Softball Heads to East Lansing Before Home Opener Against Norse This Weekend

ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies take a brief break from League play to take on the Spartans, before returning to Rochester for their home opener against Northern Kentucky in a big week.

Oakland is on the heels of their first league-play series against RMU, where the Golden Grizzlies won the opener and fell in both of the doubleheader games.

Taylor Carraway had an impressive showing in the opener, going 3-for-3 from the plate. Madi Herrington continues to lead the Golden Grizzlies at the plate, batting .298 with nine RBI so far this season.

TUESDAY, MAR. 18 @ MICHIGAN STATE | 5 PM

The Golden Grizzlies and the Spartans will face-off for the fourth consecutive season. While MSU has taken the last two matchups between the squads, Oakland is looking to snatch a win from the Spartans for the first time since 2022, when the Golden Grizzlies won 10-5 in East Lansing.

The Spartans (8-12) have lost three of their last four games, most recently getting swept in a two-game series to Northwestern on Mar. 15 and 16.

Despite the early struggles, the Spartans have four players batting over .300, led by sophomore Hannah Greer (.341).

In the circle, ace Jacey Schuler holds a 3.00 ERA for the Spartans, gearing up for an interesting duel between her and Oakland's Alyssa Balcom.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY, MAR. 21-22 VS NORTHERN KY. | ESPN+

Oakland will play their opener against league rivals Northern Kentucky.

The teams have split their last ten matchups right down the middle, going 5-5, with Oakland going 2-1 against the Norse in the regular season last year.

The history between the Golden Grizzlies and the Nore runs deep, with both teams having beaten each other en route to postseason success in recent years.

The Norse have started the season 11-13, riding a four-game win streak after sweeping Green Bay in their conference-opening series last week, scoring 8+ runs in every game of that series.

NKU is 2-6 on the road this season, a trend that Oakland can look to exploit against the Norse.

Freshman Campbell Beatty is the leading force for NKU, batting a team-best .373. Where the Norse have struggled is in the circle, holding a .531 team ERA, having allowed 21 home runs on the season.

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Players Mentioned

#7 Madi Herrington: UTL; 5' 4"; Sophomore; R/R

#6 Taylor Carraway: 3B/C; 5' 6"; Freshman; R/R

#20 Alyssa Balcom: P/1B; 6' 1"; Sophomore; R/R

Players Mentioned

#7 Madi Herrington
: 5' 4"; Sophomore; R/R
: UTL

#6 Taylor Carraway
: 5' 6"; Freshman; R/R
: 3B/C

#20 Alyssa Balcom
: 6' 1"; Sophomore; R/R
: P/1B

Players Mentioned

#7 Madi Herrington

#6 Taylor Carraway

#20 Alyssa Balcom

Players Mentioned

#7 Madi Herrington

#6 Taylor Carraway

#20 Alyssa Balcom