Kent State University
Southern Utah
Softball Travels to West Coast to Open 2015 Campaign
2/13/2015 2:01:00 PM | Softball
The Kent State softball team begins its quest for a Mid-American Conference championship at this weekend's University of San Diego Tournament in San Diego, Calif. The Golden Flashes get started against Southern Utah at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday in the first of six games over three days.After a nightcap against Montana on Friday, the Flashes will play Southern Utah and host San Diego on Saturday. The weekend concludes games against Montana and Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday.
Kent State was picked to finish second in the MAC East in the preseason coaches' poll that was released last week. Last season, the Flashes were in position to repeat as East Division champions heading into the final weekend of the regular season. However, a two-game series sweep at the hands of Buffalo forced the Flashes to watch the Bulls to celebrate a divisional title and resulted in the No. 4 seed in the MAC Tournament.
"Our goal is to be MAC champions," said head coach Karen Linder. "We want to win the regular season and we want to win the MAC Tournament title so we can go the NCAA Regionals. I think that we have a team this year that is capable of accomplishing that."
Kent State will once again boast one of the best pitching staffs in the MAC, led by senior Emma Johnson. A three-time all-conference selection who was named MAC Pitcher of the Year in 2013, Johnson is one of the top pitchers to play for the storied Kent State softball program. Johnson went 14-11 with a 2.09 ERA and 164 strikeouts in 2014. Sophomore Ronnie Ladines was sensational a season ago despite a 7-6 record. The All-MAC Freshman Team honoree led the conference with a 6.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio and had a 2.13 ERA.
"Our piching is our biggest strength," Linder said. "Having both Emma and Ronnie is like having two number one pitchers. They were two of the top pitchers in the MAC last season and both have worked hard to be improved."
Junior Alyssa Frankenfield and sophomore Janel Hayes return will also see time in the pitcher's circle for the Flashes. Both should see expanded roles in relief after combining to throw 12.2 innings a year ago.
Seven starting position players return for a Flashes lineup that bolstered its production with the long ball in 2014. Leading the way is a trio of seniors - Kim Kirkpatrick, Dani Ramos and Ariele Patterson - in the outfield. Kirkpatrick batted .288 and hit a team-best 12 doubles to go with 5 home runs and 14 RBI last season. The speedy Ramos was sixth in the country with six triples while batting .270, while Patterson improved as the season progressed and hit .287 in conference play.
Sophomore Maddy Grimm, who crushed 13 home runs to tie the Kent State single-season record in her debut campaign, brought a new dimension to a Kent State offense that totaled just 12 home runs the previous season. Grimm earned NFCA All-Mideast Region Third Team accolades after setting a Kent State freshman record with 44 RBI and led the Flashes with 34 runs scored, 26 walks, .667 slugging and a .409 on-base percentage. Juniors Michele Duffy and Lauren Kesterson also return for the Flashes' infield, while junior Erika Warren is back behind the plate.
"I expect for our offense to be improved again this season," said Linder. "We should see better numbers from a power standpoint but also be much better at other aspects of the game such as putting down bunts and stealing bases. We have a lot of seniors and juniors in our lineup and they seemed to play with more confidence during our fall season."
Kent State gets back the services of junior Shelbi Tilton, who missed all of the conference season due to injury. Tilton started 26 games at first base and was enjoying a breakout season at the plate. She was hitting .289 with five doubles and two home runs and had a .400 on-base percentage.
"It is great to have Shelbi back in the lineup," Linder said. "She was hitting in the four-hole for us before she went out and we are counting on her to be big this year in terms of run production."
The Flashes will look to both new and old faces to fill voids in the lineup this season. Juniors Arika Roush and Chloe Kesterson and sophomores Hayes and Ladines will all battle for spots in the batting order. Additionally, freshmen Katlyn Purvis, Vanessa Scoarste and Holly Speers could have opportunites to make an impact for the Flashes.
After returning from San Diego, the Flashes will head to Richmond, Ky. for four games at the EKU Invitational Feb. 21-22.
