MAC Tournament Run Begins Wednesday vs. Akron
5/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The Kent State University softball team (40-10, 20-2 MAC) looks to become the first school in six years to win both the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament titles this week at Firestone Stadium. As the top seed, the Golden Flashes will begin their 2008 MAC Tournament run Wednesday (May 7) in the opening round against # 8 Akron at 1:30. The eight-team tournament is scheduled over four days and will conclude Saturday, May 10. Fourth seeded Miami and #5 Western Michigan round out KSU's half of the double elimination bracket.
Live Audio
Kent State's MAC Tournament games can be heard live on Kent State's web site at www.kentstatesports.com. Click on the audio icon in the calendar section.
Quick Hitters
• Having already matched the 1990 Kent State College World Series Team's records of 40 regular season wins and 20 conference wins, the 2008 squad can set a new school record for victories in a season with four wins at the MAC Tournament.
• After a 4-5 start, the Golden Flashes have won 36 of their last 41 games.
• Kent State's RPI ranking was 27th according to the NFCA's latest estimations (May 6).
• The Golden Flashes received 12 points in this week's Ultimate College Softball Top 25, just nine points out of the 25th spot. KSU received two votes in the NFCA Top 25.
• KSU is 11-4 at neutral sites this season and 13-1 against MAC Tournament teams. Its only loss came on March 28 in the conference opener against Bowling Green.
• Opponents are averaging just 1.46 runs per game against Kent State this season. The Golden Flash pitching staff ranks 12th in the nation with an ERA of 1.21, while the defense holds a .972 fielding percentage, ranking 24th in the nation.
• Since Feb. 23, Gabe Burns is 16-3 with two saves, while Kylie Reynolds is 19-2 with five saves. Burns (1.06) and Reynolds (1.21) rank first and second in the MAC in ERA, strikeouts, shutouts and opponent batting average.
The Opposition
Akron
- The Zips (19-36, 8-14 MAC) were the last team to score three runs in a game against the Golden Flashes. Since then, Kent State has posted nine shutouts and held an opponent to one run on seven other occasions. In the final two weeks of the regular season, Akron earned home sweeps of Northern Illinois and Toledo, boosting themselves into the eighth spot in the MAC standings. Senior Christina Swierz, has been a workhorse in the circle for the Zips, appearing in 50 games with 233 innngs pitched. She is tied for second with Gabe Burns among MAC leaders in victories. Swierz recently tossed a three-hit shutout against Toledo last Friday, her fourth of the season. In game two against the Rockets, the Zips pounded out 10 runs on 11 hits. Lisa McLean and Jenn Stottlemeyer each had a pair of hits and Julie Boyes belted a grand slam. McLean leads the conference with 10 triples and leads the Zips in hitting (.348) and stolen bases (34). Boyes leads Akron with seven home runs and 37 RBI.
Last Time Out-
A two-out bottom of the seventh rally lifted the Flashes past Central Michiagn in game one Friday. Jess Carmichael's two-out single put a runner on for Amy Hair, who delivered a game-winning triple to right field. Carmichael, Jessica Toocheck and Jamie Fitzpatrick all homered in KSU's 8-0 five-inning victory over Eastern Michigan.
Hair went 3-for-4 on the weekend with a sac fly, while Heather Duhon went 3-for-7 with a walk and a double. Fitzpatrick was 5-for-12 at the plate, while Toocheck totaled three hits and five RBI. Lauren Brocklehurst stole four bases on four attempts.
Series Histor
Kent State holds a 56-40-1 all-time series lead vs. Akron and has swept a pair of games from the Zips in each of the past three regular seasons. On April 4, Gabe Burns earned a save in Kent State's 4-3 win over the Zips and a victory in the Flashes' 12-1 triumph at Akron. Jamie Fitzpatrick went 4-for-5 on the day with a homer and four RBI. Leah Archual went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles in game two.
Last year, Kylie Reynolds held Akron to just two hits and fanned seven in a 9-1, five-inning victory. The Flashes also ripped 13 hits in an 11-5 win. Jamie Fitzpatrick went 5-for-7 in the doubleheader with four RBI. Jessica Toocheck went 5-for-8 with three runs scored, while Kim Hamilton homered, drove in three and scored three times.
Toocheck Closing in on 200 Hits (Career Leaders)
Flashes Dominate MAC East Awards Throughout Season
Kylie Reynolds was named MAC East Pitcher of the Week for the fifth time this season Tuesday (May 6). It was the 14th MAC weekly award earned by the Golden Flashes this year.
In five appearances on the week, Reynolds went 3-0 with two saves and a 0.32 ERA. She fanned 29 batters and walked just three. In three starts, Reynolds tossed shutouts against Horizon League leading Cleveland State and Eastern Michigan, helping the Golden Flashes finish 6-0 on the week.
The right-hander allowed just two hits in her start against Eastern Michigan and retired all five batters she faced in her save against the Eagles. She fanned 12 and allowed three hits in her start versus West Division leader Central Michigan. In 11 conference starts, Reynolds finished 11-0 with a 0.47 ERA including victories over every MAC opponent. She has earned a win in each of her last 14 starts dating back to March 28.
One week earlier, Jessica Toocheck was named the MAC East Player of the Week for the third time. Pitcher of the Week accolades this season have also gone to Markie Pozzuto and Gabrielle Burns (3 times). Jess Carmichael earned Player of the Week after the opening weekend and Jamie Fitzpatrick took home Player of the Week honors on April 8.
Linder Approaching 600 Head Coach Karen Linder needs just three wins during the MAC Tournament to reach 600 for her career. Linder earned 253 victories in 11 seasons at Ashland University and owns 344 wins in 12 seasons at Kent State.
Up Next The winner of Saturday's championship game will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins Friday, May 16. Pairings and at-large bids will be announced Sunday night on ESPNU and ESPN News.
Team Leaders
Gabrielle Burns carries a league best 1.06 ERA and has allowed just 84 hits in 158.2 innings, ranking 14th in the nation with 3.71 hits allowed per game. Kylie Reynolds has fanned a MAC best 242 batters in 173.0 innings and has a conference high 21 victories on the season. Brocklehurst has made 23 putouts from the outfield without committing an error. Holly Finchum has 26 assists and 17 putouts at second base without an error.
Winning Streaks The Golden Flashes are currently riding an eight-game winning streak, which includes five shutouts. It is KSU's third longest winning streak this season. From Feb. 17 to March 22, the Golden Flashes won a season-high 10 consecutive games, outscoring their opponents 55-14. During that span, the KSU offense hit .304 with 21 extra base hits. In 70.0 innings, the pitching staff carried an ERA of 1.20 with 101 strikeouts. The Flashes also had a nine-game winning streak from March 28 to April 11. Kent State outscored MAC opponents 39-7 during that stretch and had an ERA of 0.80 with a fielding percentage of .976. KSU also had a six-game winning streak come to an end against Penn State. Toocheck and Fitzpatrick Earn Academic Honors Along with three MAC East Player of the Week honors, Jessica Toocheck was also named MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Feb. 21. The senior special education major carries a 3.904 cumulative grade point average. Last week, she was announced as the Janet Bachna Award winner as the top female student-athlete at Kent State. On April 11, Jamie Fitzpatrick was named MAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Week. The mathematics education major carries a 3.909 GPA. Fitzpatrick and Toocheck were two of just 30 seniors in the nation nominated for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Kent State was the only school to have more than one player nominated.
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