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Akron notebook
Pitching, base running behind Zips' success

By Tom Gaffney
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Friday, Apr 10, 2009

 

The University of Akron softball team is putting together the best season in the three-year regime of coach Julie Jones.

The Zips (21-13) were 20-38 in 2008 and 17-25 in 2007 in Jones' first two seasons.

''We're pitching pretty well, running the bases extremely well and playing pretty good defense,'' said Jones, a Garfield High School graduate who took over the Zips in June of 2006. ''We are much better all-around than we have been.''

Jones said the performances of pitchers Heather Bauer (Highland) and Andrea Arney (Dalton) have been crucial to the team's success. Bauer, a sophomore, has a 10-5 record and 1.72 ERA. Arney, a freshman, is 11-8 with a 2.11 ERA.

''The difference this year is that we have been in just about every game. Our pitchers have kept us in,'' Jones said. ''They have done such a great job despite being so young. Heather throws a ball that breaks like crazy. Andrea hits her spots. She puts the ball where she wants.

''It's great to have two pitchers who are so young. It's exciting to know that they are going to be part of this program for the next couple years.''

The Zips' offense is built around speed and aggressive base running. UA has stolen 90 bases to just 25 for opponents; their average of 2.65 steals per game ranks fifth nationally. Senior outfielder Lisa McLean (Perry) has 30 of them and 96 for her career, a UA record.

''We create a lot of runs. We steal whenever we can and move runners,'' said Jones, who came to UA after 10 seasons at Cleveland State. ''We want to run and keep running, putting pressure on the other team and taking advantage of our speed.''

Offensively, senior outfielder Amber Lowe (Carrollton) leads the team in hitting at .363. She has been out with an arm injury, but is expected back soon. McLean is second at .357, and is first in runs scored with 24. Senior designated player Julie Boyes (Lake) is third in batting (.351) and leads in home runs (six) and RBI (21).

The Zips play at the University at Buffalo today and then have games at Kent State on Saturday and Sunday.

In other athletic developments at UA:

Men's soccer

The Zips have a 3-0-1 record in exhibition games, including an impressive victory over Wake Forest on Saturday and a tie with North Carolina Sunday, both on the road.

Both teams were NCAA Division I final four participants last season, with the Demon Deacons losing in the semifinal and the Tar Heels in the final.

The Zips defeated Wake Forest 3-0, getting goals from Teal Bunbury, Darlington Nagbe and Scott Caldwell. David Meves got the shutout in goal.

All four of those players were either freshmen last season or are incoming freshmen this season who are already entered in school.

Against North Carolina, UA was behind 1-0, but Nagbe tied it in the second half and the game finished 1-1. Meves and Josh Pantazelos, who is also a freshman, shared time in goal.

The Zips play April 18 in Fort Wayne, Ind., against Indiana.

Women's soccer

Britni Back became the first UA women's soccer player to be named first-team All-Ohio by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The NSCAA announced the team on April 2.

Back, a junior forward, led the Zips in scoring (20 points) and goals (eight) last season. She also tied for first in assists with four.

Track and field

All-American Stevi Large has gotten off to a strong start in the outdoor season.

At the LSU Relays in late March, she won both the hammer throw (215 feet) and the discus (160 feet, 7 inches). The distance on the hammer throw was a Mid-American Conference and school record.

Last weekend, she finished first in the hammer throw (208-11) in the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas.

The Zips will be the hosts today and Saturday for the Northeast Ohio Quad. Kent State, Ashland and Youngstown State also are entered.

Men's golf

Freshmen Scott Landreth and Ryan Mason paced the Zips to a 16th-place finish last weekend in the Ironwood Pirate Intercollegiate in Greenville, N.C.

Landreth shot a 4-over 220 to finish in a tie for ninth place overall. Mason finished with a 13-over 229 to tie for 43rd place.

The Zips had a three-round total of 926. Host East Carolina won the tournament with an 875.

UA competes again this weekend at the University of Kentucky Bluegrass Invitational in Lexington, Ky.

Tom Gaffney can be reached at tgaffney@thebeaconjournal.com.

 

 

Get the full article here.


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