Zips Host Ball State in Weekend Series

Friday, April 16

Akron, Ohio

3:00 PM

University of Akron

Ball State

April 15 | Softball

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AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron women's softball squad continues Mid-American Conference play this weekend as the Zips welcome Ball State to Lee R. Jackson Field for a four-game league series this Friday through Sunday, April 16-18.

Ball State| Lee R. Jackson Field

April 16 vs. Ball State | 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Stream
April 17 vs. Ball State | 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Stream
April 17 vs. Ball State | 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Stream
April 18 vs. Ball State | 12 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Stream

WHAT'S AHEAD:
The University of Akron softball squad will open its weekend series versus Ball State with a 3 p.m. tilt on Friday, April 16. The Zips and Cardinals will battle in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 17 starting at 1 p.m., before the series concludes with a noon game on Sunday, April 18.

SCOUTING AKRON:
Akron is in its 44th season of intercollegiate competition in 2021. Under the direction of second-year head coach Meaggan Pettipiece, the Zips returned 16 players from the Zips' 2020 squad and have added 12 newcomers to the 2021 roster.

Redshirt freshman OF Molly McChesney (Verona, Wis.) leads the offensive exploits for the Zips this season batting a team-best .351 on the strength of team-high marks in hits (20), runs (12), total bases (22), triples (1), stolen bases (9), while ranking second in slugging percentage (.386), while ranking second in at-bats (57). Additionally, redshirt freshman C Laurel DeVoe (North Canton, Ohio) owns a team-best three home runs.

McChesney ranks sixth in the Mid-American Conference in stolen bases, while freshman INF Madison Dudek (Uniontown, Ohio) and sophomore C Teagan Rice (Louisville, Ohio) are rated third and seventh in the league in sacrifice bunts with five and four, respectively.

A trio of Akron pitchers have tossed 25 or more innings in the circle, including 47.1, 43.2 and 28.2 innings, respectively, from freshman P Olivia Stefanoni (Hudson, Ohio), junior P Olivia Otani (Canton, Ohio) and redshirt sophomore Lexie Petrof (Ligonier, Pa.). Stefanoni, Otani and Petrof have earned 63, 31 and 26 strikeouts, respectively.

This season, the Zips returned four of their top-six hitters from a year ago in redshirt freshman OF Tiffany Stevens (Toledo, Ohio), Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.) and seniors INF/OF Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio) and OF Madison Carter (Newnan, Ga.).

Stevens is Akron's top-returning hitter after batting .315 a season ago, with 17 hits in 54 at-bats, with eight RBI, six runs scored, five doubles and a pair of home runs. She boasted a .519 slugging percentage and .373 on-base mark.

Jascoe batted .300 en route to belting a team-high seven home runs, while also leading the Zips in RBI (21), and runs scored (16), while ranking second in hits (21) and total bases (46). Her .657 slugging and .388 on-base percentages are tops among returners this season.

Holzman finished the season with a .297 average recording 11 hits in 37 at-bats, four extra-base hits, while scoring eight runs and plating eight RBI.

Carter registered a .286 average on the strength of 12 hits in 42 at-bats, including three extra-base hits, and finished the campaign with eight runs scored and four RBI.

Jascoe was one of two returning Zips to start all 25 games in 2020, while senior OF Macky Mitchiner (Riverside, Calif.), who posted 12 hits, including five for extra bases, while ranking second on the squad with 11 RBI, started all 23 games in which she played.

Inside the circle, Petrof appeared in 16 games for the Zips, including 10 starts, going 55.1 innings and striking out 19 to maintain a 5.44 ERA. DiFeo made five starts as part of nine overall appearances on the mound for the Zips, fanning 10 in 18.2 innings of work en route to owning a 5.25 ERA. Additionally, redshirt sophomore Lauren Frigyes (Paris, Ohio) worked 12.2 innings of relief, in which she struck out six and tallied a 10.50 ERA.

Joining the Zips roster in 2020 are 12 newcomers; freshmen UTIL Anna Aquino (Medina, Ohio), INF Carley Auten (Pickerington, Ohio), Dudek, INF Hannah Gartrell (York, Pa.), OF Kalli Macintosh-Houlder (Mississauga, Ontario), Otani, sophomores C Katelyn Reynolds (Cincinnati, Ohio) and C Teagan Rice (Louisville, Ohio) and freshmen UTIL Jillian Riegert (Worthington, Ohio), Stefanoni, INF Atlantis Taufa (Fullerton, Calif.) and P Sheridon Wilber (Rock Creek, Ohio).

OVER THE LAST 10 GAMES:
Over Akron's last 10 games, Macky Mitchiner leads the Zips with a .308 batting average on the strength of team-high marks in hits (8), doubles (3), total bases (10) and on-base percentage (.379). Olivia Stefanoni has struck out 28 batters in 21.1 innings in the circle for Akron over the same span.

SCOUTING BALL STATE:
Ball State enters play this weekend at 17-10 on the year, including a perfect 11-0 mark in the Mid-American Conference. Junior OF Faith Hensley owns team-best .418 batting average and paces the Cardinals in runs (18), doubles (7), triples (2), RBI (25), total bases (51), slugging percentage (.761) and on-base percentage (.524), while rating second in home runs (4) and third in hits (28). In the circle, junior P Tieghan Morio owns a team-best 3.52 ERA having tossed 47.2 innings and striking out 23, while sophomore P Deborah Jones has fanned a team-high 39 batters on the strength of a 3.63 ERA.

SERIES HISTORY:
Akron is set to meet Ball State for the 60th-63rd times, respectively, in program history, with the Cardinals leading the series, 37-22. In 2019, Ball State swept a three-game series in Muncie, Ind.

A WEEK AGO:
Battling the top team in the Mid-American Conference, Akron fell in a four-game series against Miami at Lee R. Jackson Field.

Miami senior P Courtney Vierstra tossed a no-hitter to lead the RedHawks to an 11-0 decision past Akron in the series opener on Friday, April 9.

Akron was bettered by Miami in a league doubleheader on Saturday, April 10, 12-4 and 9-3, respectively.

The Zips scored four runs on seven hits in the opener before plating three runs on six hits in the nightcap.

Laurel DeVoe went 2-for-3 at the plate in the first game, while OF Macky Mitchiner (Riverside, Calif.) collected a pair of RBI and OF Molly McChesney scored a pair of runs.

Redshirt junior P Alexa DiFeo (Akron, Ohio) recorded four strikeouts over 4.0 innings in the circle for Akron.

McChesney opened the bottom of the fourth inning with a lead-off single, before advancing into scoring position on a passed ball. She came across with the Zips' first run on a fielding error by the RedHawks' pitcher.

In the fifth inning, 2B Carley Auten laced a two-out double to center field and came across with another Akron run on an RBI single by OF Tiffany Stevens, McChesney followed reaching on an error before freshman SS Madison Dudek (Uniontown, Ohio) singled to the pitcher to load the bases. Mitchiner capped the three-run frame with a single to right-center field to drive in McChesney and Stevens.

In game two, Auten went 2-for-3 at the plate, while P Olivia Stefanoni (Hudson, Ohio) recorded five strikeouts in 3.0 innings in relief.

Miami jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Zips cut the deficit to one, 3-2, with a two-run effort in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Mitchiner struck a one-out single up the middle before collecting a two-out stolen base. Stevens reached on a fielding error before moving into scoring position with steal of second base. A wild pitch brought in Mitchiner with the Zips' first run, while Stevens moved up to third base. Auten followed with a two-out single to third base to drive Stevens in with another run.

DeVoe capped the scoring on the day for Akron with a lead-off solo home run over the wall in right center in the sixth inning.

Vierstra pitched a perfect game to lift the RedHawks to an 8-0 decision past Akron in the series finale on Sunday, April 11 at Lee R. Jackson Field.

Vierstra registering 12 strikeouts for Miami in the victory.

Stefanoni and P Olivia Otani combined to strike out five Miami batters in the game for the Zips.

A UNIQUE HONOR:
The Zips were honored this week by the NCAA as their sixth-inning inning-ending double play against Marshall in game one on March 3 was recognized as the No. 2 play in the Top-Five Plays of the Week by NCAA Softball. With one out in the bottom of the frame and a runner on first base, a hard-hit liner was snared by a diving Samantha Malik, who got to her feet and fired to Jessie Holzman to double up the runner at first base. WATCH HERE

AKRON NOTES:
• 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.
• Akron's softball roster in 2021 is compiled of 28 student-athletes from all across the United States with eight different states and one Canadian Province represented. The Zips roster consists of 16 players from Ohio, three from Michigan, two from California and Pennsylvania, one from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Ontario and Wisconsin.
• The 2020 season marks the 44th season of intercollegiate competition for the Akron softball program.

UP NEXT:
Akron is scheduled to travel to Athens, Ohio for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 20. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.