Kent State University
University of Akron
Golden Flashes Set to Travel to Play The School Down The Road in Weekend Series
4/30/2026 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State baseball heads to Akron for a three-game Mid-American Conference series beginning Friday, May 1, and running through Sunday, May 3.Â
The Golden Flashes enter the weekend at 32-11 overall and 17-7 in MAC play, the best winning percentage in the conference at .744, ranking 14th nationally.Â
The Zips sit at 20-25 overall and 10-14 in MAC play, but have shown the offensive firepower to make things interesting, and the rivalry adds another layer to a series with genuine MAC Tournament seeding implications.
Kent State has already beaten Akron once this season, taking the midweek matchup 12-7 in Kent earlier in the year. The Golden Flashes will look to complete the season sweep this weekend.
Kent State has built its season on pitching and timely offense, leading the MAC in ERA (4.74), WHIP (1.34), hits allowed per nine innings (8.29), stolen bases (111), and stolen bases per game (2.58), while ranking second in the conference in runs scored (355) and scoring (8.3 per game).Â
The Zips lead the MAC in hit batters (91, 11th nationally) and rank second in the conference in walks drawn (252) and stolen bases per game. This combination puts consistent pressure on opposing pitchers regardless of what the scoreboard says. Their pitching staff has struggled as a unit with a 7.35 team ERA, but Elijah Griffith provides a legitimate front-end arm who can keep games close when he's on.
Kent State's Offense
The Flashes are hitting .287 as a team with 53 home runs, 239 walks, and 111 stolen bases. Sawyer Solitaria (.308, 12 HR, 38 RBI) leads the club in home runs, ranking second in the MAC in that category, and his .437 on-base percentage anchors a middle-of-the-order attack that can do damage in multiple ways. Ripken Reese (.315, 9 HR, 38 RBI) has matched Solitaria's production almost stride for stride, and Brody Williams (.313, 7 HR, 41 RBI) gives the heart of the order three legitimate threats.
Brady Marshall (.279, .453 OBP) remains one of the MAC's most dangerous table-setters with 37 runs scored and 14 hit-by-pitches, ranking seventh nationally in runs per game (1.09). Nolan Belcher (.304, 7 HR) provides additional pop off the bench and in spot starts, Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe (.284, 31 RBI, .418 OBP) is a consistent presence in the lineup, and Luke Matthews (.275, 16 SB) rounds out a lineup with no soft spots from top to bottom. Akron's staff has issued 276 walks and plunked 91 batters in 370.0 innings, and Kent State's disciplined approach figures to generate consistent traffic on the bases all weekend.
Akron's Most Dangerous Weapons
No Zip has been more productive this season than Brody Chrisman. The outfielder is batting .381 with 64 hits, a .490 on-base percentage, 9 home runs, and 21 stolen bases in 45 games, ranking 50th nationally in batting average and third in the conference in total bases (103). His 46 runs scored rank eighth in the conference, and there is no easy way to navigate around him in the Zips' lineup.
Blake Bowen has drawn 51 walks on the season, tied for the national lead, giving him a .502 on-base percentage. When Chrisman and Bowen are both on base, Akron is at its most dangerous. Easton Amundson (.264, 11 HR, 41 RBI) provides middle-of-the-order pop with a .620 slugging percentage sixth in the MAC, and Kelton Phillips (.323) is a consistent contact hitter who can punish mistakes in the strike zone. Kent State's staff will need to execute with precision.
The Pitching Matchups
Friday — Tumis vs. Griffith
Easton Tumis (6-2, 5.01 ERA, 55.2 IP) leads the MAC and ranks 32nd nationally with just 1.62 walks allowed per nine innings, and his 4.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio is second in the conference. Elijah Griffith counters for Akron at 3-2 with a 4.55 ERA across 59.1 innings and 11 starts, tops on the staff. He has struck out 41 while walking just 19, and his ability to throw strikes gives Akron its best chance to steal a game in this series.Â
Saturday — Caughey vs. Beck
Ciaran Caughey (5-2, 4.00 ERA) has been arguably Kent State's most efficient starter, posting a 4.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.13 WHIP — third in the MAC and 84th nationally. Caughey's 56 strikeouts across 54.0 innings are the most among Golden Flashes starters. Carter Beck counters for Akron at 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA, having walked 15 batters in just 10.0 innings across four starts.Â
Sunday — Rabatin vs. TBD
Ben Rabatin (5-2, 4.75 ERA, 53.0 IP) looks to build on a strong stretch of outings, having struck out 54 batters across 11 starts. Akron's Sunday starter has not been announced.
First pitch Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m. Eastern.
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