Kent State University
Miami (Ohio)
Flashes Take On Miami for Weekend Series
4/13/2018 8:53:00 AM | Softball
The Kent State softball team (19-16, 5-6 MAC) hits the road for a weekend series against Miami (Ohio) (15-8, 4-7 MAC). The series begins with a doubleheader on Friday, April 13, at 2 p.m., wrapping up weekend play on Saturday, April 14, at 1 p.m. All games can be heard live on the Golden Flashes iHeart Radio Channel.
Last Time Out
The Golden Flashes hosted Ohio for a mid-week doubleheader on Wednesday, but dropped both games. In the first game, Kent State fell to Ohio 4-2, followed by dropping the final game with a 22-7 decision in five innings. Bailey Brownfield had hits in both games and extended her hitting streak to 11-games.
#FlashFacts
- The Golden Flashes are one of the top-hitting teams in the country, with the 34th-best team batting average at .305.
- Holly Speers leads the country in batting average (.500), on-base percentage (.654) and walks per game (1.18). She is fifth in slugging percentage (.966). Speers has 40 career home runs which is second in school history and seventh in MAC history.
- Kennadie Goth is 18th in the nation in batting average (.444) and has the second-highest average for a freshman behind UCLA's Aaliyah Jordan (.486).
- Kent State has won six weekly awards this season. Holly Speers was named MAC East Player of the Week three times, Emily Dobbin and Bailey Brownfield once and Madi Huck MAC East Pitcher of the Week once.
- Maria Cegledy leads the team in batting average (.462) in conference-only games. She also has the second most RBIs with eight.
- Bailey Brownfield is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak. Holly Speers (14) and Emily Dobbin (10) both had hitting streaks of 10 or more games this season.
- Kent State has four walk-off wins this season. KSU came back from trailing by five entering the sixth last week against Western Michigan and came back to beat Toledo. Both were the first game of the series. The Flashes are 15-5 when scoring first and are 2-1 in extra innings.
Kent State Selected to win MAC East and MAC Tournament
The Golden Flashes were picked in the MAC's preseason coaches' poll to win the MAC East Division and MAC Tournament. Kent State was picked to win the MAC East Division in back-to-back seasons. KSU has won a MAC championship in three straight years with two regular season crowns in 2015 and 2016 and a tournament title a season ago.
Success in the MAC
Kent State has a 61-31 record in MAC play over the last four seasons with three championships. The Golden Flashes are also one of only two schools to win the tournament multiple times in the last decade. Under head coach Eric Oakley, Kent State has a 7-3 record in the MAC Tournament.
Series History / Scouting Miami (Ohio)
In series action, Miami (Ohio) have met 108 times with the RedHawks holding a 55-53 all-time series advantage. The last meeting between the two teams was last season during the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Kent State picked up a 4-1 victory that advanced the Flashes in the tournament. In regular season play, the Flashes went 1-2 during the three-game series.
The RedHawks, under sixth-year coach Clarissa Crowell, stand 15-8 overall and 4-7 in Mid-American Conference play, after splitting a mid-week twin bill against Bowling Green on Wednesday. Miami won the first game 7-2, followed by dropping the final game, 4-1. Senior OF Megan Wurts is the RedHawks' top hitter, batting .347 with 35 hits and 22 runs. Wurts also leads the team in stolen bases with 7 on eight attempts. In the circle, freshman pitcher Courtney Vierstra is 11-9 with a 2.32 ERA. She's thrown 120.2 innings, fanning 115 and 31
walks.
Up Next
Kent State returns back home for a mid-week matchup against Pitt on Wednesday, April 18, at 4 p.m., followed by a weekend series against Buffalo April 20-21. The Flashes take on the Bulls for a single game on Friday, April 20 at 3 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Sunday for a 1 p.m. start.
