ROCHESTER, Mich. – Oakland University Softball resumes Horizon League play in Fort Wayne, Indiana April 1-2 against the Mastodons of Purdue Fort Wayne at the PFW Softball Field.
The Golden Grizzlies haven't played a Horizon League game due to inclement weather since the opening series with Northern Kentucky back on March 10-11 in Highland Heights. OU did manage to squeeze in games against No. 21 Michigan and Michigan State the past two weeks resulting in 6-0 and 9-0 (five inning) losses in non-conference play.
OU is second in the conference standings at 3-0 in league play, 7-8 overall as Robert Morris holds a 5-0, 16-9 record for first.
Oakland sits at 83rd in the NCAA RPI as the top Horizon League team and the only team in the top 100 while sitting ahead of many power five programs like Kansas, Rutgers, Maryland, Purdue, and others.
Lauren Griffith is first on the team in batting average at .357 with a team-high 15 hits and six doubles while Madison Jones has boasted 14 hits and two home runs in a team-high 49 at bats. Cammie Brummitt has brought the most Golden Grizzlies across home plate with 11 RBI while also leading the team in homers with three.
Sydney Campbell is just six strikeouts away from 200 in her career as the LaGrange, Ohio native has the third-best ERA in the league at .293 all while facing some of the toughest competition in the country. Campbell is 7-5 on the year, allowing 81 hits from 309 at bats for 44 runs while tallying 56 strikeouts.
SCOUTING REPORT
PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Winners of one of their last six games, the Mastodons roam around at 4-19 overall, 3-5 in the Horizon League which puts them seventh in the current league standings. So far this year at the PFW Softball Field, the team is 2-0 following 6-3 and 8-7 victories over UIC back on March 10. The Mastodons commit the most errors by any team in the conference with 49 so far.
The home team doesn't have a single hitter over .300 so far this year, the closest coming in Taryn Jenkins at .275 with 11 hits. Emma McMillan leads the squad in hits, however, with 17 to her credit while Alise Hale has earned 12 runs. Brooke Wintlend sits third in the conference in slugging percentage at .732 with five home runs so far this season.
PFW has put five pitchers in the circle so far this season with Lauren McConnell and Gracie Brinkerhoff with the most appearances at 12 with ERAs of 4.53 and 10.01, respectively. Shaina Eyre holds a 1-7 record with 68 hits allowed on 54 runs and 30 strikeouts.
The Mastodons last played at home against Kent State on Tuesday.
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#HLSB SWEEP
Oakland swept NKU in the Horizon League series opener 3-0 in Highland Heights to start perfect in league play.
NEAR UPSET ALERT
Oakland started off strong against the Seminoles behind Lauren Griffith's RBI home run to lead 3-0 before FSU would go on to tie at 3-3 then explode out to a 6-3 advantage behind a fiery bottom of the sixth. Griffith would then slap an RBI double to left center as OU pulled within one run at 6-5 before a groundout to second would dash the Golden Grizzlies' hopes.
HEATED UP IN CHAMPIONSHIP
The Golden Grizzlies finished 26-16 overall, 23-11 in Horizon League play last season that concluded in the Horizon League Conference Tournament after No. 2 seed Oakland upset No. 1 seed Youngstown State only to fall to No. 3 seed UIC in the championship match 4-3.
ALL-LEAGUE HONOREES
Following the 2021 season, five Golden Grizzly athletes were named to #HLSB All-League honors in Cammie Brummitt, Lauren Griffith, Madison Jones, Sydney Campbell, and Jen Krizka. Brummitt, Griffith, and Jones were named to First Team honors as position players while Campbell was one of two to be listed as a First Team Pitcher. Krizka then followed suit with an All-League Second Team accolade.
RETURNING POWER
Oakland returns all five of the previously mentioned names with an average batting average of .373 as Jones returns to the line up with a team-high .411 average from 2021. Jones was also 15-16 on stolen base attempts and racked up a tying team-high of 13 doubles and seven home runs for a .738 slugging percentage.
Campbell returns to the circle after a 17-7 season a year ago with 91 strikeouts through 165.2 innings pitched to allow 46 earned runs for an ERA of 1.94.
THE FAVORITE? OAKLAND
The Golden Grizzlies were picked first in the #HLSB Preseason Poll with two first-place votes and 82 in total ahead of Youngstown State who garnered five first-place votes and 81 total, respectively. UIC was third with 74 points (two first-place votes) while Robert Morris (62) and Green Bay (49) rounded out the top five.
2022 RECRUITING CLASS
The Golden Grizzlies added five student-athletes to the roster for the 2022 season in Kamryn Troyer, Maraina Smith, Jenna Johnston, Kayla Rodriguez, and Taylor Carraway.
KARN EXTENDED
Head Softball Coach, Lauren Karn, had her contract extended through 2025 as the fifth-year coach has coached 11 student-athletes to All-Horizon League honors while reaching the conference tournament three times with two of those being runner-up performances. Ahead of the 2022 campaign, Karn is 19 wins away from being the all-time winningest coach.
