Kent State University
Bowling Green
Kent State Readies to Face Bowling Green
4/26/2018 11:50:00 AM | Softball
The Kent State softball team (24-19, 9-8 MAC) embarks on its final conference road trip of the season when it takes on Bowling Green (25-20, 7-9 MAC) on Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th. The Golden Flashes are in second place in the Mid-American Conference East Division after a series sweep of Buffalo last weekend. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on Friday and game one of the doubleheader at Saturday will begin at 1 p.m. The first game of the series can be heard on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio.
Media Information
Golden Flashes iHeart Radio (Game 1)
Live Stats (All Games)
Game Notes (PDF)
Last Time Out
Kent State swept its weekend MAC series against Buffalo and outscored the Bulls, 33-3. The Golden Flashes won every game in five innings and scored 10 or more runs in three consecutive games for the second time this season. It is the most runs that Kent State has ever scored in a three-game series.
Holly Speers led the offense by hitting three home runs while driving in seven runs. Allie Luther and Brenna Brownfield drove in four runs each, with Luther scoring a team-high six runs. Bailey Brownfield was 7-for-9 in the series with two doubles and six RBIs.
The Golden Flashes had a team batting average of .518 in the series and averaged 2.5 runs scored per inning. Kent State also held Buffalo to a .164 batting average. Madi Huck allowed only two earned runs in 11 innings of work. She struck out a career-high eight on Friday and had a strikeout to walk ratio 8:1.
A doubleheader against Saint Francis (Pa.) was scheduled for Tuesday, but was cancelled due to rain.
Speers Named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist
Kent State senior infielder Holly Speers has been named one of the 25 finalists for the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, as announced by USA Softball. Speers, who currently leads the country in batting average (.495), on base percentage (.621), slugging percentage (1.038) and walks per game (1.15), is the first Golden Flash to ever be named a finalist for the award.
Speers is coming off a week in which she swept both national weekly awards and was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week and the Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week. She put up monster numbers with a .778 batting average (7-for-9) with four home runs, two doubles, two walks, 11 RBI while recording a 2.333 slugging percentage. The Surrey, B.C. native has claimed four Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week awards this season.
#FlashFacts
- Kent State leads the MAC in batting average (.315) and ranks 20th in the country.
- Holly Speers leads the nation in batting average (.496), on-base percentage (.649), slugging percentage (1.038) and walks per game (1.15).
- Speers has 47 walks this season, which is four away from tying the single-season school record of 51, which Maddy Grimm set last season.
- Speers and Kennadie Goth are the top two hitters in the Mid-American Conference with a .495 and .420 batting average, respectively.
- Kent State has won seven weekly awards this season. Holly Speers was named MAC East Player of the Week four times, Emily Dobbin and Bailey Brownfield once and Madi Huck MAC East Pitcher of the Week once.
-Â Bailey Brownfield leads the Golden Flashes with a .466 batting average and 20 RBIs in conference games. Maria Cegledy is second on the team in conference batting average hitting .444 with 11 RBIs.
- Bailey Brownfield is batting .524 (22-for-42) in April with five doubles and 16 RBIs.
- Kent State has five walk-off wins this season. KSU came back from trailing by five entering the sixth against Western Michigan and came back to beat Toledo. Both were the first game of the series. The Flashes are 18-8 when scoring first and are 2-2 in extra innings.
- KSU has clubbed two grand slam home runs this season. Hunter Brancifort hit a grand slam in the first weekend of the season against Rider to tie the game in the seventh. Speers also hit a pinch hit grand slam against Pitt.
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 65-33 record in MAC play over the last four seasons with three championships. The Golden Flashes are also one of only two programs 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 Bowling Green
Kent State leads the all-time series against Bowling Green, 68-44-1 and will meet for the 114th Friday afternoon. Kent State has won 13 straight games in the series and 16 of the last 17 games. Last season, the Golden Flashes beat the Falcons on the last weekend of the season to secure a spot in the MAC Tournament.
The Falcons (25-20, 7-9 MAC) are coming off a 4-0 midweek setback to Notre Dame. Prior to that, Bowling Green was riding a seven-game winning streak and recorded a sweep over Akron and an abbreviated two-game series sweep over Buffalo.
Veteran shortstop Aspen Searle leads the team with a .391 batting average with 13 doubles, six home runs and 22 RBIs and is currently on an eight-game hitting streak. She ranks in the top-10 in Bowling Green history in hits, doubles, runs, batting average, home runs and RBIs. Junior college transfer Kali Holcomb leads the team with eight home runs.
Meredith Miller (13-12) is the ace of the staff with a 3.06 ERA in 142 innings of work and has struck out 138 hitters, the third most in the MAC. The transfer from Southern Miss is allowing a .239 opponent batting average. Brooke Parker (10-6) has tossed 106.1 frames with an ERA of 3.06. Opponents are batting .251 against her.
Up Next
Kent State travels to Pitt on Tuesday, May 1st for a 6 p.m. tilt with the Panthers.
