Kent State University
Youngstown State
Kent State Softball Hosts YSU Wednesday for Home Opener at Devine Diamond
3/12/2024 12:11:00 PM | Softball
The Kent State softball team will open its home schedule at Devine Diamond on Wednesday, March 13 against Youngstown State. The game has been designated Military Appreciation Day with the first 100 fans receiving a Kent State Softball camo visor and a flyover scheduled for 2:57 p.m. First pitch will follow at 3 p.m.
All games played at Devine Diamond this season will be streamed on BoxCast.
About the Golden Flashes
Kent State (10-8) won its final three games over the weekend at the Catamount Classic and totaled a season-high 15 hits in the tournament finale on Sunday.
The Golden Flashes' offense has shown much improvement early in the season and ranks second in the Mid-American Conference in batting average (.316) and scoring (5.61 runs per game).
Junior Savannah Wing is having a breakout season and ranks third in the MAC in batting average (.438), fourth in on-base percentage (.500) and sixth in slugging percentage (.688). Wing has a hit in six straight games and shares the team lead with 16 RBIs. Sophomore Bri Despines has a team-high 23 hits and 16 runs scored while ranking sixth in the conference with a .404 batting average. Senior Emily Lippe has a career-best .340 batting average and leads Kent State with four home runs and 16 RBIs.
Freshman Megan Nuechterlein (8-3) is the MAC leader with eight victories and threw her first career complete game this past weekend. Nuechterlein has a 3.66 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 44.0 innings. Sophomore Macy Irelan (2-4) is tied for the conference lead with two saves and has made appearances in 16 of 18 games this season. Irelan has tossed 56.2 innings and leads the team with a 2.55 ERA.
Scouting the Opposition
Youngstown State enters Tuesday's home-opening doubleheader against Akron with a 10-8 record. Ashlyn Bishop leads the Penguins with a .313 batting average, while Jillian Jake and Hailey Niederkohr both have 10 RBIs. Sophie Howell (6-3) is the ace of the pitching staff with a 1.98 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 53.0 innings.
Series History
Kent State has gone 52-15 all-time against Youngstown State. The teams last played on March 20, 2019, with the Golden Flashes taking the first game of the doubleheader, 10-0 in five innings, and falling in the second game, 4-3. This will be the first time the teams have played in Kent since April 27, 2016. Each team won a game of the doubleheader.
On Deck for the Flashes
Kent State will finish non-conference action this weekend with a three-game series at Manhattan. A doubleheader is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Saturday with a single game to be played on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Follow the Flashes
Be sure to follow the Golden Flashes on X, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the team.
