Nickel: First in home runs (11), first in hits (68), first in runs (50), first in total bases (113), first in walks (34), second in assists (119), third in batting average (.450), third in on-base percentage (.550), third in slugging percentage (.748), tied for fourth in doubles (12).

Allie Macfarlane: First in RBIs (44), tied for sixth in walks (24), tied for eighth in doubles (10), tied for ninth in home runs (seven), 10th in total bases (75).

Laney Kneib: Second in saves (six), second in relief appearances (22), seventh in ERA (3.33), ninth in appearances (26).

Lindsay Friedman: Second in runs (46), second in RBIs (43), second in hit-by-pitch (14), tied for second in home runs (10), tied for fourth in walks (26), sixth in total bases (80), seventh in stolen bases (16), 10th in on-base percentage (.453).

Brianna Lore: Pitching – First in starts (29), second in strikeouts (132), tied for second in wins (17), third in innings (160), third in complete games (16), fourth in ERA (2.58), fifth in appearances (29), sixth in lowest opponents' batting average (.252), tied for sixth in shutouts (two). Hitting – Tied for sixth in walks (24).

Elizabeth Everingham: Tied for third in hit-by-pitch (nine), seventh in total bases (78), tied for seventh in hits (49), tied for ninth in home runs (seven), tied for 10th in RBIs (30), tied for 10th in runs (31).

Mackenzie Peter: Tied for eighth in doubles (10).

Maddie Baalman: Tied for eighth in wins (nine), tied for 10th in starts (15).

NICKEL IS NO SMALL CHANGE – Alex Nickel has produced with impressive consistency this season. Nickel has hit safely in 42 of 48 games, including 38 of the last 42. She has two double-digit hitting streaks – a career-high 15-game streak (.479, 11 RBIs) and a 10-game streak (.613, four home runs, eight RBIs). In Nickel's current eight-game hitting streak, she is batting .520 (13-for-25) with four homers, seven RBIs, 12 runs, six walks, a 1.080 slugging percentage and a .613 on-base percentage.

LORE AVOIDING THE FREE PASSES – In her last seven outings (40 2/3 innings), Brianna Lore has walked only two batters.

CORNER OUTFIELDERS ENJOYING BIG MONTH – Emma Buckles and Josie Knesel have been two of the Billikens' hottest hitters in April. In 17 games this month, Buckles is batting .419 (18-for-43) with a .535 slugging percentage, a .480 on-base percentage and just three strikeouts in 53 plate appearances. She has raised her season batting average from .216 to .309 in April. Knesel is batting .325 (13-for-40) in April, lifting her season average from .217 to .286.

KEEPING THOSE INNINGS ALIVE – Saint Louis has scored 152 two-out runs this season, 53 percent of its total of 286 runs. The Billikens have tallied at least one 2-out run in 79 of 316 innings; they have scored multiple two-out runs in 38 of those 79 innings. Last year's team registered 82 two-out RBIs and featured four players who reached double digits in that category. This year's squad already has 134 two-out RBIs and six players who have reached double digits, led by Allie Macfarlane's 31 – more than doubling the 2014 team high of 15. Macfarlane is batting .471 (24-for-51) with two outs. Lindsay Friedman is second on the team with 19 two-out RBIs; Friedman hits .359 (14-for-39) with two outs. Alex Nickel (team-high .514/19-for-37) is third with 16 two-out RBIs, followed by Elizabeth Everingham and Alyssa Tarquinio with 14 apiece. Emma Buckles (.361/13-for-36) has driven in 11 runs with two outs.

ONE IS NOT ENOUGH – Alex Nickel leads the Billikens with 18 multi-hit games, followed by Elizabeth Everingham and Brianna Lore (13), Allie Macfarlane (12), Lindsay Friedman (nine), Emma Buckles (eight), Alyssa Tarquinio (seven) and Mackenzie Peter (seven). Macfarlane and Friedman are on top with 11 multi-RBI games, followed by Nickel (nine), Everingham (seven), and Lore and Tarquinio (six).

A GRAND OLD TIME – Saint Louis has hit four grand slams this season. Allie Macfarlane has two of them, going deep with the bases loaded vs. Northern Kentucky March 8 and Missouri April 1. Lindsay Friedman hit a grand slam – the third of her career – vs. Northern Colorado March 12, and Alyssa Tarquinio had one vs. Rhode Island April 4.

KEEP IT IN THE PARK – Billiken pitchers have been successful in limiting the number of opponents' home runs. SLU allowed just 18 homers in its first 48 games.

WINNING THE CLOSE ONES – Saint Louis is 11-4 in one-run games and 3-0 in two-run games.

MAGIC NUMBERS: SIX AND TWO – The Billikens own a 22-1 record when scoring six or more runs. Saint Louis is 16-1 when holding its opponent to two or fewer runs.

TAKE THE LEAD AND DON'T LOOK BACK – Saint Louis has scored first 30 times and is 23-7 in those games. The Billikens are 21-5 when scoring in the first inning. In the first three innings, SLU has outscored its opponents 157-72.

HOMERS LEAD TO HAPPINESS – When hitting at least one home run, SLU owns a 25-6 record.

LET'S START A RALLY – The Billikens have put their leadoff batter on base by hit, walk or hit-by-pitch 151 times in 316 innings, an average of .478. Four players are at or above the .500 mark in this category – Brianna Lore (.655), Alex Nickel (.616), Elizabeth Everingham (.571) and Josie Knesel (.500).

PILING UP THE HITS – Saint Louis has recorded 10 or more hits 15 times this season. The Billikens' overall season high is 18 hits vs. Middle Tennessee State, and their best in an A-10 game is 16 vs. Saint Joseph's.

THEY CALL IT THE STREAK – Eight Billikens have enjoyed a hitting streak of at least five games this season. Alex Nickel had a team-best 15-game streak earlier this season and added a 10-game streak as well as her current eight-game streak. Lindsay Friedman's nine-game hitting streak was the team's third longest, and Elizabeth Everingham had an eight-game streak earlier this season to go with a current six-game streak. Also on the list are Josie Knesel (six-current), Mackenzie Peter (six), Alyssa Tarquinio (five), Hailey Weavers (five) and Emma Buckles (five).

“K” IS NOT IN THEIR ALPHABET – Macie Wheeler is the toughest Billiken to strike out, fanning just once every 12 plate appearances. Alex Nickel is close behind, striking out just once every 11.9 plate appearances. Nickel has just nine strikeouts in her last 129 trips to the plate (one per 14.3 PAs). Allie Macfarlane is third with one strikeout every 10.2 plate appearances. Macfarlane has whiffed just eight times in her last 136 trips (one per 17 PAs).

BILLS POST SCHOOL-RECORD WINNING STREAK – SLU's 11-10 win over Northern Colorado March 14 was its school-record ninth consecutive victory, breaking the record of eight straight wins set by last year's team.

NO-NO-NOBODY ELSE – When Brianna Lore no-hit Kennesaw State March 6, she became the first pitcher in Billiken history to toss more than one no-hitter. Lore's first no-no came against Southern Illinois last season.

CLIMBING THE CAREER LADDER – Several current Billikens are ranked among the top 10 on various SLU career statistical lists. 

Lindsay Friedman: First in home runs (29), RBIs (121) and walks (91); second in runs (142), on-base percentage (.437), total bases (274) and hit-by-pitch (42); fourth in slugging percentage (.519); fifth in hits (157) and stolen bases (66); ninth in batting average (.297) and at-bats (528).

Brianna Lore: First in wins (56); tied for first in starts (100); second in innings (616); third in complete games (58) and appearances (116); fourth in ERA (2.82) and saves (six); tied for fourth in sacrifice flies (four); sixth in strikeouts (409) and on-base percentage (.385); tied for seventh in shutouts (five); ninth in strikeouts per seven innings (4.65); 10th in slugging percentage (.429).

Alex Nickel: First in batting average (.393), slugging percentage (.597) and on-base percentage (.496); tied for fourth in sacrifice flies (four); fifth in walks (62); tied for fifth in home runs (14); seventh in runs (87); ninth in assists (270).

Allie Macfarlane: Second in slugging percentage (.543); third in batting average (.319) and on-base percentage (.417).

Mackenzie Peter: Second in batting average (.323); third in slugging percentage (.523); fourth in on-base percentage (.416).

Laney Kneib: First in saves (10); eighth in wins (25) and appearances (82).

Elizabeth Everingham: Tied for second in home runs (18); tied for fourth in sacrifice flies (four); sixth in RBIs (79), walks (58) and assists (305); ninth in slugging percentage (.434); 10th in on-base percentage (.371); tied for 10th in total bases (188).