The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Morgan State
Akron Softball Set To Throw First Pitch of 2019 Season At Blue Hose Invitational
February 07 | Softball
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Blue Hose Invitational Game Notes (PDF)
Blue Hose Invitational (Presbyterian College)
Feb. 8-10
Clinton, S.C. | PC Softball Complex
February 8 vs. Morgan State| 11 a.m.
February 8 vs. Presbyterian College | 3 p.m.
February 9 vs. East Tennessee State | 12:30 p.m.
February 10 vs. Morgan State | 10 a.m
February 10 vs. East Tennessee State | 12 p.m.
Game Information
Live Stats:Â GoZips.com
What's Ahead
The smell of fresh cut grass, fresh chalk lines, and a perfectly groomed infield. Three true signs that the first pitch of the 2019 Akron softball season is one day away from being thrown and the 42nd season of Akron softball competition getting underway. The Zips head south to warmer weather in Clinton, S.C. to take part in the Blue Hose Invitational hosted by Presbyterian College on Feb. 8-10. There, Akron will square off against Morgan State, Presbyterian College, and East Tennessee State.Â
Scouting the Bears
Morgan State enters the 2019 season after turning in a 28-17 overall record at the end of the 2018 campaign, which included a 15-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference record, a 9-2 away ledger, and 4-9 neutral site record. The Bears won its first MEAC Tournament contest for the first time in since 2008 in the first round of the conference championship, but the No. 1 seeded Morgan State dropped two straight contests against No. 2 South Florida and unseeded North Hampton, which ended the Bears historic season.Â
The Bears roster is made up of eight seniors, four juniors, six sophomores, and three true freshmen. Morgan State's top offensive player, Damali Young, returns for her last season after slashing .409/1.059/.597 with 63 hits, 16 doubles, and 18 RBI.Â
In the circle for the Bears, Stephanie Rundlett gets the nod as Morgan State's ace in 2019. A year ago, Rundlett made 27 appearances, struck out 111 batters, recorded a 12-8 record, and was a two-time MEAC Player of the Week.Â
Scouting the Blue Hose
The host of the opening weekend tournament, Presbyterian College, finished the 2018 season with a 4-42 record and a 2-19 Big South Conference record.Â
The Blue Hose roster is compiled of 22 student-athletes which include 16 returners and six newcomers. Presbyterian College's top hitter from the plate returns for her sophomore season after hitting a team-best .304 and 38 hits while senior Megan Anderson recorded a team-high 19 RBI on 35 hits and 11 doubles.Â
A pair of sophomores lead the way on the rubber for the Blue Hose in Camryn Alverson and Sarah Ramsbottom.Â
Scouting the Buccaneers
East Tennessee State returns to the diamond in 2019 following a year that saw a 19-27 overall record and a 4-11 Southern Conference ledger. Despite the Buccaneers .267 win percentage in its league, ETSU made a postseason run to the SoCon Championship game before falling to the top-seeded UNC Greensboro.Â
Three Buccaneers earned preseason Southern Conference honors in Lauren Lee (first-team), Taylor Wright (first-team), and Nikki Grupp (second-team). The trio combined to record 113 hits and 49 RBI.Â
Kelly Schmidt takes the reigns for the Buccaneers inside the circle after ETSU ace from 2018 graduated. Schmidt appeared in 22 games, made 13 starts, posted a 4-8 record, and a 4.42 earned run average.Â
Series History
Akron and Morgan State will go head-to-head on the diamond for the third time in program history since the first meeting in 2002. The Zips and Bears series is tied 1-1. In the last time out, Morgan State defeated Akron 2-4 at the Dot Richardson Invitational in 2017.Â
The Zips have squared off with Presbyterian College just one time in Akron's 42 seasons of competition. In 2015, the Blue Hose downed the Zips, 5-6, at the Rebel Spring Games to take the series advantage, 1-0.Â
Akron and East Tennessee State have competed in competition on five different occasions since 2005. The Zips hold the slight advantage over the Buccaneers in the all-time series, 3-2.Â
2019 Zip Breakdown
Under the guidance of 13th-year head coach, Julie Jones, the Zips are amidst the 42nd season of competition in 2019. Akron returns 11 letterwinners from a season ago and welcomes nine newcomers to the squad, including four transfers and five true freshmen.Â
Redshirt sophomore Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.), made an immediate impact in 2018 for the Zips in her first season of competition and was named to the 2018 All-MAC Second Team. 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.
Redshirt senior Kimberly Rodriguez (Las Vegas, Nevada) and senior Maddy Clowdus (Eastvale, Calif.) were amongst the top five hitters in the Akron lineup in 2018 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, sophomore Mikayla Newland (Chillicothe, Ohio) and redshirt senior Kooper Vertz (Dilsboro, Ind.) tossed a combined 134.0 innings, garnered a 7.47 earned run average and recorded 69 strikeouts. 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. 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.Â
One Last Ride
Akron boasts a senior class of six Zips that are geared up for one last ride playing collegiate softball. In their time at Akron, the six seniors have combined to make 308 appearances and 255 starts. Senior Laura Lakins has the most experience in an Akron uniform on the roster playing in 80 contests while making 75 starts.Â
Sister, Sister
With the addition of Adrian and Amaya Smith to the 2019 Akron roster, it marks the seventh time in program history that a pair of sisters have competed for the Zips together. Adrian Smith transferred to Akron from St. Francis (Pa.) while Amaya Smith heads into her freshman season at Akron.
- Kristen & Stephanie Conrad
- Debbie & Tracy Firth
- Deanna & Tina McCauley
- Tiffany & Tracee McCoy
- Connie & Joanie Teitsworth
- Cheryl, Dani, Renee Vance
Nine states, one team
The 2019 Akron softball roster is compiled of 20 student-athletes from all across the United States with nine different states represented. The Zips roster consists of seven players from Ohio, one from Pennsylvania, three from Michigan, one from Indiana, two from Georgia, two from California, one from West Virginia, two from Florida, and one from Nevada.Â
Where They Ranked In The MAC (2018 Final Statistics)
- 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).Â
- SAC Bunts: Laura Lakins - T-10th (7).
- Stolen Bases: Kimberly Rodriguez - 3rd (17-for-20).Â
- Appearances: Kooper Vertz - T-14th (30).
2018 Zips Tidbits
- Sydney Jascoe held a seven-game hit streak (3/30-4/8) and Maddy Clowdus (2/24-3/11) recorded a six-game hit streak.Â
- Kimberly Rodriguez recorded a nine-game on-base streak and Jascoe reached safely in eight straight, a season-high for both Zips.
- Sydney Jascoe leads the Zips with 11 multi-hit performances while Jasoce, Holzman, Rodriguez, and Clowdus have all posted a three-hit contest.Â
- Jessie Holzman tallied a season-high three RBI in a contest this season while Laura Lakins, Kayla Wulf, and Rodriguez each garnered at least one two-RBI performance. Â
- Sydney Jascoe hit a team-high .336 (39-for-116) with the bases empty as the Akron lead-off hitter.Â
- Kimberly Rodriguez hit a home run in back-to-back days against Toledo (3/24-25).
- 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
- Akron earned its first MAC win against Western Michigan on April 8 by a score of 5-4.
- Kooper Vertz stuck out a team-best 4.3 batters per game. Â
- Maddy Clowdus recorded the first multi-hit game of her Akron career with two doubles against BG (4/21).
- Kooper Vertz posted 13 groundball outs in her second complete game of the season against Dayton (4/25).
- Caitlin Gambone's three RBI performance against Miami was a career-high in a single-game.Â
- Akron had a combined .548 slugging percentage courtesy of 10 extra-base hits, 40 total bases, and 13 RBI.
Up Next
The Akron softball team continues tournament play in the first half of the season in weekend number two of the 2019 season as the Zips travel to Madeira Beach, Fla., to compete in the Madeira Beach Tournament hosted by Powerline Softball. Akron is scheduled for five contests against five different opponents including, Drexel, Belmont, Holy Cross, Quinnipiac, and George Mason. The Madeira Beach Tournament takes place on Feb. 15-17.
