GAMES 1-5
RMU @ NORTH CAROLINA A&T / HOWARD ROUND ROBIN
 
RMU (0-0) vs. North Carolina A&T (0-0) (DH)
Friday, Feb. 11, 2022 • 11:00 a.m.
Aggie Softball Complex • Greensboro, N.C.
 
RMU vs. Howard (0-0)
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022 • 9:30 a.m.
Aggie Softball Complex • Greensboro, N.C.
 
RMU vs. North Carolina A&T
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022 • Noon
Aggie Softball Complex • Greensboro, N.C.
 
RMU vs. Howard
Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022 • 11:00 a.m.
Aggie Softball Complex • Greensboro, N.C.
 
Cracker Jack & Sunflower Seeds
 
- The RMU softball team christens its 2022 season with five games over three days in Greensboro, N.C., as part of the North Carolina A&T/Howard Round Robin at the Aggie Softball Complex. The Colonials will take on the Aggies three times, including a doubleheader to open the year Friday, Feb. 11, with first pitch at 11:00 a.m.
 
- RMU returns seven starters from a 2021 squad that posted an overall record of 25-19 (.568), including a mark of 20-14 (.588) in its first season as a member of the Horizon League. The Colonials qualified for the 2021 Horizon League Tournament as the No. 4 seed.
 
- The Colonials are led by head coach Jexx Varner, who is in his fourth season at the helm of the program. He has posted a record of 47-67 (.412) in his tenure and led RMU to its first 25-win season since 2016 last year.
 
- Among RMU's returning starters in 2022 is senior Erika Bell, who started 40 of the 41 games she appeared in last season. Bell hit .304 (35-for-115) on the year with three home runs and 19 RBI to go along with 16 runs and six doubles. She also led the Colonials in walks (17).
 
- Outfielder Alaina York was one of two Colonials to start each of RMU's 44 games during the 2021 campaign. At the dish she hit .294 (35-for-119) on the season, finishing third for RMU in both runs (22) and doubles (6). York has also been successful on each of her four stolen base attempts the last two seasons.
 
- Sophomore shortstop Charlotte Grover earned a spot on the 2021 Horizon League All-Freshman Team after hitting four home runs and driving in 22 in 32 games. She finished second for RMU in RBI and also scored 18 runs and collected five doubles.
 
- From the circle in 2022, the Colonials will be bolstered by the return of senior Dana Vatakis, who finished 10-6 (.625) last season with a 3.33 earned run average (ERA) in 24 appearances, including 18 starts. She posted 10 complete games, including a pair of shutouts, and struck out 90.
 
- In a poll of Horizon League head coaches, RMU was picked to finish fourth in the 2022 preseason poll. Tabbed as the favorite was Oakland, which was followed by Youngstown State and UIC.
 
- The Colonials again head south after taking part in the North Carolina A&T / Howard Round Robin, traveling to Rock Hill, S.C., for the Winthrop Invitational Feb. 18-20. RMU will open the invite against Ball State Friday, Feb. 18, at 10:00 a.m.

NORTH CAROLINA A&T / HOWARD ROUND ROBIN LINKS
- Video vs. North Carolina A&T (G1) (2/11/22)
- Video vs. North Carolina A&T (G2) (2/11/22)
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (North Carolina A&T) – Friday marks just the second meeting in the all-time series between RMU and North Carolina A&T but is also the second time in program history the Colonials have opened the year against the Aggies. In 2004 at Burlington City Park in Elon, N.C., RMU earned an 8-0 win over North Carolina A&T (2/20/04) in five innings. In that contest, Danielle Cohen (2002-05) struck out 11, yielding just a pair of hits, while going 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of runs and an RBI. She also stole a base.
 
The All-Time Series (Howard) – The Colonials and Bison had never met prior to the 2021 season, but Howard took three of four from RMU in a series last year in Washington, D.C., at Nationals Youth Park. In the opener of the series, outfield Alaina York went 3-for-4 with a pair of runs and four RBI out of the leadoff spot to help back pitcher Dana Vatakis, who allowed just two earned runs on five hits in six innings. York singled, doubled and tripled among her three hits, including a two-run triple in the top of the second that helped the Colonials open up a 4-1 lead.
 
Leadership – In addition to the exploits of graduate student Alaina York and seniors Erika Bell and Dana Vatakis, the Colonials will also be bolstered by the leadership of three other seniors, including Kristýna Malá, Brittney Seibert and Madison Shiderly. Malá is RMU's active leader in runs (36) after finishing second for RMU in 2021 with 24. She's tied with Seibert, who has also scored 36 runs during her three seasons with the Colonials.
 
The Underclassmen – A total of 13 student-athletes that make up the 2022 roster for RMU are underclassmen, including seven sophomores and six freshmen. The latest crop of rookies includes four from the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL), including Jess Matheny and Anna Resnik, who helped Southmoreland and Elizabeth Forward, respectively, to conference championships during their prep careers.
 
A Perfect Circle – Senior Dana Vatakis enters the 2022 season looking to continue climbing the charts in various career pitching categories at RMU. She currently sits 10th in program history in career earned run average (3.46) in 65 career appearances from the circle, including 49 starts. Vatakis has won 24 games during her time as a member of the Colonials and also owns 29 complete games.

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