Kent State University
Minnesota
Upset Minded Flashes to Face Four Ranked Teams
2/28/2019 3:50:00 PM | Softball
The Golden Flashes head to the desert for the Arizona Wildcat Invitational this weekend against still competition to conclude an 11-day road trip. Kent State (6-6) will play five games against NCAA Tournament teams last year beginning on Friday, March 1 with a 3:15 p.m. EST / 1:15 MST first pitch against #23 Minnesota (7-5) and conclude the day at 8:15 p.m. EST / 6:15 MST against #12 Arizona (9-5). Saturday features a 2017 NCAA Tournament rematch against #19 James Madison (5-2) at 3:30 p.m. EST / 1:30 MST with another nightcap against the Wildcats at 8:15 p.m. EST / 6:15 MST. Kent State's weekend concludes Sunday with a 11:00 a.m. EST / 9 a.m. MST game against mid-major power Drake (10-4).
FloSoftball ($) will live stream games at a fee. Jacob Pavilack will have the radio call on the Golden Flashes iHeart Radio channel the last four games of the weekend and as always, will be free.
Last Time Out
The Golden Flashes played a pair of midweek ballgames in the Bayou State over the past week. After dropping their contest to #10 LSU 8-0 in five innings, the Flashes traveled to Hammond to face Southeastern Louisiana and fell, 7-5. A late seventh inning rally which was spearheaded by Alexis Taube's three-run home run came up just short against the Lions as Kent State left the tying run in the batter's box.
Taking On Nationally Ranked Competition.
After facing #9 LSU on Tuesday, the Golden Flashes have now faced four top 25 teams throughout their first 12 games. This weekend, the Flashes will face four more ranked teams in the Arizona Wildcat Invitational by taking on Arizona twice, Minnesota and James Madison. That will put the total up to eight ranked teams in the first 17 games. The Flashes have already defeated two ranked teams this season after defeating Baylor twice in the Baylor Invitational. The last time the Flashes defeated two ranked teams in a season was 2015, when they defeated #3 Michigan and #15 UCF. Current Pitching Coach Emma Johnson secured both wins for the Flashes.
Scali Named National Co-Player of the Week
For the first time in her career, redshirt freshman pitcher Andrea Scali was named USA Softball's National Co-Player of the Week. She also garnered Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Week honors.
Scali turned in another fabulous week inside the circle, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning and recording two victories against #21 Baylor. She threw 18 total innings and limited the opposition to a .136 batting average with a 0.78 ERA and 26 strikeouts to five walks while posting three total wins. The Parma, Ohio native allowed the first earned run of her career in the second game against #21 Baylor after 31 innings of work without an earned run.
Flashes At The Plate
Throughout the first 12 games for Kent State, Flashes are batting .350 or over to start the season. Leading the way for the Flashes are sophomore Kennadie Goth and senior Bailey Brownfield, who are hitting .385 and .371, respectively. Taube is hitting .360 and senior Hunter Brancifort is hitting .350 to round out the Flashes' top four. Sophomore Kaitlyn Miller is hitting .343 and is second on the team in hits (12). Bailey Brownfield leads the team in hits (13), doubles (6) and total bases (19).
#FlashFacts
- Kent State was picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference and received a vote win the MAC Tournament in the preseason coaches' poll.
- Redshirt freshman Andrea Scali is 6-1 with a 1.66 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP to start her collegiate career.
- Kent State is second in the MAC is batting average (.285) and fourth in fielding percentage (.961). The Flashes also rank second in the MAC in doubles per game (1.60) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.48).
- Sophomores Maria Cegledy and Kaitlyn Miller were both named to the Baylor Invitational All-Tournament Team.
- Bailey Brownfield leads the club this season with six doubles. Last year her 13 two-baggers were tied for ninth most in a single-season in program history.
- 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 Baylor, LSU, Southeastern Louisiana and Arizona and return home on March 3rd.
Scouting the Opposition
vs. #23 Minnesota – The Golden Flashes are 0-2 all-time against the Gophers, but have not played since 2012. Minnesota is 7-5 on the season and played a challenging schedule. They fell twice this past weekend in Tuscaloosa to Alabama and fell in heartbreaking fashion 1-0 in the first game of the series. The Gophers were eliminated by Washington last season in the Seattle Regional.
at. #12 Arizona – The Wildcats are the host and the Flashes will have to face them twice in a 24- hour span on Friday and Saturday night. Arizona is 9-5 on the season. They went 3-1 last weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic with a victory over #20 Oklahoma State and a loss to #4 Oklahoma. KSU is 0-1 vs. Arizona with the only meeting in 1997. The Wildcats were an NCAA Tournament Super Regional squad a season ago.
vs. #19 James Madison – James Madison is heading into the weekend with a 5-2 record and have played only seven games due to weather. Nevertheless, they still have impressive wins over #6 Tennessee and #19. All time, the Flashes are 1-1 against the Dukes. JMU eliminated Kent State from the 2017 NCAA Tournament with a 4-0 win. JMU appeared at the Tennessee regional last year.
vs. Drake – The Bulldogs come into this tournament with a 10-4 mark and are riding a five-game winning streak. Drake swept the Razorback Invitation which included a 3-1 triumph over #12 Arkansas. Drake was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference and last season was a 45-win club that knocked BYU out of the NCAA Tournament. The Flashes are 3-0 all-time against the Bulldogs, but the last meeting was in 1993.
Next up
Kent State will take a week off from competition before returning to the diamond on Saturday, March 16, and Sunday, March 17 for a three-game set at Michigan. The Golden Flashes and Wolverines begin the weekend with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday before rounding out the weekend with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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