Central Michigan University Athletics
Akron Next For Chippewa Softball
4/7/2017 12:00:00 AM | Softball
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (21-10, 6-2 Mid-American Conference) at AKRON (15-19, 4-4)
Saturday-Sunday, April 8-9 • Akron, Ohio • Lee R. Jackson Field • Radio: WMHW 101.5-FM • Live Stats: cmuchippewas.com
• Central Michigan will take on Akron in a three-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and concluding with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
• Saturday's games will be broadcast live on ESPN3. The Chippewas trail first-place Ball State by one game in the MAC West. Akron is tied for second in the MAC East, two games behind Ohio.
• The Chippewas took two of three from Kent State last weekend in a MAC series, then swept rival Western Michigan in a league doubleheader on Tuesday.
• CMU pitcher Rachael Knapp was named the MAC West Pitcher of the Week on Monday. It marked the fifth time this season the senior from St. Joseph has been named the division's pitcher of the week.
• Knapp is 12-6 with a 1.52 ERA on the season. She ranks first in the league in ERA and second in wins and strikeouts (165) behind Ohio's Savannah Dorsey, who is 15-3 with 183 whiffs.
• Knapp has recorded seven shutouts — including a five-inning one-hitter on Tuesday against Western - and has thrown 15 complete games. She tops the conference in both categories.
• Opposing hitters are batting .191 against Knapp. She ranks second in the league in that category behind Dorsey (.152).
• The Chippewas rank first in the MAC in team pitching with a 2.09 ERA. They have surrendered 62 earned runs, the fewest in the league. The staff has also surrendered the home runs (6) and the second-fewest walks (68) among league teams.
• CMU pitchers have recorded 225 strikeouts, a number that ranks second in the league, and have notched eight shutouts, which ties for first in the league with Ohio.
• Akron ranks seventh in the league with a 3.54 team ERA and is the MAC's third-best hitting team (.286).
• Akron pitcher Lexie Handley, a freshman, ranks third in the league with a 1.96 ERA and third with 11 wins (against 10 losses). She is fifth in strikeouts per game (6.21) and is second in shutouts (6).
• CMU sophomore Allison Curtis is tied for sixth in the league with Akron's Ashley Sims with a .381 batting average.
• Curtis leads the league with four triples, while teammate Lacy Tolfree is tied for fifth in both runs (28) and stolen bases (13), and Erika Underwood is tied for eighth with nine doubles. Tolfree is ninth in the MAC with a .430 on-base percentage.
• The Chippewas play host to Western Michigan in a MAC game on Wednesday, April 12 (2 p.m.), then go to Toledo next weekend for a three-game league series.
