Kent State University
University of Illinois - Chicago
Softball Set for 2016 Opening Weekend at FGCU Kickoff Classic
2/11/2016 9:17:00 PM | Softball
The 2016 softball season begins this weekend as Kent State heads south to compete at the Florida Gulf Coast Kickoff Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. The Golden Flashes get started against Illinois-Chicago at 9 a.m. on Friday in the first of five games over three days. After a nightcap against Memphis on Friday, the Flashes will play Middle Tennessee and Michigan State on Saturday. The weekend concludes against host Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday.
While the Flashes feature several new faces, a core of 12 letterwinners from last season's Mid-American Conference regular season championship team that won 41 games returns to lead the pursuit of back-to-back titles. Kent State was picked to finish third in the MAC East in the preseason coaches poll that was released on Wednesday, but their four first-place votes were tied for the most in the division. Additionally, the Flashes received two votes to repeat as regular season champions and were picked as co-favorites to win the MAC Tournament with three votes.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, February 12
9:00 a.m. Illinois-Chicago - Live Stats
11:15 a.m. Memphis - Live Stats
Saturday, February 13
1:30 p.m. Middle Tennessee - Live Stats
8:15 p.m. Michigan State - Live Stats
Sunday, February 14
1:30 p.m. Florida Gulf Coast - Live Stats
Coaching Staff
Interim head coach Eric Oakley is the longest-tenured member of the coaching staff. Oakley was hired as the pitching coach prior to last season and produced immediate results with Kent State having one of the top pitching staffs in all of college softball. In addition to a three-year tenure as head coach at North Dakota, Oakley served as interim head coach at Eastern Michigan during the 2010 season. He was a member of the Eagles' staff for five seasons total and helped lead them to the MAC Softball Championship crown in 2007.
"The goal is always going to be a MAC championship. That's the standard that's been set here," Oakley said. "Last year's team was regular season champions, but we felt we came up a little short in the tournament. We need to keep the history of winning, but try doing it a little differently and be a little more multi-dimensional. We feel really comfortable with our pitching, but we need to be more timely with our hits and score more. It's OK to win 8-7 sometimes."
Oakley completed his staff by hiring Kyle Gross and Stephanie Zimny in the fall, both of which have head coaching experience at the collegiate level. Gross, who works primarily with the team's infielders and assists with hitting instruction, is also familiar with the MAC and served as co-interim head coach at Toledo during the 2013 season. Zimny, who works with the team's pitchers and catchers, spent the past five seasons as head coach at her alma mater, Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.), where she was also the head volleyball coach.
Senior Class
The six-member senior class of Nicolette Cregan, Michele Duffy, Alyssa Frankenfield, Arika Roush, Shelbi Tilton and Erika Warren has accomplished much, including an East Division title in 2013 and the MAC regular season title last spring, but a MAC Tournament crown has eluded them. The group has helped the Flashes compile a 43-16 record in conference games over the last three seasons, but the team has gone just 3-6 at the conference tournament. Duffy and Tilton were voted as captains, but Oakley credits all six for their leadership.
"The seniors have done a great job of taking over as leaders. They know the history, are aware of where we've come up short the last few years and they are bringing the freshmen in right away. They have done a good job of nurturing them but also pushing them along and letting them know that they are important to the success of this team."
Pitchers and Catchers
Despite the loss of 2015 MAC Pitcher of the Year Emma Johnson, Kent State looks to continue its storied history of excellent pitching. The Flashes were dominant in the circle last season and ranked third in the country with a 1.55 team ERA. Junior Ronnie Ladines (12-6, 2.35 ERA, 110.0 IP, 104 K in 2015) will replace Johnson as the ace of the staff. Ladines, who allowed just one earned run over her final 24.1 innings of the conference season, had the fifth-lowest ERA in the MAC and allowed the second-fewest hits among pitchers who threw at least 100 innings.
Senior Alyssa Frankenfield (4-1, 2.39 ERA, 29.1 IP, 22 K) and junior Janel Hayes (2-0, 2.19 ERA, 16.0 IP, 9 K) showed great improvement a season ago and will have expanded roles this year. Freshman Hailey Hopkins was selected as the Preseason MAC Freshman of the Year by College Sports Madness and had a 0.46 ERA over 60.1 innings during her senior season of high school.
Hayes, Hopkins and Ladines all have pop in their bats and provide Oakley with versatility in the lineup he puts on the field. Last season, Hayes had 5 doubles, 3 home runs and 19 RBIs in 88 at-bats, while Ladines had 2 doubles, 2 home runs and 4 RBIs in 72 at-bats.
Senior Erika Warren (.213, 3 doubles, 8 RBIs) leads a deep group of catchers. A high IQ player, Warren calls her own games from behind the plate and does an excellent job of working with the pitching staff. She threw out 15 baserunners trying to steal last season her stolen base against percentage was the best in the MAC.
Infielders
Kent State has one the best infield units in the conference with all four regular starters returning. Junior Maddy Grimm (.373, 11 doubles, 19 home runs, 54 RBIs) and sophomore Holly Speers (.238, 7 doubles, 5 home runs, 22 RBIs) form one of the top duos on the left side of the infield in the region. Grimm was a NFCA All-Mideast Region First Team and All-MAC First Team selection last season when she set Kent State records for home runs, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage. Speers provided protection for Grimm in the cleanup spot for the majority of league play and received All-MAC Second Team honors.
Seniors Michele Duffy (.307, 6 doubles, 6 home runs, 31 RBIs) and Shelbi Tilton (.263, 6 doubles, 3 home runs, 26 RBIs) return on the right side of the infield and have both made more than 100 starts in their Golden Flashes careers. Duffy was an NFCA All-Mideast Region Third Team selection during her breakout season in 2015 and is the most versatile defensive player on the roster. Last year, she made starts at first base, second base, third base and right field. Tilton looks to go out in a big way and make up for lost games after being limited by injuries to just 12 conference games over the past two seasons.
Outfielders
The Flashes have lots of competition in the outfield with all three starting spots open. Senior Arika Roush (.188, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 3 RBIs) finished the season as the starting rightfielder and made 14 starts overall. Hayes (10 starts) and Duffy (9 starts) are the only other returners who started a game in the outfield last season.
Sophomore Emily Dobbin, who made 29 appearances as a pinch runner in 2015, and freshmen Sydney Anderson, Jen Cader and Kiley Harrison are also in the battle for playing time.
Schedule
Kent State will face a challenging non-conference schedule to prepare for the MAC season. The Flashes will compete in tournaments at Florida Gulf Coast, USC Upstate, Louisville, Washington and South Florida over the first month-and-a-half of the season before the home opener at the Diamond at Dix against Central Michigan on March 25. Highlights of the non-conference slate include a game at #17 UCF and two games at #20 Washington in addition to eight games against teams receiving votes in at least one of the two preseason national polls. Ohio State returns to the schedule for the first time since 2006 with a doubleheader in Columbus on May 4.
The MAC has changed its schedule format for the 2016 season and eliminated round-robin play. The schedule now features 24 games with three games against each team in a school's division and three games against three schools in the other division.
Kent State opens the conference season at home with a single game against Central Michigan on March 25, followed by a doubleheader with the Chippewas the following day. The Flashes drew Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois as their other two cross-divisional matchups. The regular season will come to a close with a three-game series against rival Akron on May 6-7 at the Diamond at Dix.
The 2016 MAC Softball Championship will be played at Firestone Stadium in Akron from May 11-14. The tournament is double-elimination with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to NCAA Regionals.
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will play five games at the Upstate Invitational February 19-21 with games being hosted by USC Upstate and Furman.
