Akron Travels to Elon for Three Games

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron baseball squad travels to Elon for the second series of the season and second under the direction of first-year interim head coach Tim Donnelly at Latham Park in Elon, N.C.

WHAT'S AHEAD:
The three-game series is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch on Friday, Feb. 24 followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday (Feb. 25) and a 1 p.m. series finale starting time. Fans can follow the action live on FloSports TV (subscription) or via live stats on GoZips.com.

COVERAGE:
TV: All Games FloBaseball - http://bit.ly/3xPzM9P (subscription)
Live Stats: All Games - http://bit.ly/3kiUgEY

THE SERIES:
Elon and Akron have met three times on the diamond as the Phoenix is 3-0 all-time against the Zips. The last time the two squads met was during the 2012 season at Latham Park. Elon posted a 7-1 win.

SCOUTING AKRON:
Under the direction of first-year head coach Tim Donnelly, the Zips returned 24 players from the Zips' 2022 squad and have added 14 newcomers to the 2023 roster.

The Zips split on opening weekend (2-2) at Western Carolina as junior Jack Firestone led the offense with seven hits, including three homeruns while batting .467 on the weekend. He scored seven runs and delivered five RBI. Sophomore Ian Pennington followed, hitting .400 with six hits and eight RBI that included a grandslam to tie the game. Akron went to on to win 14-12.

In the final game of the series, Freshman starting pitcher Joe Roth and junior Sammy Tortorella (Pittsburgh, Pa.) combined for seven shutout innings to start the game. In his collegiate debut, Roth threw five complete innings without consenting a run. He issued a team-best six strikeouts while allowing only two hits and two walks.

Tortorella relived Roth of his duties and did not allow a hit in two innings of work with one strikeout. Senior Brett Dietrich (Goshen, Ohio) earned the win, throwing 1.2 innings and allowing three hits and one run with three K's before closing the door for the win.

SCOUTING ELON:
Elon is coming off a 7-5 victory over the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs on Tuesday in Elon's first road game of the season. Junior Cole Reynolds made an impact on the mound and in the batter's box, where he pitched five innings of one run ball and after moving to first base, clubbed a three-run home run that would turn out to be the deciding factor after giving the Phoenix a 7-1 lead. Kenny Mallory Jr. contributed his second multi-hit game of the season, singling home a run then hitting a ground-rule double. Mallory Jr. currently leads the team in runs scored, which is a stat that his father, Kenny Mallory Sr., led Elon in during the 1992 season.

Freshman Ryan Sprock joined transfer Tanner Holliman as the second Phoenix player in a week to hit a home run on his first Phoenix hit. Sprock would finish the game with Gardner-Webb 1-for-1 with two walks. Ben Simon secured his second save of the season for Elon, recording the final four outs and matching his saves total from a year ago. Spencer Bauer made his first appearance out of the bullpen for the Phoenix, where he threw two innings of one-hit ball and struck out two Runnin' Bulldogs. Elon took on Kentucky in their most recent weekend series, taking the first game in a 2-0 shutout of the Wildcats led by Friday starter Shea Sprague.

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Players Mentioned

Brett Dietrich

Jack Firestone

Ian Pennington

Joe Roth

Sammy Tortorella

The University of Akron Athletics