ROCHESTER, Mich. – Robert Morris will take to the diamond against the home Oakland University Softball team for a three game series April 29-30 to include senior day and other festivities around the ballpark in conjunction with the top two teams in the Horizon League facing off in Rochester.
The Golden Grizzlies are 2-4 all time against the Colonials with the most recent victory coming in the 2021 Horizon League Softball Tournament on a neutral field after Oakland was swept on the road in Moon Township a month and a half before. Oakland took care of business against Youngstown State on Tuesday with 1-0 and 3-1 victories at the Oakland Softball Field.
Lauren Griffith and Madison Jones hold the top battery spots for the Golden Grizzlies with .379 and .337 averages, respectively. Jones is the team's home run leader at six while Griffith has posted the top RBI on the squad at 24. Allisa DiPrima has risen up the average rank with a .355 as Oakland now holds three of the top ten spots in the Horizon League. Jessie Munson is coming off a stellar, two-game plate appearance against YSU going 5-6 with two runs.
Griffith is now the NCAA's leader in doubles per game at .52.
Sydney Campbell has not only the best earned run average in the Horizon League but the 58th best mark in the entire NCAA at 1.79 after allowing only two hits in two showings against the Penguins. On the year, the LaGrange, Ohio native is 16-6 with 129 hits in 582 batters faced with 119 strikeouts.
Lauren Karn is now Oakland's all-time winningest head coach in program history following a 3-1 come-from-behind win over Youngstown State in the second game of a double header back on April 26 for her 92nd win and counting.
The Golden Grizzlies hold steadfast at 135th in the NCAA RPI poll as the top Horizon League team ahead of Northern Kentucky and Robert Morris at 147th and 166th, respectively.
At noon on Saturday, Oakland will honor seven senior student-athletes for their contributions on the diamond and their work in the classroom toward their degree as Jones, Shannon Carr, Brummitt, Kayla Gibson, Hannah Chadwell, Munson, and Arieanna Grammatico all will walk.
In addition to commencement this weekend, the Champions Club will host a tailgate April 30 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. as spectators are to be advised on strenuous parking situations.
SCOUTING REPORT
ROBERT MORRIS
The Colonials are just shy of the top of the conference with a 14-5 league record to its credit while posting a 25-15 overall mark. RMU is coming off a doubleheader loss in Moon Township to Green Bay after sweeping the Mastodons at home the weekend prior.
Only one batter goes over .300 for the Colonials in Erika Bell at .315 as she leads RMU in RBI with 26. Two athletes boast four home runs to lead the navy and red in Charlotte Grover and Taylor Rhinehart. The top run scorer in the Horizon League is on the RMU roster in Alaina Koutsogiani who has 30 so far this season, three more than Jones who's in third, respectively.
Dana Vatakis leads the Colonials in the circle at 7-5 with a 3.90 ERA off 81 hits in 342 at bats while Rhinehart boasts the better ERA but in less appearances at 1.59 against 143 at bats and 26 hits.
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ETCHED IN HISTORY
Lauren Karn is now Oakland's all-time winningest head coach in program history following a 3-1 come-from-behind win over Youngstown State in the second game of a double header back on April 26 for her 92nd win and counting.
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.
