Kent State University
Northern Illinois
Kent State Returns to MAC Play Against NIU
4/6/2023 5:40:00 PM | Softball
Kent State will play a three-game Mid-American Conference softball series this weekend against Northern Illinois at BW Softball Field in Berea. A single game is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday with a doubleheader slated to start at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
About the Flashes
Kent State (8-21, 3-4 MAC) looks to end a four-game skid following doubleheader losses at Central Michigan and Robert Morris last week.
Freshman Bri Despines leads the offense with a .349 batting average and eight doubles while driving in 14 runs. Despines has reached safely in 13 consecutive games and has a team-high .449 on-base percentage. Junior Emily Lippe is tied for fifth in the MAC with seven home runs and has a team-best 19 RBIs. Redshirt senior Alexandria Whitmore is batting .429 during her current nine-game hitting streak.
Freshman Macy Irelan (5-8) has recorded 42 strikeouts in a team-high 23 appearances and is tied for the conference lead with three saves. Redshirt senior Anilese Kelly (2-8) leads the pitching staff with 53 strikeouts over 79.1 innings and a 4.50 ERA.
Scouting Northern Illinois
The Huskies (15-16, 6-5 MAC) have lost three of four games after dropping a home series to Central Michigan over the weekend. Northern Illinois ranks third in the nation in double plays per game (0.58), fifth in triples per game (0.45) and seventh in stolen bases per game (2.71).
Caitlyn Shumaker has recorded a MAC-best 20 stolen bases and leads the Huskies with 20 RBIs while batting at a .330 clip. Kelly Walinski has a team-high .363 batting average with 17 RBIs. Courtney James leads the way with a .419 on-base percentage, 20 runs scored and eight doubles.
Danielle Stewart (6-8) is the ace of a pitching staff that has allowed at least five runs in five consecutive games. Stewart has a 3.22 ERA and 57 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .228 batting average. The rest of NIU's staff has combined to a 5.26 ERA and .317 opponent batting average.
Series History
Kent State is 30-34 all-time against Northern Illinois. The Golden Flashes have won the series each of the past two seasons, taking two of three games in 2022 and three of four games in 2021. Head coach Eric Oakley has gone 9-6 against the Huskies.
On Deck
Kent State will play a three-game series at Ohio on April 11-12.
Follow the Flashes
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