In its biggest rivalry of the season, Ohio will face arguably the toughest test of its campaign. The team will travel to Oxford for the latest edition of the Battle of the Bricks against Miami.
Ohio salvaged a win in its final game against Ball State during its first series of Mid-American Conference play, but the early part of its conference slate will not ease up. Ohio will also be looking to avenge a 2023 loss in the MAC tournament at the hands of Miami.
Series Information:
Opponent: Miami
Location: Miami Softball Stadium (Oxford)
Dates and times: Game 1 is on Friday, March 22 at 5 p.m., Game 2 is on Saturday, March 23 at 1 p.m. and Game 3 will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2.
Live stats: Game 1 will have live stats found here, Game 2 will have live stats found here and
Game 3 will have its live stats here.
Scouting Miami
Head Coach: Kirin Kumar (fourth season)
Individual statistical leaders
Batting Average: Jenna Golembiewski (.506)
Hits: Golembiewski (40)
Runs: Golembiewski and Karli Spaid (35)
Home Runs: Golembiewski and Spaid (18)
RBI: Golembiewski (46)
On-base Percentage: Golembiewski (.565)
Innings Pitched: Addy Jarvis (62.2)
Strikeouts: Madilyn Reeves (42)
ERA: Reeves (3.77)
Notes:
Miami has hit 70 home runs this season, the most out of any team in the nation; they have also scored the most runs per game with 9.12 and have the highest team slugging percentage with .752. Those numbers are just the tip of the iceberg of the team standings on a national level.
Individually, Miami boasts the two players with the most home runs in the country, Golembiewski and Spaid.
Miami has played four teams currently ranked in the USA Today top 25. Miami nearly knocked off No. 1 Oklahoma, which was on a winning streak of over 75 games at the time.
For as good as Miami’s offense is, its pitching is not quite as impressive. The pitching staff has, in many ways, forced its offense to rise to the occasion as Miami has been engaged in multiple high-scoring games. When Miami has lost games, it has given up more than six runs in each. The ace of the staff is undefined, as three pitchers have gotten into games and each of them has thrown a considerable number of innings.
Up and down play for Ohio:
Although Ohio salvaged one win against Ball State, it still needs to get back on track. The team’s one win in three games against the Cardinals indicates that it is still capable of returning to the dominant form from earlier in the season. The high-powered Miami offense will challenge Ohio ace Skipp Miller to keep the ball in the park.
Additionally, Ohio will need to clean up some of its defensive issues. Making the right plays and clean plays will not only help keep Miami off the scoreboard, but it will also minimize pitch counts for pitchers, allowing them to go deeper into games and establish a rhythm.
