Akron Softball Set to Battle Ohio and Toledo

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron softball team will be challenged by a pair of Mid-American Conference foes this week as the Zips host a three-game series versus Ohio before visiting Toledo for a three-game set this weekend.

WHAT'S AHEAD:
Akron and Ohio kick off their series with a single contest at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28 at Lee R. Jackson Field, before playing a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Wednesday, March 29. The Zips then battle Toledo in a twinbill beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, before concluding the three-game set with a noon showdown on Sunday, April 2.

March 28 vs. Ohio | 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
March 29 vs. Ohio (DH Game 1) | 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
March 29 vs. Ohio (DH Game 2) | 3:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
April 1 at Toledo (DH Game 1) | 1 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
April 1 at Toledo (DH Game 2) | 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
April 2 at Toledo | 12 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video

SCOUTING AKRON:
Akron enters action against Ohio with a 14-11 ledger on the campaign, including a 2-3 mark in the Mid-American Conference under the direction of first-year head coach Craig Nicholson. In their 47th season of intercollegiate competition in 2023, the Zips returned 18 players from the Zips' 2022 squad and added six newcomers to the 2023 roster.

Freshman INF Brooke Sivek (Boerne, Texas) leads the offensive exploits for the Zips batting a team-best .362 on the strength of team-high marks in at-bats (94), runs (21), hits (34), stolen bases (9), while ranking third in total bases (35). Additionally, sophomore INF Alexis Campbell (Indianapolis, Ind.) owns a team-high 21 RBI.

The pitching duo of freshman Haley Croyle (Hubbard, Ohio) and redshirt senior P Alexa DiFeo (Akron, Ohio) have combined to toss 134.1 innings en route to posting 64 and 46 strikeouts, respectively.

Redshirt junior Jaiden Bryant (Hilliard, Ohio) is rated eighth in the NCAA in triples per game (0.16) and ninth in triples (4), while Campbell ranks 10th in sacrifice flies (4). On the mound, DiFeo is 31st in walks allowed per seven innings (1.00) and 40th in strikeout-walk ratio (5.11) and Croyle is 30th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.24) and 42nd in saves (2).

As a team, Akron ranks first in the Mid-American Conference in at-bats (752), hits (220) and ERA (2.96), second in strikeouts (134), third in doubles (39), triples (9), batting average (.293) and fielding percentage (.963), fourth in runs (125) and total bases (286) and fifth in RBI (101) and slugging percentage (.380).

Individually, Sivek is second in the MAC third in runs scored (23) and fourth in hits (36), while Campbell ranks fourth in RBI (21).

SCOUTING OHIO:
Ohio comes into competition against Akron at 13-14 on the year, including a 4-2 mark in the Mid-American Conference, following a three-game series sweep of Bowling Green over the weekend. Alexis Dawe maintains a team-best .370 batting average, while Annalia Paoli headlines the Bobcats' offense with a .353 average and team-high marks in at-bats (85), runs (18), hits (30), doubles (7), triples (2), home runs (4), RBI (24) and total bases (53). In the circle, the duo of Skipp Miller and Kylie Coffelt have combined to pitch 145.1 innings and maintain 3.03 and 4.09 ERA's, respectively, en route to striking out 100 batters.

SCOUTING TOLEDO:
Toledo enters play against Miami on Tuesday at 10-13 on the year, including a 3-2 mark in the Mid-American Conference, following a doubleheader split at Buffalo on March 24. Anna Dixon owns team-best .379 batting average, while Riley Mohr is hitting .358 with team-high totals in at-bats (67) and hits (24). In the circle, the duo of Erin Hunt and Sophia Knight have combined to pitch 137.0 innings and maintain 2.34 and 4.35 ERA's, respectively, en route to striking out 117 batters.

SERIES HISTORY:
Akron leads the all-time series with Ohio, 70-39, while the Zips and Toledo are all square at 41 victories apiece.

AKRON NOTES:
• The Zips have been a member of the Mid-American Conference for the past 30 years after joining the league in 1993 from the North Star Conference.
• Akron's softball roster in 2023 is compiled of 24 student-athletes from across the United States with seven different states and one Canadian Province represented. The Zips roster consists of 14 players from Ohio, three from California, two from Texas and one each from Indiana, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin.
• The 2023 season marks the 47th season of intercollegiate competition for the Akron softball program.

UP NEXT:
Akron welcomes Youngstown State to Lee R. Jackson Field for a doubleheader on April 5 starting at 3 p.m.

The University of Akron Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jaiden Bryant

Alexis Campbell

Haley Croyle

Alexa DiFeo

Brooke Sivek

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