ROCHESTER, Mich. – Oakland University Softball will host just its second home doubleheader of the season as it welcomes Youngstown State to the Oakland Softball Field on Tuesday, April 26 starting at 1:00 p.m. 

Oakland is 7-15 all-time against the Penguins with the last game coming in a 3-0 victory for the Golden Grizzlies in Youngstown. OU is coming off its first Horizon League series loss of the 2022 campaign on the road in Cleveland against the Vikings last weekend, falling to second in the conference standings and a 17-11 overall, 12-3 league record. 

Lauren Griffith and Allisa DiPrima have the second and third best batting averages in the Horizon League at .390 and .385, respectively. Griffith has now batted a team and league-high 13 doubles to go along with her team-high 24 RBI on the season. Madison Jones has now posted six home runs on the year with the team's high in hits at 34.

Sydney Campbell still holds the conference's best earned run average at 1.87. With an update in the NCAA stats incoming, this should put Campbell somewhere around the 64th or so best pitcher in the country as the LaGrange, Ohio native has bowled over 112 strikeouts and allowed 127 hits in 553 total at bats. 

Head Coach Lauren Karn is approaching a milestone for Oakland as the fifth-year coach is two wins shy of the all-time winningest coach mark in Oakland Softball history.

OU is now 143rd in the NCAA RPI following the weekend series' loss to Cleveland State. 

SCOUTING REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN STATE

At 26-20 overall and 11-7 in Horizon League play, the Penguins are coming off a sweep of Green Bay at their home field in Youngstown, Ohio after splitting a doubleheader showdown with Cleveland State on the road. YSU is currently fourth in the conference standings following the weekend's games.

Yazmine Romero has the fifth-best batting average in the league at .384 with a .434 slugging percentage tacked on by 11 RBI and five doubles. The Penguins are led by Megan Turner in the home run category with seven and the team's second highest RBI rate at 25. Conchetta RInaldi has posted 27 RBI this season. 

Sophie Howell and Kayla Rutherford have 2.53 and 2.94 ERAs, respectively, for the second and sixth best averages in the Horizon League. Elle Buffbarger has the most batters struck out in the conference at 188. 
___________________________________________________________________________

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.