ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland softball program opens its long-awaited 2021 season with four games at the Purple/Gold Challenge in Nashville, Tenn. The Golden Grizzlies will compete in a pair of games against the Loyola Ramblers and tournament host Lipscomb on Friday, March 5, and Saturday, March 6. Live stats will be provided for each game. Both contests against Lipscomb will stream on YouTube.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
March 5 | Noon ET | Oakland vs. Loyola | Live Stats
March 5 | 5 p.m. ET | Oakland vs. Lipscomb | Live Stats | Watch (YouTube)
March 6 | Noon ET | Oakland vs. Loyola | Live Stats
March 6 | 2:30 p.m. | Oakland vs. Lipscomb | Live Stats | Watch (YouTube)
THOUGHTS FROM COACH KARN
SCOUTING LIPSCOMB
The Bison managed to play 11 games in February, despite the cancellation of their first scheduled tournament (Best on the Bayou Classic). Lipscomb has gotten off to a 5-6 start, which has included three wins at the Jaguar Classic and a series split against Northern Iowa. Most recently, the Bison lost three out of four to Coastal Carolina in the Chanticleer Showdown.
Leaders on the Bison offense include Kamrie Rich and Amy Vetula. Rich is batting .368 with six extra-base hits and nine runs batted in. Vetula has contributed with a team-best .429 batting average and five steals in six attempts. Graduate transfer Breana Burke and freshman hurler Laine Barefoot have combined for 12 appearances, eight starts, and six complete games in the circle. Barefoot leads the Bison with a 2.10 earned run average while Burke has produced a team-high in wins (three), complete games (four), and strikeouts (27).
ALL-TIME VS. LIPSCOMB
OU holds an all-time record of 0-3 versus Lipscomb. All three matchups transpired in the 2010 season during Oakland's time in the Summit League.
SCOUTING LOYOLA
Loyola has lost its first six games of the 2021 campaign. The Ramblers opened the year with four defeats at the DePaul Dome Tournament. They followed up the tournament with two losses at Belmont.
Nova Sinskul has paced the Loyola offense by hitting .294 with one home run and four RBI. Freshman transfer Hannah Nalley leads the team in batting average (.300) and on-base percentage (.563). Junior pitcher Sydney Ruggles is sporting a 3.64 ERA in six appearances in the circle. A year ago, she posted a 6-2 record with a 1.71 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched.
ALL-TIME VS. LOYOLA
Oakland holds a 1-1 all-time record against Loyola. OU earned a 2-0 shutout over the Ramblers in 2004, but dropped the following matchup, 10-0, during the opening week of the 2019 season. Senior pitcher Chelsea Wiggins allowed one earned run in 2.2 innings of work in the start. Shannon Carr headlined current Golden Grizzlies in the matchup with a 1-for-2 showing at the plate.
2021 SCHEDULE
The Golden Grizzlies are slated for 40 in-conference games with nine weekend series and two midweek matchups. A Friday-Saturday doubleheader is scheduled for each in-conference series, while the two midweek matchups are scheduled for Tuesday doubleheaders. Click here for the full schedule.
2020 IN REVIEW
The Golden Grizzlies produced a 7-11 record in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. Oakland raced out to a 6-3 start to the season with feature wins over Clemson, Villanova, and UMass. Oakland closed the campaign with a six-game losing streak. Three of the six losses came against Power-5 opponents in Northwestern and Illinois.
KEY RETURNERS
Oakland returns 19 of its 20 players from a year ago. Key returners include ace pitcher Sydney Campbell and junior infielder Madison Jones. Campbell led Oakland in ERA (1.92), wins (five), complete games (eight), strikeouts (47), and innings pitched (62.0) as a freshman. Jones finished the 2020 season with top-10 HL marks in runs (15), triples (two), hits (20), stolen bases (four), doubles (four), and RBI (11).
Returners who started 10 or more games last season include Carr, Cammie Brummitt, Rachel Zerona, Sidney Rayba, Jen Krizka, Hannah Chadwell, Jessie Munson, Lauren Griffith, and Kayla Gibson.
NEWCOMERS
OU welcomed six newcomers — all freshmen — to the program last fall. Four of the six freshmen come from Michigan. The other two newcomers arrive on campus from Ohio and Indiana.
#HLSB PRESEASON POLL
The Golden Grizzlies were picked fourth in the Horizon League Softball preseason coaches poll. Oakland was one of two teams (UIC) to receive a first-place vote in the poll. UIC was projected to win the conference with 99 points and nine of the 10 first-place votes.
