Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU softball team announced its 2021 schedule Friday, which includes a full slate of games in its first season as a member of the Horizon League.
The Colonials are slated to open their 2021 season and maiden voyage through the Horizon League at home, welcoming Detroit Mercy for doubleheaders Friday, March 12, and Saturday, March 13, at the North Athletic Complex. The Horizon League schedule format for 2021 includes nine weekends of four-game series to be played Friday and Saturday, with Sunday as a makeup day.
In addition to welcoming the Titans, RMU will also host Oakland (March 26-27), UIC (April 9-10), Youngstown State (April 23-24) and Northern Kentucky (April 30-May 1) for a weekend series. The Colonials will entertain Cleveland State for a midweek doubleheader Tuesday, March 23, before traveling to take on the Vikings in a four-game set, May 7-8, to close the 2021 regular season.
Road series for RMU, in addition to Cleveland State, includes trips to Green Bay (March 19-20), Purdue-Fort Wayne (April 2-3) and IUPUI (April 16-17). The Colonials will also travel to Northern Kentucky for a midweek doubleheader Tuesday, April 6, before hosting the Norse in their final home weekend of the regular season.
RMU is still exploring non-conference opponents for 2021, and additions to its schedule will be announced at a later date.
RELATED: RMU 2021 Schedule
Led by head coach
Jexx Varner, who enters his third season at the helm in 2021, the Colonials welcome back a pair of seniors from 2020 in
Natalie Higgins and
Madison Riggle. The duo started each of RMU's 19 games last year before the season was canceled due to the global pandemic.
Higgins led the Colonials in batting average (.349), slugging (.587), hits (22) and doubles (6) in the shortened 2020 campaign while also tying for the team lead in home runs (3) and RBI (12). Higgins is a career .317 hitter and ranks in the top five in program history for doubles (35).
Riggle started each of RMU's 19 games in 2020, hitting .308 (16-for-52) while matching Higgins for the team lead in dingers (3) and RBI (12). The Colonials will also be bolstered by the return of
Erika Bell, who hit .308 (12-for-39) in 16 games in 2020.
From the circle, RMU welcomes back
Dana Vatakis, who finished with seven complete games in 10 starts in 2020. She held opponents to a .214 average and recorded an ERA of 2.54 in 69 innings, striking out 46 while issuing just 18 free passes.
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