Akron Set To Throw First Pitch Of 2020 At Samford Tournament, Commence New Era Of Zips Softball

Friday, February 7

Homewood, Ala.

11 AM (12 PM ET)

University of Akron

Eastern Illinois University

Akron Set To Throw First Pitch Of 2020 At Samford Tournament, Commence New Era Of Zips Softball

February 06 | Softball

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Samford Tournament Gamenotes (PDF)

Samford Tournament (Samford University)
Feb. 7-9
Birmingham, Ala. | Samford Softball Stadium

February 7 vs. Eastern Illinois | 11 a.m. (10 a.m. CT)
February 7 vs. Winthrop | 1:30 p.m. (12:30 CT)
February 8 vs. Winthrop | 12 p.m. (11 a.m. CT)
February 8 at Samford | 4 p.m. (3 p.m. CT)
February 9 at Samford | 2:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. CT)

Game Information
Live Stats: GoZips.com
Watch: GoZips.com

What's Ahead
The Akron softball team is one day away from throwing the first pitch of the 2020 campaign and 43rd season in program history as the Zips head south to Birmingham, Ala. to take part in the 2020 Samford Tournament on Feb. 7-9. UA is scheduled for five games and is set to take on Eastern Illinois, Winthrop, and host, Samford.

Scouting the Panthers
Eastern Illinois kicks off its new season at the Samford Tournament after ending the 2019 season 16-39 overall and 5-16 inside Ohio Valley Conference play. Away from Illinois, the Panthers recorded a 12-28 mark. Eastern Illinois competed in the 2019 Samford Tournament and went 1-3 on the weekend. Heading into the year, the Panthers were picked 10th in the OVC preseason poll under first-year head coach, Tara Archibald.

The Panthers top hitters in Haley Mitchell, Mia Davis, and Megan Burton return to the Eastern Illinois lineup in 2020. Mitchell recorded a team-best .345 batting average, tallied 38 hits, and 26 RBI. The top run producer, Davis, posted a team-best 34 RBI on 54 hits while scoring 28 runs, hit 10 doubles, and eight home runs which tied for a team-high with Mitchell. Burton garnered team-highs in hits (59), doubles (19), and stole bases (27) while hitting .322 on the year.

Inside the circle, Jade Montgomery and Sydney Cammon pace the pitching staff for the Panthers. In 2019, Montgomery made 31 appearances, 26 starts, gave up 168 hits and 125 runs while striking out 64 and walking 62. Mainly out of the bullpen as a relief pitcher, Cammon made 22 appearances, went 3-2, and tossed 51 innings.

Scouting the Eagles
Winthrop opens its 2020 season at the Samford Tournament and will square off against the Zips twice throughout the tournament (Feb. 7-8). The Eagles head into the campaign after going 30-25 overall in 2019 and 14-10 against Big South opponents. Winthrop made an appearance in the 2019 Big South championship game but ultimately fell one run shy against Longwood, 2-3. Voted on by the coaches of the Big South, the Eagles were picked fourth in the preseason poll.

The Eagles offense lost its best two hitters from a year ago following the 2019 season. Winthrop will look to Madyson Watson and Ashley Westbrooks to lead the offensive charge in 2020 as the pair combined to record 64 hits last season. Watson, who doubles as the Eagles ace inside the circle, tallied 20 hits in 67 at-bats including three doubles, three home runs, and 16 RBI. Westbrooks tallied a .286 average at the plate in 2019 while recording 44 hits, seven doubles, five home runs, and drove in a team-best 33 RBI.

Watson, the dual-threat player for Winthrop, made 26 starts and 33 appearances on the rubber for the Eagles. In 162.1 innings of work, Watson surrendered 169 hits, 78 runs, and just 66 earned runs (2.85 ERA) while whiffing 120 batters and walking 43.

Scouting the Bulldogs
Following a 23-31 overall mark and 11-6 record in SoCon play in 2019, tournament host Samford is slated for its first pitch of the 2020 season. Three members of the 2020 squad, Kathryn Jackson, Whitney Hinton, and Merrit Cahoon, were named to the All-SoCon second team while the Bulldogs were predicted to place fifth in the league.

Helping her land a spot on the preseason All-League second team, Cahoon hit .303/.461/.351 in just 89 at-bats in 2019. Playing in 39 contests, Cahoon recorded 27 hits, five doubles, three home runs, 18 RBI, scored 11 runs, and struck out 14 times. Hinton, played in all 54 contests for the Bulldogs in 2019 en route to a .295/.627/.353 slash line that included a team-best 10 doubles, 15 home runs, and 45 RBI.

A pair of upperclassmen lead the attack inside the circle for Samford with lefty Taylor DeCelles and righty, McKenna Gillespie. DeCelles tossed a team-high 116.2 innings, recorded a 7-12 record, and a 4.62 earned run average. In 17 appearances, DeCelles gave up 152 hits, 91 runs, and 77 earned runs. Going 6-5 in 22 appearances is Gillespie who went on to tally a 6-5 record and 4.34 ERA. The junior righty pitched 80.2 innings, struck out 39, have up 100 hits, and 55 runs.

Series History
Akron and Eastern Illinois have met on the diamond eight times since the inaugural contest in 1981. The Zips are 3-5 in the first eight games against the Panthers and are going head-to-head for the first time since 2011.

Since 1993 the Zips and Samford Bulldogs will square off for the fourth time in program history. UA is 1-2 in the previous three contests and is meeting for the first time since 2008.

Akron holds a 1-4 record in the first five match-ups against Winthrop. The Zips lone win over the Eagles came back in 2005 when UA blanked Winthrop, 5-0.

Mid-American Conference Member
The Zips have been a member of the Mid-American Conference for the past 27 years after joining the league in 1993 from the North Star Conference.

Scouting The Zips
Akron heads into its 43rd season of competition in 2020. Under first-year head coach, Meaggan Pettipiece, the Zips return 11 letterwinners from UA's 2019 squad and have added 10 newcomers to the 2020 roster made up of eight true freshmen, one redshirt freshman, and a redshirt sophomore.

Pettipiece was named the eighth head coach in Akron program history in July 2019. Pettipiece comes to UA after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Kent State and has 10 years of head coaching experience at Northwood University.

The Zips top-three batting leaders in redshirt junior Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.), junior Kayla Wulf (Maumee, Ohio), and senior Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio) return to the Akron lineup in 2020.

Junior Kayla Wulf (Maumee, Ohio) took a big step in her second season at Akron. Wulf recorded a team second-best .348 average, .913 OPS, .496 slugging percentage, and .417 on-base percentage. Wulf set career-highs in hits (47, team-high), runs scored (23), doubles (8), RBI (23), walks (14), which are a team-high, and eight stolen bases.

Prior to a season-ending injury, redshirt junior Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.), led the Akron offensive efforts from the plate. Starting 32 games at third base or behind the plate for the Zips, Jascoe owned a .396/.750/.478 slash line which included 38 hits, nine doubles, nine home runs, 26 RBI, 72 total bases, and was 6-for-6 in stolen bases. The redshirt sophomore earned MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors in the first week of the season.

After an injury ended her 2018 season early, senior Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio) made an impact in the Akron lineup. The Zips first baseman hit .315 in 46 starts including 35 hits, four doubles, scored 19 runs and swiped 19 bases. In her first season in an Akron uniform, junior Macky Mitchiner (Riverside, Calif.) roamed centerfield for the Zips and fit right into the Akron offense. Mitchiner posted a .278 average on 40 hits, scored 20 runs, and totaled 48 bases including 16 stolen bases. Senior Samantha Malik, the shortstop for the Zips, hitting .230, knocked out 29 hits, five doubles, four home runs, 12 RBI, and scored 17 runs.

Inside the circle, senior Adrian Smith (St. Clairsville, Ohio) started 26 of the Zips 46 games and made 32 appearances. Smith tossed a team-high 133.2 innings of work, garnered a 4.61 ERA, tossed 10 complete games, recorded a team-best eight wins and 109 strikeouts. Sophomore Lexie Petrof (Ligonier, Pa.), was key for the Zips out of the bullpen making 18 appearances while also earning three starts. In 43.2 innings of work, Petrof tallied a 6.57 ERA, gave up 69 hits, and struck out 21.

Joining the Zips roster in 2020 are 10 newcomers; Bailey Drapola (Brookfield, Ohio), Molly McChesney (Verona, Wisc.), Tiffany Stevens (Toledo, Ohio), Maggie Sons (Dalzell, Ill.), Lauren Frigyes (Paris, Ohio), Hailey Eckelberry (Medina, Ohio), Jaiden Bryant (Hilliard, Ohio), Alex DiFeo (Akron, Ohio), and Shelby Fortune (Grafton, Ohio).

One Last Ride
Akron boasts a senior class of five Zips that are geared up for one last ride playing collegiate softball. In their time at Akron, the five seniors have combined to make 321 appearances and 224 starts. Out of the five, Jessie Holzman has played in a group-high 86 games, made 74 starts, recorded 49 hits, and scored 24 runs.

Eight states, One Team
The 2020 Akron softball roster is compiled of 21 student-athletes from all across the United States with eight different states represented. The Zips roster consists of 12 players from Ohio, one from Pennsylvania, three from Michigan, one from Illinois, one from Georgia, one from California, one from Wisconsin, and one from Florida.

Recruit Local
The Zips have five student-athletes that grew up in northeast Ohio and within 50 miles from the campus of the University of Akron including Alexa DiFeo (Akron, Ohio), Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio), Hailey Eckelberry (Medina, Ohio), Laurel DeVoe (North Canton, Ohio), and Shelby Fortune (Grafton, Ohio).

Zips Tidbits

The 2020 season marks the 43rd season of competition for the Akron softball program.
Sydney Jascoe was named to the All-MAC Second Team in 2019 despite playing just 33 games after a season-ending injury during MAC play.
In 2019, Kayla Wulf hit a team-high .563 with runners in scoring position, .471 with runners on the bases, and .635 when successfully advancing runners.
In 2019, Sydney Jascoe owned a team-best .538 average when leading off an inning and owned a team-best .362 average with bases empty.
In 2019, Adrian Smith recorded a team-high 5.71 strikeouts per game and averages a team-best 1.7 K's to walk ratio, while Lexie Petrof averages 10.9 flyouts per outing.
In 2019, Adrian Smith has posted a staff-low 7.91 hits per outing.
In 2019, Kayla Wulf recorded a team-high 12 multi-hit games, Macky Mitchiner garnered 12, and Sydney Jascoe notched 11.
Sydney Jascoe tallied a team-high eight multi-RBI games including six games with two RBI, one game with three RBI, and a career-high five RBI once.

Up Next
The Zips continue tournament play south of the Mason Dixon line in the sunshine state of Florida. Akron is scheduled to compete at the Madiera Beach Tournament on Feb. 14-16 in Madiera Beach, Fla. UA will play five contests against five opponents including, South Dakota (Feb. 14), Mercer (Feb. 14), Central Arkansas (Feb. 15), Georgia State (Feb. 15), and Butler (Feb. 16).