GAMES 21-22
RMU (9-11) @ Akron (11-9)
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 (DH) • 2:00 p.m.­
Lee R. Jackson Field • Akron, Ohio
 
Cracker Jack & Sunflower Seeds (Dubble Bubble, Too)
 
- The RMU softball team opens a five-game road trip Tuesday with a non-conference doubleheader against Akron at Lee R. Jackson Field in Akron, Ohio. First pitch is slated for 2:00 p.m.
 
- The Colonials opened both the home portion of their 2023 schedule as well as their Horizon League slate by splitting a doubleheader with Detroit Mercy (3/16) at the North Athletic Complex. RMU earned a 7-0 win in game one before falling, 2-0, in the nightcap. The two programs tried to get the third game of the series in on St. Patrick's Day, but inclement weather suspended the game in the bottom of the second.
 
- The Colonials posted a season-high 10 hits in their 7-0 win over the Titans as each of RMU's nine starters safely reached base. Recording multi-hit efforts were senior Avery Winchell and juniors Charlotte Grover and Catalina Saxen, as each went 2-for-4 at the dish.
 
- Fifth-year Dana Vatakis faced just two batters over the minimum in a 7-0 triumph over UDM, allowing four hits and striking out four. She improved to 3-6 and got a huge boost late from the defense, as the Colonials posted a pair of double plays.
 
- RMU wrapped up its non-conference tournament slate by posting a 3-1 (.750) record at the Tennessee Tech Tournament. The Colonials split a pair of games with Ohio, including a 4-3 win, while earning a pair of 12-3 victories, both in five innings, over the host Golden Eagles.
 
- Redshirt sophomore Meadow Sacadura hit .455 (5-for-11) with three runs, a double and five RBI in the Tennessee Tech Tournament. Her RBI single in the top of the seventh helped the Colonials earn a 4-3 win over Ohio after the Bobcats had tied the contest, 3-3, in the bottom of the sixth.
 
- For her efforts in the Tennessee Tech Tournament, Sacadura was named the Horizon League Player of the Week (3/14). It marks the first weekly honor of her career.
 
- Sophomore Madison DeVault paced the Colonials from the circle at the Tennessee Tech Tournament, finishing 2-0 in two appearances, including a start. She struck out seven in 6.2 innings and held opponents to a .222 batting average.
 
- 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 87-99 (.468) but since joining the Horizon League RMU has notched an overall record of 65-51 (.560), including a mark of 37-24 (.607) 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 to Horizon League play after taking on the Zips Tuesday, traveling to Green Bay, Wisc., for a three-game set with the Phoenix Friday, March 24, and Saturday, March 25.

AKRON LINKS
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Akron) – The Zips own a 17-11 (.607) advantage over the Colonials in the all-time series and have won five straight over RMU entering Tuesday's doubleheader. Last season Akron swept a doubleheader at the North Athletic Complex, using a pair of big innings in each victory in earning a 9-4 win in the opener before completing the sweep with a 7-2 triumph. The last win for RMU over the Zips came in game two of a doubleheader back in April of 2012, when former outfielder Katrina Gallagher (2009-12) finished 2-for-4 with a double, triple and five RBI in an 8-2 victory.
 
The Runaways – A trio of Colonials rank in the top 10 in the Horizon League in runs scored entering action this week, with sophomore Alaina Koutsogiani tied for third with Tiffany Giese of Green Bay with 13, while senior Avery Winchell (12) is tied for fifth and sophomore Anna Resnik (11) is tied for ninth. Resnik has been hit by a pitch five times so far this season, which sits atop the #HLSB leaderboard, while Koutsogiani has been plunked three times.
 
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.

Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | RMU Athletics Gameday App

Tweet #BobbyMo