The University of Akron Athletics
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Western Michigan University
Akron Travels To Western Michigan For Cross-Divisional MAC Battle
April 06 | Softball
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Akron at Western Michigan Game Notes: 4/6/18
Akron at Western Michigan
April 7-8
Kalamazoo, Mich. | Ebert Field
April 7 vs. Western Michigan | 11 a.m.
April 7 vs. Western Michigan | 1 p.m.
April 8 vs, Western Michigan | 3 p.m.
Game Information
Live Stats:Â GoZips.com
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What's Ahead
A cross-divisional Mid-American Conference showdown awaits the Akron softball team this weekend as the Zips travel northwest to Kalamazoo, Mich. for a three-game series against Western Michigan. Akron and the Broncos will take the field in a twinbill on Saturday, April 7, at 1 p.m. and close out competition with a single contest on Sunday, April 8, at 1 p.m., which was originally scheduled for April 6.Â
Scouting The Broncos
After 31 games of the 2018 season, Western Michigan has compiled a record just over .500 at 17-15 (.531) while earning a 4-3 record in conference play through the first seven games of the MAC season. The Broncos competed in three tournaments early in the year en route to posting a 13-12 non-conference record prior to the start of conference competition. The WMU non-conference season was highlighted by a 2-1 win over No. 19 BYU and an eight-game win streak spanning over one week at the USF Under Armour Tournament. The Broncos dropped the opening MAC series, 2-1, to Kent State, swept Bowling Green on the road, and most recently fell to Central Michigan (2-5) on April 3.Â
The Broncos offense enters the weekend series with Akron as the third-best offense inside the MAC owning a team batting average of .301, 262 hits, 161 runs scored, 46 doubles, 23 home runs, and 82 walks. Two members of the WMU offense are in the top 15 hitters in the conference including Mackenzie Swinehart and Samantha Coffel. Swinehart the top hitter in the Broncos lineup, is hitting .368 on the year going 41-for-114 in all 31 games. Swinehart has tallied 21 runs scored, driven in 11 runs, totaled 48 bases, and hit six doubles. Coffel is one of the top run producers on the WMU roster. Coffel is hitting .365 with a .510 slugging percentage, and a .441 on-base percentage. Her 21 RBI are tied for the most on the squad along with a team-best nine doubles. Aspen Williams is tied with Coffel driving in 21 runs while hammering a team-best seven home runs and totaling 56 bases.Â
Western Michigan has a pitching staff that has seen five different pitchers earn at least one win in 2018. As a staff, the Broncos own a 3.88 ERA, have thrown nine complete games, two shutouts, struck out 136, and opposing hitters are hitting .258. Jordan Kuth has earned a team-high six wins in 10 starts and 18 appearances. In 63.0 innings pitched, Kuth owns a 4.00 ERA, given up 42 runs (36 earned), 61 hits, and struck out 59. In 13 appearances and 7 starts, Anissa Sanchez has compiled a staff second-most five wins in 53.1 innings of action. Sanchez has hurled two complete games, one shutout, surrendered 62 hits which have resulted in 47 runs. In just 15.1 innings pitched so far this season, Reily Galloway has tallied a team-low 2.33 ERA leading to a 2-1 record with the opposition hitting just .193 against her.Â
Series HistoryÂ
Western Michigan and Akron have met on the diamond 55 times since the two programs first met in 1980. The Broncos hold the series advantage over the Zips with an all-time record of 35-20. Although, Akron has seen recent success against WMU winning four of the last five meetings including two wins at Ebert Field.Â
2018 Zip BreakdownÂ
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 true freshmen.Â
Through 30 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 .302 average (83-of-275) and 24 RBI. Along with her .293 batting average, Clowdus has garnered a team-high .569 slugging percentage and four home runs to pace the Zips offense. Jascoe is the Zips leader in the hits category going 28-for-85 (.329 average) in 30 starts, while also posting a team second-best seven RBI. Rodriguez is averaging .3294 from the dish and owns a .435 on-base percentage while the speedster has scored a team-high 10 runs, totaled 35 bases, three home runs, and is 12-for-15 in stolen base attempts. In 30 starts at first base, Gillespie is hitting .281 with 18 hits in 64 at-bats while the senior leads the squad defensively with a .987 fielding percentage, 145 putouts, and five assists.Â
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 176.0 innings, own a 7.48 earned run average and have recorded 96 strikeouts. Kmett owns a 0-11 record for Akron on the rubber and has compiled a 6.67 ERA, one complete game, given up 97 hits, 84 runs (60 earned) and struck out 33 batters. Vertz, the lone senior on the staff stands 0-9 in 20 games and nine starts. In 54 innings of work, Vertz has tallied an 8.43 ERA on 89 hits, 76 runs (65 earned) and struck out 33. Since joining the team, DeLeonardis has pitched 10.0 innings, given up 26 hits, and 23 runs.Â
Jones named Gillespie and Lakins team captains for the 2018 season.Â
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.Â
- Rodriguez has reached base safely in a team-high nine straight game and Jascoe has currently reached safely in six straight, a season-high for the Zips shortstop.
- Sydney Jascoe leads the Zips with seven multi-hit performances while, Gambone, Jascoe, Rodriguez and Holzman have all posted a three-hit contest.Â
- Jessie Holzman tallied a season-high three RBI in a contest and Cassie Gillespie, Laura Lakins, Kayla Wulf, Rodriguez has each garnered a two-RBI performance.Â
- Sydney Jascoe is hitting .328 with the bases empty, .333 with runners on the base path, and .286 with runners in scoring position.Â
- With two outs, Cassie Gillespie and Maddy Clowdus are hitting .368 and .389, and are a combined 14-of-37.
- Shaye DeLeonardis, Kooper Vertz, and Kayla Kmett are fly ball pitchers forcing 11.20, 8.56 and 9.44 fly ball outs per contests, while Mikayla Newland utilizes the ground ball out recording 9.4 per ballgame.Â
- Kimberly Rodriguez hit a home run in back-to-back days against Toledo (3/24-25) for her second and third of the season.Â
- Shaye DeLeonardis made her Akron debut against Toledo (3/24).Â
- Kayla Kmett set a new career-high in strikeouts per game (6) against Toledo (3/24).Â
- Rodriguez went a perfect 3-for-3 against Toledo (3/25) with a home run. The first three-hit game of her career.Â
- 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%).Â
- Kooper Vertz tallied a career-best 6 K's against Ball State (3/30).Â
- Against Ball State on 3/30, Caitlin Gambone went 3-for-3 and Sydney Jascoe went 3-for-4 combining to register 2/3 of Akron's total hits (9) in the contest.Â
Where They Rank
- Sydney Jascoe's .329 batting average ranks 33rd in the league.Â
- Rodriguez is tied for 10th in league play for hit by pitches (4).Â
- Laura Lakins are tied for seventh in the conference in SAC bunts (5).Â
- Defensively, Cassie Gillespie ranks sixth in fielding percentage (.986), 10th in the league in chances (142), eighth in putouts (136), while Caitlin Gambone ranks T-11th in assists (51).Â
- Rodriguez ranks t-2nd in the conference in stolen bases with 12 while Gillespie fourth in the MAC with nine.
Up Next
Akron and Buffalo conclude its season series as the Zips host Buffalo on Wednesday, April 11, in a single contest at Lee R. Jackson Field. First pitch between the Bulls and Zips is scheduled for 2 p.m. Buffalo defeated Akron in the first two games of the series, 16-1, and 7-4, in Buffalo, N.Y. on April 3.
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