The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Ball State University
Ball State Visits Akron In Second Weekend Of MACtion
March 29 | Softball
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Akron vs Ball State Game Notes
Akron vs. Ball State
March 30-31
Akron, Ohio | Lee R. Jackson Field
March 30 vs. Ball State | 3 p.m.
March 31 vs. Ball State | 1 p.m.
March 31 vs. Ball State | 3 p.m.
Game Information
Live Stats: GoZips.com
Watch: GoZips.com
What's Ahead
After a rain-out that forced the Zips to cancel its non-conference doubleheader this past week, Akron returns to the diamond this weekend, March 30-31, for its second Mid-American Conference series of the year against Ball State. The Zips and Cardinals are scheduled for a three-game series consisting of one game on Friday (March 30) at 3 p.m. and a doubleheader on Saturday (March 31) beginning at 1 p.m.
Scouting The Cardinals
Ball State heads into town holding a 20-10 overall record through the first 30 games of the 2018 softball season. The Cardinals posted an 18-9 non-conference record to begin the year defeating teams of high caliber softball programs including NC State (8-2), Georgetown (5-1), Boston University (6-5), East Carolina (4-1/7-2), and FAU (5-3). Ball State opened the 2018 Mid-American Conference season on the road at Bowling Green and left Bowling Green, Ohio with a pair of shutout wins (9-0/12-0) and a close 2-4 loss to the Falcons. In the MAC preseason poll, the Cardinals were predicted to finish second the West division while earning two votes to win the 2018 MAC Tournament.
Haley Dominique and Janae Hogg lead the offensive efforts for Ball State hitting .380 and .369 while ranking sixth and eighth among the top hitters in the MAC, respectively. In 100 at-bats, Dominque has recorded 38 hits, eight doubles, one triple, and two home runs while driving in 24 RBI. Hogg, the top run producer for the Cardinals has garnered a team-leading 11 home runs, .857 slugging percentage, 72 total bases and 25 runs scored, along with tied for a team-best 32 RBI. Three more members of the Ball State lineup have tallied a batting average over .300 through 30 games including, Maddy Labrador (.330), Hailey Demnianiuk (.314), and Stacy Payton (.307). The trio has posted a combined 82 hits, 16 doubles, nine home runs, and 57 RBI.
Ball State has the current top two pitchers statistically in the MAC through 30 games in Aeshia Miles and Alyssa Rothwell. Miles, the Cardinals ace, has posted an 11-4 record in 17 appearances and 16 starts while throwing eight complete games, four shutouts, and earning a 1.85 ERA. In 94.2 innings pitched, Miles has given up 18 hits, 34 runs (25 earned) and has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 85-24. Rothwell, a predominate relief pitcher for the Cardinals, has made 20 appearances in 2018. In those 20 games, Rothwell owns a 2.04 ERA, giving up 33 hits, just 14 runs, 35 K's, and 18 walks while the opposition is hitting .229.
Series History
Dating back to 1991, Akron and Ball State have met on the field in 53 contests with the Cardinals owning a 31-22 advantage over the Zips. When competing in a Mid-American Conference match-up, Akron trails Ball State 19-29 and holds a 7-15 record at home at Lee R. Jackson Field.
2018 Zip Breakdown
Under the guidance of 12th-year head coach, Julie Jones, the Zips are amidst the 42nd season of competition in 2018 after ending the 2017 season in the Mid-American Conference tournament for the fourth straight year and a 27-30 overall record. In 2018, Akron returns seven letterwinners from a season ago and welcomes seven newcomers to the squad, including four transfers and three freshmen.
Through 25 games, redshirt freshman Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.), redshirt junior Kimberly Rodriguez (Las Vegas, Nevada), junior Maddy Clowdus (Eastvale, Calif.), and senior Cassie Gillespie (Sylvania, Ohio) pace the Akron offense posting a combined .289 average (64-of-221) and 16 RBI. Along with her .295 batting average, Clowdus has garnered a team-high .545 slugging percentage and three home runs to pace the Zips offense. Jascoe is the Zips leader in the hits category posting 21 hits in 68 at-bats (.309 average) in 25 starts while also posting a team second-best six RBI. In 25 starts at first base, Gillespie is hitting .250 with 13 hits in 52 at-bats while defensively, the senior leads the squad defensively with a .985 fielding percentage, 125 putouts, and four assists. Rodriguez is averaging .298 from the dish and owns a .420 on-base percentage while the speedster has scored a team-high nine runs, totaled 32 bases, three home runs, and is 10-for-13 in stolen base attempts.
Inside the circle, freshmen Mikayla Newland (Chillicothe, Ohio), Kayla Kmett (San Clemente, Calif.), senior Kooper Vertz (Dilsboro, Ind.), and freshman Shaye DeLeonardis have tossed a combined 149.0 innings, own a 6.95 earned run average and have recorded 71 strikeouts. Newland stands 1-8 on the rubber for the Zips in 10 starts, has posted a 6.14 ERA, struck out 27 batters, and has pitched five complete games, including a 1-0 complete game shutout victory. Kmett (0-8) and Vertz (0-7) have pitched a combined 96.1 innings, given up 122 runs on 150 hits. Since joining the team, DeLeonardis has pitched three innings, gave up five hits, and eight runs.
Jones named Gillespie and Lakins team captains for the 2018 season.
Zips Tidbits
- Maddy Clowdus (2/24-3/11) and Caitlin Gambone (2/17-2/24) own a team-best six-game hit streak this season.
- Rodriguez reached base safely in eight straight contests. (2/23-3/17), a team-high, and has a current four-game on-base streak.
- Sydney Jascoe leads the Zips with six multi-hit performances while Rodriguez and Holzman posted a three-hit contest.
- Jessie Holzman tallied a season-high three RBI in a contest and Cassie Gillespie, Laura Lakins, and Rodriguez has each garnered a two-RBI performance.
- Sydney Jascoe is hitting .314 with the bases empty, .294 with runners on the base path, and .364 with runners in scoring position.
- With two outs, Cassie Gillespie and Maddy Clowdus are hitting .438 and .400, and are a combined 13-of-31.
- Kooper Vertz and Kayla Kmett are fly ball pitchers forcing 9.16 and 8.75 fly ball outs per contests, while Mikayla Newland utilizes the ground ball out recording 9.4 per ballgame.
- Kimberly Rodriguez hit a home run in back-to-back days against Toledo (3/24-25) for her second and third of the season.
- Shaye DeLeonardis made her Akron debut against Toledo (3/24).
- Kayla Kmett set a new career-high in strikeouts per game (6) against Toledo (3/24).
- Rodriguez went a perfect 3-for-3 against Toledo (3/25) with a home run. The first three-hit game of her career.
- In the three-game series against the Rockets, Rodriguez played second base, center field, right field, and as the designated player and recorded 11 putouts and three assists (.933 fld%).
- Sydney Jascoe is hitting .309 in conference play.
- Rodriguez is tied for ninth league play hit by pitches (4).
- Caitlin Gambone and Laura Lakins are tied for seventh in the conference in SAC bunts (4).
- Defensively, Cassie Gillespie ranks 11th in the league in chances (131), ninth in putouts (125), while Caitlin Gambone ranks T-seventh in assists (48).
Up Next
The Zips are scheduled for mid-week MACtion on Tuesday, April 3 when Akron travels to Buffalo, N.Y. The Zips and Bulls are slated for a twinbill at Nan Harvey Field starting at 3 p.m.
