Softball Prepares for Weekend Series Against the Huskies

Friday, March 22

Akron, Ohio

12:30 PM

University of Akron

Northern Illinois

Softball Prepares for Weekend Series Against the Huskies

March 21 | Softball

AKRON, Ohio – The Akron softball team will host the Northern Illinois University Huskies for a weekend series at Lee R. Jackson Field on Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23 for a Mid-American Conference match up.

What's Ahead
After a weather related schedule change, Akron and NIU will now play a doubleheader on Friday with first pitch of the first game at 12:30 pm. Saturday will now be a single game beginning at 1 pm. All games will be available to watch on ESPN+

March 22 vs NIU | 12:30 pm | Live Stats | ESPN+
March 22 vs NIU | 3:00 pm | Live Stats | ESPN+
March 23 vs NIU | 1:00 pm | Live Stats | ESPN+

Scouting Northern Illinois
The Huskies come to Akron 7-15 on the season and 1-2 in MAC play. Last weekend, NIU earned their first shutout win of the season with their conference opener against Central Michigan. Ellis Erickson leads the Huskie offensive batting .382 and four home runs, including on March 16 in the 7-5 loss to the Chippewas. Katy Ramage, Caitlyn Shumaker, and Danielle Stewart have each drawn six walks and had 7 RBI. Ramage also has 20 hits and 11 runs on the season. Stewart is also the Huskies leading pitcher with a 2.88 ERA, has struck out 48 batters, and allowed 40 hits in 48.2 innings pitched.

Series History
NIU leads the Zips 30-24-1 in the overall series history. Last year, the two split in a doubleheader with Akron winning game one 12-9 and North Illinois coming back to win the second game 4-2.

Scouting Akron
Akron comes into the weekend off a doubleheader loss to Robert Morris on Tuesday 8-4 and 5-0. In game one, Delaney Jenkinson went 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI. Morgan Lee still leads the Zips with a .381 batting average on 32 hits. Sophia Wygast has driven in 16 runs on 15 hits so far this season, as well as a team-high 5 home runs. Brooke Sivek has drawn 16 walks on the year. In the circle, Cailey Joyce, Haley Croyle, and Macy Walters all have ERAs under 4.5 and have struck out more than twenty batters. Walters has throw two complete games while Joyce has the only save on the year for the Zips.

Akron Notes

The Zips have been a member of the Mid-American Conference for the past 31 years after joining the league in 1993 from the North Star Conference.
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 2023 season marks the 48th season of intercollegiate competition for the Akron softball program.

On Deck
The Akron Zips will have two single non-conference games on Monday, March 25 against Cleveland State before taking on Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday, March 26. Both games will be played at Lee R. Jackson Field.