GAMES 40-42
Oakland (14-16 / 10-5 #HLSB) vs. RMU (20-19 / 10-6 #HLSB)
Thursday, April 27, 2023 • 2:30 p.m. (DH)
Friday, April 28, 2023 ­• 1:00 p.m.
North Athletic Complex • Moon Township, Pa.
 
Cracker Jack & Sunflower Seeds (Dubble Bubble, Too)
 
- The RMU softball team closes out the home portion of its 2023 regular season by welcoming Oakland to the North Athletic Complex for a three-game series. Due to the current weather forecast for this weekend, the series has been moved up, as the Colonials and Golden Grizzlies will play a doubleheader Thursday at 2:30 p.m. before the single game Friday at 1:00 p.m.
 
- The Golden Grizzlies enter action this week atop the Horizon League standings at 10-5 (.667), percentage points ahead of Northern Kentucky (.632), which is 12-7 against league foes, and RMU (.625), which is in third with a 10-6 #HLSB mark. The top two teams earn a bye in the 2023 Horizon League Championships.
 
- RMU earned a series victory @ IUPUI last weekend, earning a win in the opener, 7-2, and a 3-0 triumph in the rubber match in Indianapolis, Ind., at the IUPUI Softball Complex. The win over the Jaguars in the third game helped the Colonials reach the 20-win plateau for the third consecutive season.
 
- Sophomore Alaina Koutsogiani safely reached base eight times over the three games against the Jaguars, walking six times and hitting a double and a home run. She finished with a 1.927 OPS in the series, hitting her first home run of the 2023 season while also picking up her 19th stolen base of the year.
 
- Fifth-year Dana Vatakis pitched in all three games of the series @ IUPUI, notching an 0.48 earned run average (ERA), allowing just an earned run in 14.2 innings. She recorded complete games in the first and third contests of the series.
 
- Koutsogiani ranks third in #HLSB with 19 stolen bases and is one theft shy of tying the RMU career record of 58 that is held by Kelli Miller (1990-93). Koustogiani owns program single-game (4) and single-season (38) records for stolen bases. She established the single-season mark as a freshman in 2022 and the single-game mark in a 12-3 victory @ Tennessee Tech (3/11).
 
- Against Horizon League foes in 2023, the Colonials top the leaderboard in shutouts (6), earned run average (2.06) and opponent batting average (.209). In 108.2 innings, the RMU pitching staff has struck out 91 hitters.
 
- 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 98-108 (.476) but since joining the Horizon League RMU has notched an overall record of 76-59 (.563), including a mark of 46-29 (.613) 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 takes to the road to complete its 2023 regular season after hosting the Golden Grizzlies. The Colonials travel to take on Pitt Tuesday, May 2, before visiting Cleveland State for a three-game series Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6, to wrap up Horizon League action.

OAKLAND LINKS
- Live Stats
- Video
- 2023 Schedule
- 2023 Statistics
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
 
The All-Time Series (Oakland) – The Colonials and Golden Grizzlies have faced off 10 times prior to this weekend's three-game series, with RMU owning a 6-4 (.600) edge in the all-time series. Last season RMU took two out of three from Oakland in a three-game series in Rochester, Mich., before the Golden Grizzlies clipped the Colonials, 5-4, in the championship game of the 2022 Horizon League Tournament in Youngstown, Ohio.
 
Dana Day – Prior to Thursday's doubleheader against Oakland, RMU will honor its lone "senior" in Dana Vatakis, who is in her fifth year with the program in 2023. Vatakis has been a mainstay for the Colonials in the circle over the last five seasons, as she enters Thursday's double dip leading the Horizon League in opposing batting (.211) and saves (3) while ranking second in earned run average (2.38) and fourth in wins (8). Vatakis has seemingly gotten stronger as the season has gone on, as well, as she owns a 4-3 record in 10 appearances during the month of April with four complete games, two saves and a 1.74 ERA while tossing a team-high 44.1 innings.
 
Career Dana – During her five years with the Colonials, Vatakis has amassed a career ERA of 3.17 in 113 appearances, including 83 starts. She currently is tied for fourth all-time in program history in appearances with former pitcher Erica Schwanke (1995-98) while ranking sixth in starts. One of eight pitchers in program history to log over 500 career innings, Vatakis also ranks second in the RMU career record book for saves (5), seventh in wins (40) and 10th in ERA.
 
The Notebook – Redshirt sophomore Meadow Sacadura has safely reached base in 11 consecutive games, the longest active streak for the Colonials … Sophomore Anna Resnik is hitting .318 (14-for-44) during the month of April with six runs, two doubles and four RBI … RMU is 19-4 (.826) this season when scoring three or more runs and picked up its first win of the year when scoring two runs or less thanks to a 2-0 victory in the series opener against Northern Kentucky (4/7) … Junior Charlotte Grover is RMU's active leader in games played (123), starts (123) and consecutive starts (101).
 
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