GAMES 5-9
Low Country Classic
(Rutgers, Syracuse, College of Charleston, RMU)
Friday, Feb. 24, 2023 to Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023
Softball Stadium at Patriots Point • Charleston, S.C.
 
Cracker Jack & Sunflower Seeds (Dubble Bubble, Too)
 
- The RMU softball team returns to action after a week off by traveling to South Carolina to take part in the Low Country Classic, which is hosted by the College of Charleston at the Softball Stadium at Patriots Point. The Colonials take on Rutgers to open the tournament Friday at 10:00 a.m. and will also face Syracuse twice and the host Cougars twice.
 
- In opening its 2023 campaign at the Runnin' Bulldog Classic in Boiling Springs, N.C., RMU posted a 2-2 (.500) record, knocking off Austin Peay (2/10) in its season opener, dropping a pair to George Mason and closing out the tournament with a triumph over host Gardner-Webb (2/11). The final day was canceled due to weather conditions.
 
- Senior Avery Winchell hit .385 (5-for-13) at the Runnin' Bulldog Classic, scoring a team-high four runs and also smacking a double. Junior Charlotte Grover, meanwhile, produced a .308/.357/.692 slash line with two runs, a pair of doubles, home run and three RBI.
 
- Fifth-year Dana Vatakis got a pair of starts out of three appearances from the circle to open the 2023 season for RMU at the Runnin' Bulldog Classic, posting a 2.92 earned run average (ERA), striking out nine in 12.1 innings.
 
- RMU returns five starters from a 2022 squad that finished with an overall record of 31-21 (.596), including a mark of 16-9 (.640) in the Horizon League. The Colonials advanced to the championship game of the 2022 #HLSB Tournament in posting its first 30-win season since 2013.
 
- The Colonials are led by head coach Jexx Varner, who is in his fifth season at the helm of the program. He has posted a record of 80-90 (.471) but since joining the Horizon League RMU has notched an overall record of 58-42 (.580), including a mark of 36-23 (.610) in league play.
 
- In a poll of Horizon League head coaches, the Colonials were picked to finish second in the league in 2023. Oakland was tabbed as the favorite and received eight first-place votes in accruing 77 points, while RMU earned a first-place tally and compiled 68 points.
 
- RMU returns five starters from 2022, including its entire infield in Avery Winchell (1B), Anna Resnik (2B), Charlotte Grover (SS) and Alaina Koutsogiani (3B) and catcher Meadow Sacadura. Koutsogiani and Grover started all 52 games last year, while Resnik started 51 of RMU's 52 contests.
 
- Alaina Koutsogiani was named to the 2022 All-Horizon League Freshman Team, and she was joined by redshirt sophomore catcher Meadow Sacadura, who was also tabbed to the 2022 All-Horizon League Second Team. In 36 games, including 34 starts, Sacadura hit .313 (30-for-96) with six doubles, a pair of home runs and 13 RBI.
 
- RMU travels to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take part in the Crimson Classic Tournament after playing in Low Country. The Colonials will face Mercer, Longwood and host Alabama as part of the tournament.

LOW COUNTRY CLASSIC LINKS
- Live Stats (Rutgers)
- Live Stats (Syracuse: G1 | G2)
- Live Stats (Charleston: G1 | G2)
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Low Country Classic) – RMU owns a combined record of 5-7 (.417) against its three opponents in the Low Country Classic, including a 5-5 (.500) mark against Rutgers. The Colonials have never played Syracuse and are 0-2 against Charleston. The last time RMU faced off with the Cougars was a 6-1 loss that was part of the Holy City Showdown in 2017, which was also hosted by Charleston. Against the Scarlet Knights, the Colonials won the first three meetings between the two programs over the course of the 1992 and 1993 seasons and also owns a 5-4 triumph that came in Boca Raton, Fla., in eight innings. In that contest former outfielder Ashley Gerhart (2013-16) went 3-for-4 with two RBI, including a walk-off single to cap the victory.
 
Ace Ventura – Earning consecutive starts for the first time during her career on the second day of the Runnin' Bulldog Classic, junior Kinsey Ventura came through for the Colonials. In a split against George Mason (2/11) and Gardner-Webb (2/11), Ventura finished 4-for-5 (.800) at the plate while driving in a pair. Her two-run double in the top of the second inning gave RMU an early 2-0 lead over the Runnin' Bulldogs en route to the win. Ventura doubled her career hit total thanks to the performance as part of opening weekend of the 2023 campaign as she looks to be a key contributor for RMU in her third season.
 
Super Grover – Junior Charlotte Grover is RMU's active leader offensively, as she has started each of her 88 games for the Colonials over the last two seasons. She owns a career .253/.335/.419 slash line and has produced career totals of 49 runs, 17 doubles, 10 home runs, 51 RBI and 117 total bases. Named to the 2021 All-Horizon League Freshman Team, Grover finished second for the Colonials as a sophomore last season in multi-hit (9) and multi-RBI (8) efforts.
 
Local Flavor – Of the 20 student-athletes that make up the 2023 roster for RMU, half played their prep ball in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL). That total includes transfer Courtney Poulich, who spent her freshman season at Liberty in 2022 but claimed both WPIAL and Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class AAA championships at Mount Pleasant in 2021. Poulich is one of six student-athletes that played in the WPIAL on RMU's 2023 roster that hail from Westmoreland County.

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