While most of our area will be shivering with temperatures in the 30s, the University of Akron softball team will open the season in the warmer weather of the South in the Southeast Louisiana Lion Classic this afternoon.
The Zips will try to improve on a 24-24 record from a year ago – one that saw them go 8-13 in the MAC. It’s the latter that six-year coach Julie Jones plans to elevate.
“If we could go .500 in the MAC that would get us where we want to be as far as tournament seeding,” Jones said. “We have work to do there.”
She sounds optimistic about prospects for the coming season despite some high-profile losses due to graduation.
“We should be stronger this year than last year in general, so hopefully we’ll be able to better that record by quite a bit, I hope,” she said.
She said that she returns a group of players who are better defensively than they were a year ago and the team has been buoyed by a top-rated recruiting class which Jones said has performed better than she expected.
But questions remain for the Zips, who will face Northern Colorado to open their season. The primary one: replacing the power that set a school record for home runs last year with 43.
The team will look to senior catcher Allison Dorr to help pick up some of the slack caused by the departures of Olivia Hegedus and Alex Feltes.
“Right now she’s probably our best hitter as it looks. She will provide power. She’s a good doubles hitter; I feel she’ll do very well,” Jones said. “I think adding her in will take care of one of those roles.”
She will have help from junior pitcher-first baseman Alissa Birkhimer, who smashed 10 homers last season. Jones is expecting freshman Rachael Ratliffe, a standout from Notre Dame Cathedral Latin, to make an impact.
The most glaring question mark, however, comes from the pitching staff, Jones said.
“Pitching wise I’m really not sure. We have two kids that haven’t thrown for us very much at all,” she said.
The Zips will rely on redshirt freshman Brittany Maurer and freshman Lisa Lash, who is from Twinsburg High School.
After more than a month of road games, the Zips will play in their home opener at 3 p.m. March 27.
Hoops talk
Coach Keith Dambrot now has sole possession of the No. 2 slot on the list of all-time wins for a Zips coach with 179 after his team’s close road win over the Western Michigan Broncos on Wednesday night. The game was the 2,400th in the program’s history … With a victory over Northern Illinois on Saturday night, the Zips will sweep the West Division of the MAC. The last time that occurred was during the 2005-06 season. … The University of Akron women’s basketball team will don pink jerseys for Saturday’s 5 p.m. game, as the Zips take on Western Michigan in their Play 4Kay game at Rhodes Arena. The Play 4Kay charity raises awareness and funds to help defeat breast cancer.
George M. Thomas can be reached at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Zips blog at http://zips.ohio.com. Follow the Zips on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/GeorgeThomasABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
