Kent State University
Robert Morris
Softball Opens Campaign at Battle of the Beach in South Carolina
2/15/2018 1:49:00 PM | Softball
Kent State softball begins its 2018 season with five games at the Battle of the Beach tournament hosted by Coastal Carolina. The Golden Flashes will take on Robert Morris at 9 a.m. and the host Chanticleers at 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16. On Saturday Kent State takes on UConn at 9 a.m. and Rider at 4:30 p.m. before wrapping up the tournament on Sunday at 8:45 a.m. against Lafayette.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, February. 16
9:00 a.m. Robert Morris Live Stats
2:00 p.m. Coastal Carolina Live Stats
Saturday, February 17
9:00 a.m. UConn Live Stats
4:30 p.m. Rider Live Stats
Sunday, February 18
8:45 a.m. Lafayette Live Stats
The defending MAC Tournament Champion, Kent State was selected to win the Mid-American Conference East Division and the MAC Tournament in the preseason coaches poll. Kent State received six first-place votes and three votes to win the MAC Tournament at Firestone Stadium and earn the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach Eric Oakley returns seven starters from the field, but only 55 innings out of 407.1 inside the circle from last year.
"We put together a good schedule for this season that will test us prior to our MAC schedule," said Oakley. "This weekend everyone is excited to travel and there is going to be a lot of good energy that we can build on to bring back wins."
Senior Holly Speers highlights the returners, as she slugged 14 home runs with 35 RBIs in only 120 at-bats and came through by hitting the go-ahead double to defeat Ohio in the first championship game of the MAC Tournament. Speers ranks fourth in program history in home runs (31) and eighth in batting average (.319). Over the summer Speers played first base for the Canadian National Team.
Kent State also returns junior Bailey Brownfield, who was named First Team All-MAC last season. She hit .324 on the year and led the squad in MAC contests batting .403. The Thornville, Ohio native was clutch in 2017, knocking in the winning or go-ahead run in the final inning three times. She bopped her only homer last year in the 11th inning at Ohio to lift Kent State to a pivotal MAC East road win.
Senior Emily Dobbin was also a key contributor, hitting .270 with four home runs and 20 RBIs and was named Second Team All-MAC and selected to the MAC All-Tournament Team. She provides the team a versatile stick with power and bat control, and played a pivotal role in moving runners into scoring position with 16 sacrifice bunts.
Redshirt junior infielder Shelby Hard is healthy to begin the year after sitting out last year due to injury. She will make her Golden Flashes debut after transferring from North Dakota where she hit a program record 15 home runs her freshman season.
The Golden Flashes are led by a core of five seniors in Vanessa Scoarste, Emily Dobbin, Holly Speers, Allie Luther and Kylee Southers. Dobbin, Scoarste and junior Hunter Brancifort will serve as this year's team captains.
Flash Facts
- Kent State is beginning its 42nd season of softball.
- The Golden Flashes are 6-1 in season openers since the 2011 season.
- Holly Speers ranks third in school history in slugging percentage (.612), fourth in home runs (31), seventh in on base percentage (.421), seventh in base on balls (69) and eighth in batting average (.319).
- Hunter Brancifort is seventh in school history in hit by pitch (20).
- Kent State has finished above .500 the last five years with three conference championships.
- In Kent State's last road swing to the Palmetto State in 2013, the Flashes went 4-1 defeating Oakland, North Carolina Central twice, and USC Upstate.
- Last season the Golden Flashes captured the MAC Tournament championship coming from the loser's bracket to win three games in one day on Championship Saturday. It is only the third time a MAC team has accomplished the feat.
- At the NCAA Tournament in Waco, Texas the Flashes eliminated power five foe Oregon State, 2-1. KSU has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in all four of the program's appearances.
Oakley Adds to Coaching Staff
Kent State alumna Emma Johnson ('15) joined the Golden Flashes' softball coaching staff as an assistant coach in July and is working with Kent State's hurlers. One of the greatest pitchers in the history of the Mid-American Conference, Johnson is one of just four student-athletes to earn multiple Pitcher of the Year honors. She was a two-time NFCA All-Mideast Region Second Team selection and a four-time all-conference performer. As a senior, Johnson garnered Academic All-America® Second Team recognition and received the Janet Bachna Award, which is presented to the Kent State senior female student-athlete who displays athletic, academic and leadership excellence.
Series History
- vs. Robert Morris - The Golden Flashes have a 19-6 edge when facing the Robert Morris Colonials out of the Northeast Conference. In 2016 Robert Morris swept both games of a doubleheader 14-11 and 3-2 in Moon Township, Pa. In 2015 the Flashes took both games, 5-1, in Charlotte, N.C., and 11-3 at the Diamond at Dix.
- vs. Coastal Carolina - Kent State is 7-2 against the host Chanticleers. Kent State took the last meeting in 2010, 7-3. Coastal Carolina was picked to finish seventh in the Sun Belt Conference and the Flashes are 10-6 all-time against the conference.
- vs. UConn- The all-time series with the Huskies is tied 2-2. The Huskies banged out a 14-5 win in the last meeting in 2011. Kent State won the first two games in 1990 and 1993. Since the American Athletic Conference's formation in 2013, the Flashes are 2-3 vs the conference with a 1-0 victory over then-#15 UCF in 2015.
- vs. Rider - The Golden Flashes hold a 2-1 record with the Flashes taking the last matchup, 13-0 in five frames at the Liberty Invitational in Lynchburg, Va. in 2015. The first meeting in 1985 the Flashes won, 4-0, and fell, 3-2, in 1993.
- vs. Lafayette – This is the first all-time meeting against the Leopards from the Patriot League. Kent State is 4-2 against Patriot League schools.
Up Next
Kent State will fly to Florida for EMU's Madeira Beach Tournament on February 23-25 for the Flashes second weekend of competition.
Follow the Flashes
Be sure to follow Kent State softball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and in-game updates about the squad.
