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With a record-setting hitter atop its order and assorted key contributors throughout the lineup, the Akron Zips softball team achieved something rare this season. And the Zips hope to achieve more this week.
Akron continues its record-breaking season as the No. 1 seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament this week. Akron is set to play at noon Thursday, May 7, at Firestone Stadium against the winner of Wednesday's Ohio-Central Michigan game.
The Zips (31-23, 21-6) joined the 1998 team as the only two UA squads to win a MAC regular-season softball title.
“I think we've really relied on our energy and momentum throughout the season,” Akron redshirt sophomore pitcher Madie Jamrog said May 5 before a practice at Firestone Stadium.
Record-setting senior Meagan Lee provides a spark atop the batting order and in center field. Lee enters the MAC tournament with 275 career hits, the most in Akron history.
“Meagan has a constant ability to get on base,” Akron coach Craig Nicholson said. “That is the first and foremost thing, and then, second, she's probably as good a bunter as I've ever had. I’ve maybe had one other kid that I would compare her to. She's the best bunter in this league and it’s not close. Out of those 275 hits, I would bet you 100 of them are bunt hits.”
Lee is not the only one breaking records this season.
Akron set single-season program records for home runs (53), RBIs (291) and walks (194).
“Our offense is a big piece of what we've done through the course of the regular season,” Nicholson said. "We've pitched it well when we needed to. … The vibe around here and the belief in what we're trying to do combined with the ability to kind of keep things pretty lighthearted and have fun with it, I think those things are kind of the intangible factors to our success.”
Senior second baseman Brooke Sivek and Lee are one-two in career runs scored at Akron with 149 and 147, respectively.
“Meagan's awesome,” Akron junior first baseman Sophia Wygast said. “She can bunt. She can slap. She can drag bunt. She can hit away, which has been a really cool thing to see her do this year because the past two years she hasn't really been able to swing away in a game. And this year it's done a lot of damage for the team.”
Nicholson was named MAC Coach of the Year and Akron junior catcher Katie Cantrell was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Lee, Wygast and Cantrell earned first-team All-MAC honors.
Akron junior left fielder Haley Glass, junior third baseman Lily Sullivan and Jamrog received second-team All-MAC honors. Designated player/catcher Kenzie Gatti was named to the All-MAC freshman team.
Lee leads Akron in batting average (.414), on-base percentage (.473), hits (75) and runs (47) in 54 games. She also has 11 doubles, a triple, 21 walks and 20 RBIs.
“I've been a slapper my whole life and honestly, when I got to college, that's kind of been my bread-and-butter. That and my bunting,” Lee said. “And then this year, I kind of developed my hit away game a little bit more, and that's honestly been the biggest factor for me. Putting in the work in offseason and just trusting what I see on the field and the feel of my swing. My teammates are actually the biggest supporters ever. They love when I hit away. … This season has been amazing and everything I could have asked for."
Wygast leads Akron in home runs (11) and RBIs (60) in 52 games. She is batting .357 with a .613 slugging percentage, a .441 on-base percentage, 60 hits, 10 doubles, 24 walks and 26 runs.
Sullivan is at .335 with 55 hits, 32 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 35 RBIs in 54 games.
“Our offense has improved immensely over the past couple years, but it's not all just from one source,” Wygast said. “From the top to the bottom of our lineup, we have the slappers who can also lay down the bunts when we need them in the situational times, and we do have a ton of power. I think a lot of people’s swings have progressed this year a ton.”
Glass is batting .316 with 37 hits, 31 runs, seven doubles, nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 51 games.
Akron’s other top hitters are Cantrell (.299, 3 HRs, 28 RBIs), sophomores Sydney Selker (.290-10-28) and Andrea Day (.282-2-23), junior Delaney Jenkinson (.248-7-19) and Gatti (.243-4-22).
“We swept Ball State at Ball State [by a combined score of 24-9 in three games] and that's who knocked us out of the conference tournament last year,” Nicholson said. “So, I think that was a big weekend for our group just to kind of get things rolling in MAC. That was our opening weekend in MAC.
“The next weekend, we took two out of three from Miami, who has won this thing the last five years. So, I think starting off like that was big for us. Winning at Ohio State [9-5 on April 21] was probably a key spot to … reinvigorate us a little bit for the stretch run.”
Jamrog is 15-6 with a 3.58 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 156⅓ innings. Junior Macy Walters is 13-10 with a 4.91 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 135⅓ innings.
“We want to win the MAC championship,” Lee said. “We just want to keep playing with each other because we love each other so much.”
Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron brings power bats to Mid-American Conference softball tournament
Continue reading...
Akron continues its record-breaking season as the No. 1 seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament this week. Akron is set to play at noon Thursday, May 7, at Firestone Stadium against the winner of Wednesday's Ohio-Central Michigan game.
The Zips (31-23, 21-6) joined the 1998 team as the only two UA squads to win a MAC regular-season softball title.
“I think we've really relied on our energy and momentum throughout the season,” Akron redshirt sophomore pitcher Madie Jamrog said May 5 before a practice at Firestone Stadium.
Record-setting senior Meagan Lee provides a spark atop the batting order and in center field. Lee enters the MAC tournament with 275 career hits, the most in Akron history.
“Meagan has a constant ability to get on base,” Akron coach Craig Nicholson said. “That is the first and foremost thing, and then, second, she's probably as good a bunter as I've ever had. I’ve maybe had one other kid that I would compare her to. She's the best bunter in this league and it’s not close. Out of those 275 hits, I would bet you 100 of them are bunt hits.”
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Lee is not the only one breaking records this season.
Akron set single-season program records for home runs (53), RBIs (291) and walks (194).
“Our offense is a big piece of what we've done through the course of the regular season,” Nicholson said. "We've pitched it well when we needed to. … The vibe around here and the belief in what we're trying to do combined with the ability to kind of keep things pretty lighthearted and have fun with it, I think those things are kind of the intangible factors to our success.”
Senior second baseman Brooke Sivek and Lee are one-two in career runs scored at Akron with 149 and 147, respectively.
“Meagan's awesome,” Akron junior first baseman Sophia Wygast said. “She can bunt. She can slap. She can drag bunt. She can hit away, which has been a really cool thing to see her do this year because the past two years she hasn't really been able to swing away in a game. And this year it's done a lot of damage for the team.”
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Meagan Lee, Sophia Wygast lead Akron into MAC softball tournament
Nicholson was named MAC Coach of the Year and Akron junior catcher Katie Cantrell was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Lee, Wygast and Cantrell earned first-team All-MAC honors.
Akron junior left fielder Haley Glass, junior third baseman Lily Sullivan and Jamrog received second-team All-MAC honors. Designated player/catcher Kenzie Gatti was named to the All-MAC freshman team.
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Lee leads Akron in batting average (.414), on-base percentage (.473), hits (75) and runs (47) in 54 games. She also has 11 doubles, a triple, 21 walks and 20 RBIs.
“I've been a slapper my whole life and honestly, when I got to college, that's kind of been my bread-and-butter. That and my bunting,” Lee said. “And then this year, I kind of developed my hit away game a little bit more, and that's honestly been the biggest factor for me. Putting in the work in offseason and just trusting what I see on the field and the feel of my swing. My teammates are actually the biggest supporters ever. They love when I hit away. … This season has been amazing and everything I could have asked for."
You must be registered for see images attach
Wygast leads Akron in home runs (11) and RBIs (60) in 52 games. She is batting .357 with a .613 slugging percentage, a .441 on-base percentage, 60 hits, 10 doubles, 24 walks and 26 runs.
Sullivan is at .335 with 55 hits, 32 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 35 RBIs in 54 games.
“Our offense has improved immensely over the past couple years, but it's not all just from one source,” Wygast said. “From the top to the bottom of our lineup, we have the slappers who can also lay down the bunts when we need them in the situational times, and we do have a ton of power. I think a lot of people’s swings have progressed this year a ton.”
Glass is batting .316 with 37 hits, 31 runs, seven doubles, nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 51 games.
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Akron’s other top hitters are Cantrell (.299, 3 HRs, 28 RBIs), sophomores Sydney Selker (.290-10-28) and Andrea Day (.282-2-23), junior Delaney Jenkinson (.248-7-19) and Gatti (.243-4-22).
“We swept Ball State at Ball State [by a combined score of 24-9 in three games] and that's who knocked us out of the conference tournament last year,” Nicholson said. “So, I think that was a big weekend for our group just to kind of get things rolling in MAC. That was our opening weekend in MAC.
“The next weekend, we took two out of three from Miami, who has won this thing the last five years. So, I think starting off like that was big for us. Winning at Ohio State [9-5 on April 21] was probably a key spot to … reinvigorate us a little bit for the stretch run.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Jamrog is 15-6 with a 3.58 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 156⅓ innings. Junior Macy Walters is 13-10 with a 4.91 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 135⅓ innings.
“We want to win the MAC championship,” Lee said. “We just want to keep playing with each other because we love each other so much.”
Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron brings power bats to Mid-American Conference softball tournament
Continue reading...
