Sports
Ohio Softball Releases 2015 Schedule
By: Kellen Becoats
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The Ohio softball team announced its schedule for the upcoming season on Friday.
The Bobcats are coming off a great 2014 campaign where they won their first-ever Mid-American Conference Tournament and received an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, the second time in school history.
The 2015 schedule will include four other NCAA participants from the past year – Tennessee, UT Chattanooga, Texas and Kentucky.
Ohio lost to Chattanooga last year, 5-2, and met Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament where it lost 2-0 in the Lexington Regional.
The Bobcats open their season at the Kennesaw State Tournament, which goes from Feb. 6-8, with their first game coming against Tennessee on the first day of the tournament at 10 a.m. They then play host to Kennesaw State before taking on Northern Kentucky on the last day.
Other major matchups include a trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the UT Chattanooga Frost Classic, which spans from Feb. 27 to March 1. Ohio will face off against some tough competition in the tournament, including Purdue, Tennessee Tech, South Dakota State, Belmont and host UT Chattanooga.
The Bobcats then have a mid-week game against Western Carolina on March 3 before taking on Texas three days later.
Ohio’s MAC season starts with a doubleheader against Central Michigan on April 3 before games against Eastern Michigan on April 4 and 5 and a major rivalry game with fellow MAC East powerhouse Miami on April 25 and 26.
The Bobcats return junior All-MAC Second Team member Savannah Jo Dorsey, who was also voted MAC Tournament MVP last year, as well as All-MAC First Team member Amanda Dalton, a junior, and All-MAC Second Team member Casie “Clutch” Hutchinson, who is a sophomore.
Also returning for Ohio are seniors Adrienne Gebele and Lauren McClary. The former led the team with a .514 slugging percentage and hit nine home runs while bringing in 27. The latter played in mainly a relief role for Dorsey, but played the role well for the Bobcats, recording a 6-6 record, posting an ERA of 3.59 and striking out 94 batters over the course of the season. She also pitched 109.1 innings over 26 appearances on the hill.
With many keys pieces still in place and the leadership of coach Jodi Hermanek still in place, 2015 looks to be a good year for the Bobcats as they prepare to make a run for a second-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. It appears that the easiest path to that would be winning the MAC Tournament, which takes place from May 6-9, as the winner receives an automatic bid to the national tournament.