ROCHESTER, Mich. – Oakland University Softball will renew and engage in battle with the UIC Flames April 15-16 in Chicago for a rematch of the 2021 Horizon League Championship. 

UIC holds a three-game winning streak over Oakland, the last two coming in the 2021 Horizon League Tournament as the No. 3 seed Flames bounced OU to the consolation bracket before ultimately withstanding the Golden Grizzlies again in the conference championship game 4-3. All-time UIC holds a 15-12 edge over Oakland.

The Golden Grizzlies are now undefeated in conference play at 9-0 following the weekend's first sweep of the Detroit Mercy Titans in the Metro Series for the first time since 2015. 

Lauren Griffith leads the team at the plate with a .397 batting average for a team-high 25 hits, tied with Madison Jones, and planting a team-high 12 doubles to lead the league. Jones is now a two-time Nike #HLSB Player of the Week after earning the honor on Tuesday batting .347 on the year with five home runs.

Oakland swept the Nike #HLSB Player of the Week awards as Sydney Campbell and Jones received accolades as Campbell struckout a career-high 11 batters in the team's first of three wins over Detroit Mercy on Saturday. Campbell now leads the Horizon League in earned run average at 2.15 with 81 strikeouts.

The Golden Grizzlies are 125th in the latest NCAA Softball RPI rankings, 34 spots ahead of the next closest Horizon League team, Northern Kentucky, who Oakland swept in its opening conference series in Highland Heights. 

SCOUTING REPORT

UIC

The Flames suffered a 3-2 loss at the hands of Butler in Indianapolis Tuesday as the team dropped two of three to Green Bay in its latest Horizon League series last weekend. On the year, UIC is 240th in the NCAA RPI while holding ninth in the conference on a 7-23 overall record.

Tara McElligott is seventh in the conference in batting average at .342 with the second-best slugging percentage and on-base percentage to lead the Flames as Dee Dee Caskey has racked up a conference-high three triple with Maica Ingles batting two. McElligott has also blasted seven home runs so far this season.

Christina Tonolo is UIC's top pitcher with a fifth-best league ERA of 3.16 with four home runs allowed this season. UIC has three pitchers in the top ten of the Horizon League's Hit Batters statistic with a combined 26.
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WINNING IN EAST LANSING
The Golden Grizzlies beat Michigan State on the road in East Lansing on April 5 for the first time since 2011 in the 10-5 route behind Griffith's perfect appearance at the plate going 4-4 with three RBI while Jones would go 3-4 with four runs, three RBI, and her fourth home run of the season.

BIG 200 K.O.s 
Campbell punched out her 200th career batter against PFW on April 2 as the LaGrange, Ohio native boasted a 0.55 ERA against the Mastodons. Campbell also knocked down a career-high 11 batters in the team's win over Detroit Mercy on April 9. 

#HLSB SWEEPS
Oakland swept NKU in the Horizon League series opener 3-0 in Highland Heights to start perfect in league play before going 3-0 against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons on the weekend of April 1. 

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.