After a 2-1 weekend against Central Michigan, Ohio (15-18, 3-6 MAC) will take its strong play on the road, just a few hours up the road against Kent State (18-10, 4-2 MAC). With the schedule turning to the second half of the conference slate, each win becomes more pivotal as the MAC Tournament nears. Ohio and Kent State met last season with Ohio taking two of the three games in Athens.
Despite losing its first game of the weekend series against Central Michigan, Ohio was able to find enough offense to win the second game and come alive for a 7-3 win in the finale. Facing a strong Kent State team, Ohio will look to parlay some of the confidence stemming from the wins into success on the road as it has gone 1-5 in MAC play.
Series information:
Opponent: Kent State
Location: Devine Diamond (Kent, Ohio)
Date and time: Tuesday, April 2 at 12 p.m. (Game 1) and approximately 2 p.m. (Game 2)
Game 1 can be streamed here and Game 2 can be streamed here
Live stats for Game 1 are found here and here for Game 2
Meet the opponent:
Head coach: Jessica O’Donnell (1st season)
Individual statistical leaders
Batting average: Savannah Wing (.386)
Hits: Alexandria Whitmore (34)
Runs: Whitmore (23)
Home runs: Emily Lippe (7)
RBI: Wing (27)
On-base percentage: Wing (.447)
Innings pitched: Macy Irelan (99.2 IP)
ERA: Irelan (1.97)
Strikeouts: Irelan (94)
Notes:
In her first season at the helm at Kent State, Jessica O’Donnell has done a great job of putting the team in position to make the MAC tournament through six conference games. Luckily for O’Donnell, the majority of the starting lineup is experienced with the core contributors, Savannah Wing, Emily Lippe and Alexandria Whitmore, all being upperclassmen.
Kent State has a balanced attack on offense. There is not one batter to hyperfocus on as Kent State has several dangerous hitters. Wing, Lippe and Whitmore are just the tip of the iceberg for a team that hits for a high average and gets on base at a strong rate. Kent State ranks second to Miami in many offensive categories, establishing itself as one of the more well-rounded attacks outside of Oxford.
The real strength of this team, though, is its pitching and defense, both of which rank atop the MAC. Kent State has a team ERA of 3.09 and a fielding percentage of 96.9%. The pitching staff is led by Macy Irelan, one of the best pitchers in the conference. Her potential matchup with Ohio’s Skipp Miller has the makings of one of the better pitchers duels of the season.
For the first time since its lengthy winning streak, Ohio looks like the team that was picked to finish in 2nd place in the MAC Preseason Poll. The complementary ball has eluded the team since conference play began, but Ohio will look to build on its two-game winning streak with high-level play on both ends of the diamond.
