ROCHESTER, Mich. – Oakland University Softball travels to East Lansing for the second time this season for a non-conference match against Michigan State on Tuesday, April 5 at 5:00 p.m. 

Coming off yet another Horizon League sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne last Saturday, the Golden Grizzlies turn their attention to their final non-conference match of the season against Michigan State. In the two's first meeting back on March 20, Oakland fell in five innings 9-0 after recording a single hit. 

Lauren Griffith, Madison Jones, and Cammie Brummitt are your top three batters for Oakland after the weekend's sweep down in Fort Wayne. Brummitt and Jones are each at three home runs apiece, respectively, to lead the team while Brummitt leads Griffith in RBI at 15 to 12. Griffith does have the highest batting average on the team, however, at .373 for the fifth-best average in the conference.

Sydney Campbell posted a .55 ERA in the Golden Grizzlies three wins over PFW last weekend as the LaGrange, Ohio native improved her season ERA to 2.49 allowing 96 hits in 371 batters faced. Campbell only allowed two runs with 10 strikeouts against the Mastodons while recording her 200th career strikeout.

Oakland is now 108th in the NCAA RPI as the top Horizon League team ahead of Northern Kentucky and Robert Morris at 161st and 173rd, respectively. OU's name can be found ahead of power programs like Syracuse, Purdue, Butler, and others.

SCOUTING REPORT

MICHIGAN STATE

At 20-15 overall, MSU welcomes an Oakland team sandwiched between Big Ten series' against Ohio State and Nebraska while taking on Michigan in Ann Arbor on Wednesday. The Spartans played fellow Horizon League opponent, and archrival, Detroit Mercy in a double header on March 29, beating the Titans 2-0 and 5-2, respectively. In total, MSU is 4-0 against Horizon League teams this season.

Much like OU, Michigan State has three batters who hit above .300 in Camryn Wincher , Alexis Barroso, and Courtney Callahan with averages of .352, .344, and .303, respectively. Barroso has batted in 20 RBI on the year while Jessica Mabrey proves to be a force at the plate with four home runs in a tie with her teammate Zaquai Dumas, also with four.

Ashley Miller sits at 8-2 on the year with a 0.82 ERA which is ninth in the country as she's only allowed 79 hits in 441 batters faced plus the Leo, Indiana native has struckout 167 batters. MSU also has Faith Guidry at 2.22 at 3-2 on the season with the least amount of hits allowed at 32 but also the least amount of strikeouts on the Spartans' roster with 15. 
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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.

#HLSB SWEEP
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.