#MACtion Rolls on as Softball Squares off Against CMU

Softball vs. Central Michigan
Date	Friday-Sunday, April 13-15
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Fan Stats \| Media Stats
Twitter	@EMU Softball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team continues conference play this weekend, April 13-15, when it faces off against Central Michigan University for a three-game Mid-American Conference West Division series. Due to impending weather, the Eagles will begin the weekend as hosts of the Chippewas for a doubleheader at Varsity Field Friday, April 13. The final contest of the weekend series will be played in Mount Pleasant, Mich., with time and day still to be determined.
   Live stats will be available for all of EMU's games and can be found on the softball schedule page. Additionally, fans can follow the action through Twitter by following the team's account, @EMUSoftball.

TALE OF THE TAPE: Ahead of this weekend's series, the Eagles and Chippewas have squared off 106 times since the two first met back in 1986. CMU owns a 74-31-1 lead in the all-time series and has won four of the last five meetings. Most recently, Central Michigan swept a doubleheader, 6-4 and 5-4, at Varsity Field, May 7, 2017.

THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE: Junior Amanda Akles finds herself amid one of the best offensive streaks the Eagles have ever seen. Akles has seven hits in her last 10 at bats, with 12 RBI's and seven intentional walks. Currently, the La Habra, Calif. native is on a six-game reached base streak dating back to EMU's first game against Toledo, April 3.

ROUND-TRIPPERS FOR DAYS: Amanda Akles, Lauren Holdsworth, and Sophia Holland each blasted a home run to lift Eastern to a 10-9 win over Toledo, April 11. The trio of round-trippers marked the third time Eastern has recorded multiple home runs in a game this season, as well as the first time since a 3-2 win over Mercer, March 18, 2017.

AKLES NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK: For her dominating performance against Toledo and Miami, April 3-7, Amanda Akles was named the MAC West Player of the Week, the league announced Tuesday, April 10. Akles fueled the Eagles to a 2-2 record, finishing the week 6-of-8 at the dish. The La Habra, Calif. product boasted a batting average of .750, along with an impressive 2.250 slugging percentage. For the week, she belted four home runs, tallied five runs, registered six hits, recorded six RBIs, and racked up 18 total bases throughout the four-game span.
The junior earned much-due respect form Miami, as the RedHawks intentionally walked her five times over a three-game span.

FLASHBACK TO 2016: In the Wednesday's doubleheader against Toledo, April11, the Eagles used a season-high 14 hits to knock off the Rockets, 10-9, in the first game. The win marks Eastern's first victory over the current Mid-American Conference West-Division leaders since EMU escaped the Glass City with an 8-6 victory, April 13, 2016.
   The team's 14 hits against the Rockets were the most since the Green and White mustered 15 against Ball State, April 16, 2016.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK VERSUS PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Reigning MAC West Player of the Week, Amanda Akles stepped into the batters box against Toledo to face off against the recently-named MAC West Pitcher of the Week, Heather Webb Tuesday, April 11. Akles proved why she earned the weekly honor as she crushed a two-run homer during her first at-bat. The La Habra, Calif. native continued to dominate at the dish ripping a double before earning a pair of free passes.

CHIP DIP: Central Michigan enters the weeekend with an 18-16 overall record, which includes a league mark of 8-4.
   The Chippewas hit a staggering .306 at the plate, out-hitting the opposition, 275-242, and outscoring opponents, 151-119. CMU is led by Erika Underwood's .427 batting average.
   In the circle, Central has held opponents to a .271 average at the dish, while striking out 101 as a staff. The Chippewas team ERA sits at a 2.98, while Hannah Warren holds a team-best ERA of 2.51.

FRESHMEN SHINE IN CONFERENCE PLAY: Since starting conference play, Lauren Holdsworth and Sophia Holland have shined at the plate. Holdsworth leads the Green and White in #MACtion play with a .429 at the plate, while Holland has hit at a .310 clip, the third-best on the team.

MOVING ON UP: Amanda Akles' two-run homer in the win against Toledo, April 11, marked her seventh home run on the season. The La Habra, Calif. native has recorded 21 round-trippers in her career, good for sixth in the all-time record book. Akles needs just three more dingers to tie Lauren Clark and Nellie Coquillard for fifth-most in EMU's laurels. Furthermore, Akles is just two home runs shy of cracking the top-10 for most homers in a single season, as she has already tied her single-season high of seven.

ON THE UPSWING: With its win against Toledo, April 11, EMU has matched its Mid-American Conference win total from a season ago, with 12 conference games remaining.

TAKING ON THE MITTEN: The Eagles have squared off against schools hailing from the state of Michigan 411 times ahead of this week's bout against Central Michigan. The Green and White have seen the most success against Detroit, holding a 49-8 lead in the all-time series, while clashing with Western Michigan most often. In 112 meetings, the Broncos hold a 69-42-1 edge over the Eagles. EMU owns winning records against Grand Valley (2-0), and Oakland ( 19-6-1), but trail in the all-time series with Michigan (8-58), Michigan State (14-30), and Central Michigan (32-74-1)
In the Gentile era, the Eagles have compiled a 7-20 record against in-state competition, highlighted by a 6-5 win over Michigan State, April 14, 2015. This season's slate includes 12 games against teams that also call Michigan home - Michigan, Michigan State, Detroit, Central Michigan, Oakland, and Western Michigan.

ON DECK: The Eagles return home to play host to Northern Illinois for #MACtion, Friday-Saturday, April 20-21. Action gets started with a 3 p.m. pitch on Friday, April 20, before the series wraps up with a Saturday, April 21, twin bill.

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Players Mentioned

Amanda Akles

Lauren Holdsworth

Sophia Holland

Eastern Michigan Athletics