Akron Set to Play at Lady Bison Classic

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron women's softball squad is set to travel to Nashville, Tenn., to compete in the Lady Bison Classic hosted by Lipscomb this weekend.

WHAT'S AHEAD:
Akron will open tournament play battling Evansville at 11 a.m. ET on Friday, March 10 before squaring off versus host Lipscomb at 4 p.m. ET. The Zips open second-day action facing the Lady Bison and Purple Aces at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 11. Akron caps tournament play squaring off against Indiana at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 12.

March 10 vs. Evansville | 11 a.m. ET | Live Stats
March 10 at Lipscomb | 4 p.m. ET | Live Stats | Live Video
March 11 at Lipscomb | 1:30 p.m. ET | Live Stats | Live Video
March 11 vs. Evansville | 6:30 p.m. ET | Live Stats
March 12 vs. Indiana | 1 p.m. ET | Live Stats

SCOUTING AKRON:
Akron is in its 47th season of intercollegiate competition in 2023. Under the direction of first-year head coach Craig Nicholson, the Zips returned 18 players from the Zips' 2022 squad and have added six newcomers to the 2023 roster.

Freshman INF Brooke Sivek (Boerne, Texas) leads the offensive exploits for the Zips batting a team-best .375 on the strength of team-high marks in at-bats (48), runs (11), hits (18), stolen bases (3). Additionally, sophomore INF Alexis Campbell (Indianapolis, Ind.) owns a team-high 14 RBI.

The pitching duo of freshman Haley Croyle (Hubbard, Ohio) and redshirt senior P Alexa DiFeo (Akron, Ohio) have combined to toss 70.2 innings en route to posting 39 and 19 strikeouts, respectively.

SCOUTING EVANSVILLE:
Evansville comes into play versus Akron at 13-5 on the year following an 0-4 mark at the Hilltopper Spring Fling last weekend. Jenna Nink boasts a team-best .371 batting average. On the mound, the trio of Mikayla Jolly, Sydney Weatheford and Erin Kieffman maintain 2.43, 5.14 and 6.20 ERA's, respectively, having combined to toss 79.0 innings and strikeout 41 batters.

SCOUTING LIPSCOMB:
Lipscomb enters play against Akron at 7-8 on the year following a 3-1 mark at the Purple/Gold Challenge last weekend. Presley Leebrick owns team-best .354 batting average and paces the Lady Bison in hits (17), doubles (5), triples (3), RBI (12) and total bases (28). In the circle, the trio of Emily Yakubowski, Laine Barefoot and Kate Peters have combined to pitch 88.0 innings and maintain 2.32, 2.40 and 3.86 ERA's, respectively, en route to striking out 53 batters.

SCOUTING INDIANA:
Indiana enters play against Akron at 9-9 on the campaign following a 3-1 record at the Hoosier Classic last weekend. Kinsey Mitchell owns team-best .407 batting average. In the circle, Brianna Copeland, Macy Montgomery and Heather Johnson maintain 3.07, 4.81 and 5.15 ERA's, respectively, having combined to toss 92.2 innings en route to striking out 39 batters.

SERIES HISTORY:
Akron is set to meet Evansville for the fourth and fifth times in program history with the Zips leading the series with the Purple Aces, 3-0. Akron has encountered Lipscomb two times previously with the Lady Bison owning a 2-0 series edge. Akron is meeting Indiana for the eighth time overall with the Zips leading the series, 4-3.

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 opens Mid-American Conference play traveling to DeKalb, Ill., to battle Northern Illinois in a three-game series starting on Friday, March 17.

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Players Mentioned

Alexis Campbell

Haley Croyle

Alexa DiFeo

Brooke Sivek

The University of Akron Athletics