Eagles Play First Conference Road Games in Ohio This Weekend

EAGLES FLOCK TO OHIO FOR CONFERENCE ACTION: The Eastern Michigan University softball team travels to Ohio this weekend to take on both the University of Akron and Ohio University in Mid-American Conference action. The Eagles will meet the Zips on the diamond Friday, April 3 with first pitch set for 1 p.m. in the doubleheader affair. Following the Friday doubleheader, the Green and White will head to Athens, Ohio to play single games both Saturday and Sunday against the Bobcats. Saturday's single game is slated for 4 p.m., while the teams will conclude the two-game series Sunday, April 5 at 1 p.m.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE ZIPS: The Eagles trail in the all-time series with Akron, 29-17, and are looking for their first win since the 2012 season when the Green and White defeated UA 5-4 at Varsity Field, April 27. Last season, the series with the Zips was moved to the Wilpon Complex on the campus of the University of Michigan after weather caused Varsity Field to be unplayable.
   The Eagles played Akron in two close contests, but it was UA who took the 2-1 victory on back-to-back days. Coincidentally, one year later the Green and White is sitting in the same position where losses to the Zips would make it 0-4 in Mid-American Conference play and 8-21 on the season, which was also the Eagles record following the two team's meeting in the 2014 campaign.

SCOUTING AKRON: The Zips head into the weekend contests with a 12-15 overall record and a 0-2 record in Mid-American Conference action. UA was unbeaten at home until its most recent contests against St. Francis (Pa.). The Zips dropped both contests, bringing their home record to 3-2 at Lee R. Jackson Field.
   Akron's .254 team batting average currently sits last in the league as the team has notched 148 hits in 582 at-bats this season. The Zips are led by sophomore Alyssa Nicholas, who posts a .316 batting average with a team-best 24 hits and 19 RBI. Senior Kellie Roudabush is the only other Akron hitter with a batting average over .300 as she is hitting at a .304 clip with 21 hits, which ranks second on the team and has stolen eight bases on 10 attempts. Outfielder Savannah Fruin has been stealthy on the basepath this season, swiping 11 bases on 13 attempts to rank third in the conference, while the team ranks fifth overall in the league with 35 stolen bases. Finally, UA leads the conference with 43 sacrifice bunts, but has not been very patient at the plate, ranking ninth in the conference with just 52 walks.
   Ace pitcher Erin Seiler picked up right where she left off in the 2014 campaign, appearing in 21 games for the Zips with 20 starts in the circle. The junior right-handed hurler posts a 12-8 overall record and ties for fourth in the MAC with a 2.38 ERA. Furthermore, Seiler has pitched a league-best 129.1 innings and struck out 165 batters this season, while giving up just 37 walks. It is safe to say that Seiler may be the only pitcher the Eagles see in the doubleheader as the next closest Akron pitcher, freshman Paige McMenemy, has tossed 18.2 innings this season and made just seven appearances, while Sara Pearson has hurled 13 innings in five appearances and four starts.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE BOBCATS: Eastern Michigan holds the 50-32 all-time advantage over the Bobcats of Ohio University, but it is OU who has had the upperhand the past three seasons, winning four of six games. Last year, Ohio downed EMU 14-4 and 12-4 in the doubleheader at the Wilpon Complex on the campus of the University of Michigan, March 28.
   The Eagles last beat the Bobcats in the 2013 season in Athens when the two teams split the weekend series, May 3. After OU earned the victory in game one, the Green and White came back to take a 6-1 win in game two. EMU was led by then-sophomore Jenn Lucas who had a three-run homer in the second inning and a single to center in the seventh that brought in one run for Eastern.

LOOKING AHEAD AT THE DEFENDING MAC CHAMPIONS: The Ohio Bobcats are in search of their second-straight Mid-American Conference title after winning the tournament in the 2014 season. This year, the Bobcats have had a rough start to their season, carrying a 9-18 overall record, but have had success in MAC contests capturing wins in their first two games.
   This season the big-hitting Bobcats have seen a small struggle at the plate, hitting at a .280 clip, while Kaylin Clarke leads the team with a .375 batting average, which ties for 14th in the conference. The senior pitcher has 24 hits on the season with 10 RBI, while Sloan Walker has a team-high 31 hits and Casie Hutchinson has plated a team-best 24 runs in 2015. Five OU batters have driven in double-digit RBI this season with Adrienne Gebele bringing in 18 and Raven King notching 13 RBI. Finally, Walker has stolen eight bases for the Bobcats on 12 attempts, while Amanda Dalton has swiped seven.
   Pitching time has been split between four different pitchers with 2014 ace pitcher Savannah Jo Dorsey making just two appearances in the 2015 campaign. Kaylin Clarke has made a team-high 18 appearances this season, while Lauren McClary has had a team-best nine starts. Clarke has pitched 53.1 innings this season wtih a 7.61 ERA, while McClary has tossed 47.1 innings with a 6.36 ERA. As a staff, Ohio has a 6.68 ERA with Dorsey carrying a team-best 3.50.

CLARK FINDING A WAY TO GET ON BASE: Junior Abi Clark has been one of the top hitters for the Green and White this season, posting a .348 batting average which ranks second overall. Batting in the top half of the lineup for the Eagles all season, Clark is currenly on a nine-game reached base streak and a four-game hitting streak. The junior's streak dates back to March 20, when EMU took on Georgia State at the Kansas Tournament, while her hitting streak dates back to Eastern's victory against Detroit.

ON DECK: The Eagles will make the short trek to Ann Arbor, Mich. Tuesday, April 7 to play one game against the University of Michigan Wolverines. The game is not only a homecoming for Head Coach Melissa Gentile, who was a member of the Wolverine softball team from 1999-2000, but also marks the first time the baseball and softball team will be at the same place on the same day this season as the baseball team will be taking on Michigan at 4 p.m. First pitch for the softball team is slated for 6 p.m.

Eagles Play First Conference Road Games in Ohio This Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Abi Clark

Jenn Lucas

Eastern Michigan Athletics