Akron Travels to USC Upstate Tournament

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron softball team opens is back in action for the second weekend of the season in Spartanburg, S.C., to take on a trio of opponents on Friday through Sunday, Feb. 23-25. Akron plays a pair of games against Monmouth and Kentucky and a single game against host USC Upstate.

WHAT'S AHEAD
The Zips are slated to start the weekend against Monmouth on Friday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m. followed by a showdown against the Kentucky Wildcats at 12:30 p.m. On Saturday, Akron plays a second doubleheader against Kentucky (12:30 p.m.) and host USC Upstate (5:30 p.m.) before ending weekend with a second contest versus Monmouth on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Fans can follow all five games via live stats. Games against Florida Gulf Coast will be streamed on ESPN Digital.

Feb. 23 vs Monmouth| 10 a.m. | Live Stats
Feb. 23 vs Kentucky | 12:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Feb. 24 vs Kentucky| 12:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Feb. 24 vs USC Upstate | 5:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Feb. 25 vs Monmouth | 10 a.m. | Live Stats

A LOOK AT THE SERIES
Against Monmouth
Series tied 0-0
First Meeting: Marks the first two games in series history

Against Kentucky
Kentucky leads 4-2
First Meeting: Akron 5 – Kentucky 4 (5/7/99 | Lexington, Ky.)
Last Meeting: Akron 3 – Kentucky 16 (5/26/02 | Lexington, Ky.)

Against South Dakota
Akron Leads 2-0
First Meeting: Akron 5 – South Dakota 1 (5/9/13 | Kissimmee, Fla.)
Last Meeting: Akron 16 – South Dakota 6 (2/14/20 | Madeira Beach, Fla.)

Against USC Upstate
USC Upstate Leads 1-0
First Meeting: Akron 1 – USC Upstate 7 (2/20/16 | Spartanburg, S.C.)

SCOUTING REPORT
Monmouth
The Hawks started the season going 3-7 overall after going 2-3 at the Winthrop Eagle Classic. Savannah Simons helped the Hawks earn their two wins on the weekend with two runs, two hits, and two RBIs. Dani Dabroski also had a good showing with four runs, three hits, and one RBI in the Hawks' wins. The Hawks are led in stats by Simmons with eight runs, 15 hits, four doubles, seven RBI, and 19 total bases as well as a .484 batting average and a .613 slugging percentage.

Kentucky
The Wildcats started the 2024 season strong with a 6-2 record after going 2-1 at the ESPN Shriners Children's Invitational win a 12-10 win over UNC and a 6-5 win over Wisconsin. Karissa Hamilton had two exceptional performances to help Kentucky walk away with two wins. Hamilton finished the weekend with two runs, four hits, four RBI, one homerun, and 17 putouts. Kentucky is led by Vanessa Nesby with three runs, eight hits, and one RBI along with a .348 batting average.

USC Upstate
The Spartans started the week with a 2-0 shutout win over Wofford on Wednesday night and stands 5-4 on the season. Freshman pitcher Sierra Maness threw five strikeouts in her fifth complete game of the season. Amie Johnson had her second straight multi-hit game of the season with two hits against the Terriers. Celeste Delorenzo and Alanna Deal scored one run respectively to walk away with the two-run win.

ZIPS AT A GLANCE
Under second-year head coach Craig Nicholson, the Zips return 10 players from the 2023 squad and added 12 newcomers to the 2024 roster. The Zips started the 2024 season with a 2-1 win over Middle Tennessee before falling 2-0 to Florida Gulf Coast, 13-12 in eight innings to Delaware, and 4-1 to Florida Gulf Coast in the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament. After the first games of the season, Akron is led by Lily Sullivan with one run, four hits, four RBI, four total bases and one sacrificed fly along with a .333 batting average and a .333 slugging percentage.

MAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The Zips were picked to finish 5th in the 2024 MAC Preseason Poll, which was released by the conference on February 2. Miami was picked to finish first with six first-place votes, while the RedHawks were also slated to win the MAC Tournament with five votes.

(First Place Votes)
1. Miami (6) – 95 points
2. Ohio (3) – 91 points
3. Central Michigan (1) – 84 points
4. Ball State – 69 points
5. Akron (1) – 64 points
6. Northern Illinois – 53 points
7. Toledo – 48 points
8. Kent State – 39 points
T9. Buffalo – 25 points
T9. Western Michigan – 25 points
11. Bowling Green – 12 points
MAC Tournament Champion: Miami (5), Ohio (3), Central Michigan (2), Akron (1)

ON DECK
The Zips travel to Greenville, S.C., for the Furman Tournament on Friday through Sunday, March 1-3. Akron is slated to play a pair of games against South Dakota and three games versus Furman.

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Players Mentioned

Lily Sullivan

The University of Akron Athletics