Kent State University
North Texas
Flashes Take to the Lonestar State for Baylor Invitational
2/20/2019 1:51:00 PM | Softball
Kent State (3-2) returns to the site it won a game at during the 2017 NCAA Tournament when it travels to the Baylor Invitational in Waco, Tx. for five games this weekend. The Golden Flashes will battle nationally ranked competition that begins on Friday, Feb. 22, with an 11 a.m./10 CST first pitch against North Texas (8-1) before facing #10 Louisiana (11-0) at 1:30 p.m./12:30 CST. The following day on Saturday, Feb. 23, KSU will play the host #21 Baylor (7-4) at 1:30 p.m./12:30 CST. Kent State will play one more game on Saturday before concluding the weekend on Sunday, Feb. 24 with to be determined opponents and game times as the Baylor Invitational features a true tournament format.
Live stats will be provided for all games. Games against the host Lady Bears will be streamed on Facebook. Games against UL will have radio coverage courtesy of Cajuns' Radio.
Last Time Out
Fourth year head coach Eric Oakley became the fastest head coach in program history to reach 100 victories with a 7-1 win over LIU Brooklyn in the season opener on Feb. 8. He accomplished the feat in 173 games.
The Golden Flashes closed out its first weekend of competition at the FGCU Kickoff Classic sweeping the season series against Penn State. Kent State won game one, 11-0, in a run-rule five inning victory and closed out the weekend with a 9-2 triumph on Sunday, Feb. 10. KSU outscored its Big 10 Conference foe, 20-2, and out hit them, 21-5. Oakley has posted six wins against the Big 10 during his tenure.
Taking On Nationally Ranked Competition
The Golden Flashes will face #10 Louisiana and #21 Baylor this weekend which begins one of the toughest schedules for any mid-major team in the nation. Kent State will play 12 games against teams that received a vote in the Preseason USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches' Poll, with 10 of the games against top-25 opponents. Kent State's last win over a ranked team occurred on March 14, 2015 when the Flashes defeated #3 Michigan, 3-0, in Ann Arbor. The Golden Flashes also beat #15 UCF, 1-0, that same season. Current Golden Flashes pitching coach Emma Johnson was the winning pitcher in both games.
Scali Named MAC Pitcher of the Week
Redshirt freshman pitcher Andrea Scali was dominant in her first collegiate weekend of competition, throwing 16 innings while not allowing a run and striking out 27 batters. The Parma, Ohio native went a perfect 3-0 inside the circle and compiled an impressive WHIP of 0.38. In her first collegiate start, Scali struck out the side in the first inning en route to a complete game one-hitter with 12 strikeouts against LIU Brooklyn in a 7-1 win. Her 12 strikeouts were the most by a KSU pitcher in their first career start since current pitching coach Emma Johnson also punched out 12 against Weber State on Feb. 10, 2012. The record for most strikeouts in a debut is held by three-time MAC Pitcher of the Year Kylie Reynolds; she struck out 16 against Campbell on Feb 16, 2007.
She followed her debut performance with a five-inning, one-hit shutout while striking out 10 in an 11-0 drubbing of Penn State on Saturday. To conclude the weekend, she came out of the bullpen for four frames, allowing just one hit and collecting five strikeouts.
Brancifort Tabbed MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week
Senior infielder Hunter Brancifort had a monster start to her senior season with eight RBIs this past weekend at the FGCU Kickoff Classic. Brancifort drove in seven of her runs against Penn State to lead Kent State to a two-game sweep of the Big Ten Conference member. Her grand slam in the bottom of the first inning helped the Golden Flashes run-rule the Nittany Lions 11-0 on Saturday, as she also set a new career-high with five RBIs. Defensively, Brancifort did not commit any errors in 17 chances. The Pickerington, Ohio native carries a 3.893 GPA as a finance major.
#FlashFacts
- Senior Bailey Brownfield has begun the season on a five-game hitting streak. She compiled a career-best 13-game streak last season.
- Sophomore Kaitlyn Miller clubbed her first career homer in the season-opener against LIU Brooklyn. She is tied for the club lead with six hits after the first week of play.
- Redshirt sophomore Kellie Abeska tallied her first RBI of the season against Penn State and her first since 2017. She missed the 2018 campaign due to injury.
- Sophomore Alexis Taube scored a team-best six runs on the weekend and started every game of the weekend at shortstop.
- Senior Hunter Brancifort clubbed her second career gland slam against Penn State. Last year she hit a game-tying grand slam with two outs in the seventh inning against Rider.Â
- KSU out hit its opponents, 42-21, and outscored its opposition, 28-8, at the FGCU Kickoff Classic to open the season.
- Kent State was picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference and received a vote to win the MAC Tournament in the preseason coaches' poll.
- The Flashes are on an 11-day cross-country trip that will feature seven games against nationally ranked opponents. Kent State will travel 4,478 miles in total with stops at LSU, Southeastern Louisiana and Arizona and return home on Mar. 3.
Scouting the Opposition
- vs. North Texas – The Golden Flashes and Mean Green have never met on the softball diamond. North Texas is 8-1 this season and defeated #20 Texas A&M 10-2 on the road in College Station. UNT outscored its opposition of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Seton Hall, Creighton and Northwestern State 36-6 last weekend when it hosted the Mean Green Classic.
- vs. #10 Louisiana – Kent State is 0-1 all-time against the Ragin' Cajuns but have not met in 37 years. The Flashes fell 4-0 in 1982 at a neutral site in Baton Rouge, La. to UL who was then known as Southwestern Louisiana. Louisiana is 11-0 this year and twice defeated Stephen F. Austin and Austin Peay with a single victory over Jackson State at the Louisiana Classics last weekend. A perennial power in the Sun Belt Conference, UL are is favorite to win the league and currently placed top-10 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll for the first time since 2016.
- vs. #21 Baylor – The Flashes are 0-4 all-time against the host Lady Bears, and fell 1-0 in the last meeting in the 2017 NCAA Tournament opening round. Pitcher Ronnie Ladines kept the Baylor bats off balance all evening and only allowed two hits, but the hosts scored their lone run of the game on an error. Baylor (7-4) played a difficult opening weekend at the Puerto Vallarta Challenge and picked up its marquee victory of the season 4-1 over #9 South Carolina. The Lady Bears hosted their home opener last weekend and fell twice to UT Arlington and won three games against Sam Houston State and Southern Miss.
Next Up
Kent State travels to the Bayou State to take on #9 LSU on Tuesday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m./6 CST and Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 4 p.m./5 CST.
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