A Look Back: The 2018 Akron Softball Season

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Complete 2018 Season Recap

2018 Wrap-Up
The 2018 Akron softball season concluded following the final three-game series of the regular season against Kent State. The Zips closed out 2018 with a commanding 15-5 win over the Golden Flashes and sent the seniors Cassie Gillespie (Sylvania, Ohio) and Caitlin Gambone (Canton, Ohio) out on a high-note defeating their cross-town rivals one last time in their careers. When the final out was made on May 6, Akron ended the year with a 4-43-1 record in 2018.

2018 Zip Breakdown
Under the guidance of 12th-year head coach, Julie Jones, the Zips completed the 42nd season of competition in 2018. Akron returned seven letterwinners from 2017 and welcomed seven newcomers to the squad, which included four transfers and three true freshmen.

In the 48 game season that spanned over the course of four months, Gillespie went on to have a career year at the plate and lead the Zips offense. The senior captain ended the season as the Zips top hitter in the lineup recording a career-high .306 batting average. Gillespie set a career-high not only in average, but in slugging percentage (.414), on-base percentage (.410), hits (34), home runs (3), RBI (16), walks (21), stolen bases (10), and tied a career-high in runs scored (13). Gillespie garnered a team-best 10 game hit streak (3/31-4/13), 11 game on-base streak (3/31-4/14), and multi-RBI contests (5). Statistically, Gillespie led all Akron hitters in batting average, walks, and SAC flies (2), while she hit .405 with runners on the bases, .458 with runners in scoring position, and .379 with two outs in the inning.

After utilizing her redshirt season in 2017, redshirt freshman Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.), made an immediate impact in 2018 for the Zips. Akron's starting shortstop earned a .306/.462/.335 slash line as the Zips lead-off hitter in the lineup. Jascoe tallied a team-high 44 hits, tied for a team-best 11 doubles, hit four home runs, drove in 10 RBI, scored 19 runs, and drew five walks. When leading off the game or an inning, Jascoe hit .352, posted a .314 batting average with the bases empty, and .300 average with runners in scoring position. Jascoe led Akron in multi-hit performances with 12 total which included nine two-hit games and three three-hit contests. From March 30 to April 4, Jascoe tallied a seven-game hit streak with a .458 average (11-for-24), six doubles and one RBI, while she also reached base safely in a season-best eight straight contests.

Both Gillespie and Jascoe were named to the All-MAC second team for their season accomplishments. It was the first postseason award for the two Zips.

Redshirt junior Kimberly Rodriguez (Las Vegas, Nevada), junior Maddy Clowdus (Eastvale, Calif.), and Gambone rounded out the top five hitters in the Akron lineup posting a combined .265 average (92-of-348) and 35 RBI. Rodriguez averaged .284 from the dish and owned a team-high .552 slugging percentage while the speedster scored a team-high 23 runs, totaled 64 bases, tied with a team-leading six home runs, and was 17-for-20 in stolen base attempts. Clowdus, the designated player for the Zips, posted a .257 average (26-for-101), tied for the team-best six home runs, scored nine runs, hit 11 doubles, and nine RBI. Gambone ended her career in an Akron uniform with a .252 average, 33 hits, 11 runs scored, three doubles, one home run, nine RBI, and 17 total bases.

Inside the circle, freshmen Mikayla Newland (Chillicothe, Ohio), Kayla Kmett (San Clemente, Calif.), senior Kooper Vertz (Dilsboro, Ind.), and freshman Shaye DeLeonardis tossed a combined 286.0 innings, garnered a 6.85 earned run average and recorded 136 strikeouts. Kmett owned a 3-22 record for Akron on the rubber and compiled a staff-low 5.35 ERA, threw nine complete games, gave up 192 hits, 145 runs (106 earned) and struck out 64 batters. Vertz stood 0-13 in 30 games and 15 starts. In 85.0 innings of work, Vertz tallied an 8.24 ERA on 143 hits, 118 runs (100 earned) and struck out 42. Since joining the team in March, DeLeonardis pitched 13.1 innings, gave up 41 hits and allowed 36 runs. Before her season was cut short with an injury, Newland owned a 1-8 record in 13 games, tallied a 6.14 ERA, and tossed five complete games.

Jones named Gillespie and Lakins team captains for the 2018 season.

Zips Tidbits

Cassie Gillespie recorded a team-best ten-game hit streak (3/31-4/13) which included four multi-hit contests, a .519 batting average, 14 hits, three doubles, one home run, six RBI, 20 total bases, and six walks. Sydney Jascoe held a seven-game hit streak (3/30-4/8), while Maddy Clowdus (2/24-3/11) and Caitlin Gambone (2/17-2/24) recorded six-game hit streaks.
Gillespie reached base safely in a team-high 11 straight games for an on-base percentage of .600. Kimberly Rodriguez recorded a nine-game on-base streak and Jascoe reached safely in eight straight, a season-high for both Zips.
Sydney Jascoe led the Zips with 12 multi-hit performances while Jascoe, Gambone, Holzman, Rodriguez, and Clowdus all posted a three-hit contest.
Kimberly Rodriguez recorded a season- and career-high six RBI in a single contest in 2018, a team-best. Jessie Holzman, Caitlin Gambone, and Gillespie tallied a season-high three RBI in a contest this season while Laura Lakins, and Kayla Wulf have each garnered at least one two-RBI performance. Gillespie has a team-best five multi-RBI contests.
Sydney Jascoe hit .314 (33-for-105) with the bases empty as the Akron lead-off hitter. Cassie Gillespie hit .458 (11-for-24) with runners in scoring position, .405 (17-for-42) with runners on the base path, and .379 with two outs in the inning.
Shaye DeLeonardis and Kooper Vertz are flyball pitcher forcing 11.4 and 8.98 fly ball outs per contests, while Kayla Kmett can get the opposition out in the air (8.73/game) or on the ground (8.23/contest).
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%).
Kooper Vertz tallied a career-best 6 K's against Ball State (3/30).
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.
Akron earned its first MAC win against Western Michigan on April 8 by a score of 5-4.
Kooper Vertz strikes out a team-best 4.3 batters per game.
Kayla Kmett earned her first collegiate win in an Akron uniform against Western Michigan (4/8).
Cassie Gillespie hit her first home run of the season and third of her career against Ohio (4/13).
Maddy Clowdus recorded the first multi-hit game of her Akron career with two doubles against BG (4/21).
Kayla Kmett recorded a season-high 11 groundball outs against Bowling Green (4/21) including setting down seven straight courtesy of a groundout.
Kooper Vertz posted 13 groundball outs in her second complete game of the season against Dayton (4/25).
Kayla Kmett tossed the fifth complete game of her young career against the Flyers (4/25).
In what turned out to be her final at-bat at Lee R. Jackson Field, Cassie Gillespie hit a two-run home run, the fourth of her career.
Caitlin Gambone's three RBI performance against Miami was a career-high in a single-game.
Against Miami, Gillespie garnered the best-weekend series of her career and season; .444/1.111/500, four hits, five runs, two home runs, three RBI, 10 total bases, one walk, 1.000 fld%, 23 putouts, one assist.
Akron had a combined .548 slugging percentage courtesy of 10 extra-base hits, 40 total bases, and 13 RBI.
Kimberly Rodriguez six RBI against Kent State ranks just behind the single-game leader, Kay Piper, with most RBI in a single game when she hit seven in 1983.
Rodriguez also became the 12th Zip to hit a grand slam in a contest in program history.

Where They Rank In The MAC (Final Statistics)

Batting Average: Cassie Gillespie - 36th (.306).
Batting Average: Sydney Jascoe - 39th (.304).
Batting Average: Kimberly Rodriguez -52nd (.284).
Fielding Percentage: Kooper Vertz - 12th (1.000).
Doubles: Kimberly Rodriguez - T-12th (11).
Doubles: Sydney Jascoe - T-12th (11).
Hit By Pitch: Kimberly Rodriguez - T-7th (8).
SAC Bunts: Caitlin Gambone - 7th (9).
SAC Bunts: Laura Lakins - T-10th (7).
Stolen Bases: Kimberly Rodriguez - 3rd (17-for-20).
Stolen Bases: Cassie Gillespie - T-9th (10).
Innings Pitched: Kayla Kmett - 11th (138.2).
Batters Struck Out Looking: Kayle Kmett - T-12th (23).
Appearances: Kayla Kmett - T-8th (35).
Appearances: Kooper Vertz - T-14th (30).
Fielding Chances: Cassie Gillespie - 7th (282).
Putouts: Cassie Gillespie - 5th (270).
Assists: Caitlin Gambone - 8th (96).

The University of Akron Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Maddy Clowdus

Shaye DeLeonardis

Caitlin Gambone

Cassie Gillespie

Jessie Holzman

Sydney Jascoe

Kayla Kmett

Laura Lakins

Mikayla Newland

Kimberly Rodriguez

Kooper Vertz

Kayla Wulf

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