As the regular season comes to a close, Ohio (29-19, 19-7 Mid-American Conference) is still in the race to capture a MAC championship. In its final home series against Buffalo (12-35, 6-17 Mid-American Conference), Ohio will have the chance to win its first Mid-American Conference regular season championship since 2018.
The unique opportunity to not only raise a banner for the program but host the conference tournament a week later is something that Ohio hopes to achieve. However, a tie in the standings with Miami sees Ohio behind its archrival due to its 1-2 head-to-head record.
That being said, Ohio must be fully focused on taking care of business against Buffalo, the second-worst team in the conference.
Here is the series information for the final regular season games:
Series Information:
Opponent: Buffalo Bulls
Venue: Ohio Softball Field, Athens, Ohio
Dates and Times: Saturday, May 6 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Sunday, May 7 at 12 p.m.
Live stats are available here
Meet the opponent:
Individual statistical leaders
Batting average: Alexis Lucyshyn (.273)
Hits: Lucyshyn (38)
OPS: Mia Mitchell (.841)
Home runs: Lucyshyn and Mitchell (6)
RBI: Madison Fernimen (20)
Innings pitched: Lucyshyn (148.1 IP)
ERA: Lucyshyn (3.07)
Strikeouts: Lucyshyn (156)
Notes:
Buffalo has been in the midst of a rough season. Not only has it been forced to split time between multiple different home venues, but it has not experienced very much success. Interestingly enough, all three of the pitchers on Buffalo’s roster are two-way players, headlined by Lucyshyn. Nonetheless, Buffalo has very little offensive production outside of Lucyshyn, Mitchell, and Fernimen. Buffalo's pitching has been solid considering its poor record. The results are not there for Buffalo, but its losses are often competitive games.
Series History:
The Bobcats and the Bulls have faced off nearly 30 times since 2011, resulting in a lopsided record in favor of the Bobcats. They lead the series with a 21-6 advantage in that timeframe. However, the Bobcats lost two of three games against the Bulls last season.
