Softball Opens MAC Play with Three-Game Series Versus Akron

Softball at Akron
Date	Friday, March 25 - Saturday, March 26
Location	Akron, Ohio \| Lee R. Jackson Softball Field (300)
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	GoZips.com
Live Stream	GoZips.com
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team travels to Akron, Ohio this weekend, March 25-26, to lift the lid on the Mid-American Conference portion of the 2016 slate. The Eagles will play a three-game series against the Zips of the University of Akron beginning Friday, March 25, with a single game. First pitch for Friday's clash is set for 3 p.m. while Saturday's doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. at Lee R. Jackson Softball Field.
   The Eagles enter MAC play with a record of 9-15 after a 10-2 loss to No. 19 Notre Dame, while the Zips come into the weekend sporting a 14-13 mark following a midweek split with Youngstown State.
   Fans can follow the action via live stats, Twitter (@EMUSoftball), or through the Zips All-Access video stream.

KEYS TO VICTORY: Through the first 23 games on the season, several things have proven to be indicators of Eastern Michigan's success. The Green and White hold a 6-2 record when scoring in the first inning and sit at 8-1 on the year when outhitting its opponent. Additionally, the Eagles are 5-0 when leading after six innings and 6-2 when scoring six or more runs.

THE MARCH TO MAY: Friday marks the start of the Eagles' fight to return to the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the first time since 2011. The Green and White last won the tournament in 2007, earning the program's first and only NCAA Tournament appearance.

EMU IN MAC PLAY: Eastern Michigan owns a 369-476-2 all-time record against the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles have been the most successful against Ohio, Miami, and Toledo. The Green and White lead the series with the Rockets, 56-47, while holding 50-34 and 44-39 edges in series with Ohio and Miami, respectively. Meanwhile, EMU trails in the all-time series with Akron (18-29), Ball State (35-59), Bowling Green (38-53), Kent State (31-47), Northern Illinois (25-35), and Western Michigan (42-63-1).

TALE OF THE TAPE: This weekend's trip to Akron, Ohio will mark the 47th time the Eagles and Zips have met on the diamond. Akron holds a 29-18 lead in the all-time series, while Eastern Michigan came away on top in the last meeting. In the lone game between the two squads last season, a Brandice Olmos homer in the top of the seventh lifted the Eagles to a 4-3 victory. The home run marked the first of Olmos' while Alyssa Huntley picked up the win in the circle.

LEDGER IN LID LIFTERS: The Eagles all-time record in conference openers sits at 16-18 since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1982. When the Green and White take on Akron Friday, March 25, it will be looking to win its conference opener for the first time under Head Coach Melissa Gentile. The last time EMU emerged victorious in its MAC lid lifter was in 2013 when the Eagles topped Central Michigan, 8-4, at Varsity Field. Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan's last conference opening win on the road came versus the Buffalo during the 2012 campaign.

GETTING TO KNOW THE ZIPS: Sitting one game above .500, the Zips enter Mid-American Conference season with a 14-13 overall record following a split with Youngstown State. An up and down start to the season has seen Akron start the year 2-9 before going on to win 11 of its next 12 games and finally dropping three of the past four contests.
   Akron's roster is home to the conference's best pitching staff entering league play. The Zips hurlers have combined for a league-leading 1.97 earned run average, the only sub-2.00 era in the MAC. Additionally, UA has fanned 134 batters while walking 56 over 167.1 innings. Erin Seiler and Kelly Hysong have provided the Zips with a one-two punch in the circle as the duo has combined for a 14-8 record. Seiler owns the MAC's best era (1.04) and has shouldered a brunt of the innings for Akron this season. Averaging 7.13 strikeouts per game, Seiler has tossed 14 complete games while allowing 34 runs on 82 hits over 108.0 innings of work.
   Offensively, the Zips are hitting at a .262 clip. Carley Childress has paced Akron's effort at the plate, carrying a team-best .333 batting average while also leading the team in RBIs (12). Savannah Fruin is not far behind, owning a .310 batting average as the Zips' top scoring threat. Fruin has crossed the plate a team-leading 19 times this season and has the speed to cause havoc on the base paths. With 13 stolen bases, Fruin also has eight extra-base hits on the season, including a team-best four home runs.

THAT'S A PERFECT 10!: Over the past 10 games, junior Michelle Kriegshauser has seen her batting average rise from .273 to .338. With 11 hits in 24 at bats, Kriegshauser has recorded three doubles and a homerun over the stretch to go along with five RBIs and six runs scored. With a single in the fourth inning of EMU's game versus Notre Dame, Kriegshauser extended her on-base streak to 10 consecutive games, the longest of any Eagle this season.

LATE INNING BREAKDOWN: Late innings have proven to be a thorn in the side of the Green and White this season. While the Eagles have outscored opponents 51-36 in innings two and three, EMU has been outscored 88-34 in the final four frames through the first 24 games.

FINDING HER STRIDE: Freshman Olivia Logan appears to have found her stride at the plate, as the Riverview, Mich. product is now hitting .283 on the season. Just 10 games ago, Logan's batting average sat a hair above .200. Since EMU's final game in Clearwater, Fla., Logan has registered four two-baggers and driven in four on nine hits, all while compiling a .393 batting average since leaving the Sunshine State. The freshman first baseman registered her fourth multi-hit game of the season versus UConn, March 19, going 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI.

LAST TIME OUT: Five errors downed the Eagles in a 10-2 run-rule loss to No. 19 Notre Dame, March 22, at Melissa Cook Stadium. The Green and White gave up four runs in the opening frame before pulling within two in the fourth at which point, miscues allowed the Fighting Irish to distance themselves and come away with a 10-2 win over EMU.

GROWING PAINS: The young Eagles squad committed 40 errors through the first 24 games of the season, including two five-error games.

ON DECK: Following a 27-game road stint to open the season, the Eagles will finally play a game at Varsity Field Tuesday, March 29. The Green and White will welcome the University of Detroit Mercy to Ypsilanti for a midweek doubleheader. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

STACKING UP IN THE MAC: In the latest run of the Mid-American Conference statistics, the Eagles find themselves ranked among the league's elite. In fact three EMU student-athletes sit inside the top-25 in batting average with Abi Clark coming in at sixth, hitting at a .404 clip. Michelle Kriegshauser ranks 21st with a .338 average while Haley Hostetler sits 25th. Clark also ranks 15th in slugging percentage (.596) and 10th in on-base percentage (.462) to pace EMU's offense.

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Players Mentioned

Abi Clark

Haley Hostetler

Alyssa Huntley

Michelle Kriegshauser

Olivia Logan

Brandice Olmos

Eastern Michigan Athletics