May 3, 2012
2012 MAC Tournament Bracket 
| Buffalo Gametracker (1) | Buffalo Gametracker (2)
Kent State Gametracker (Saturday) | Kent State Gametracker (Sunday)
ATHENS, Ohio - Following a doubleheader split at Wright State on Wednesday afternoon during which the Bobcats collected 17 hits, Ohio Softball prepares for its final homestand of the regular season. The Bobcats will host Buffalo in a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1 p.m. before welcoming Kent State to Athens for a Saturday and Sunday series.
Ohio's final homestand of the season will feature multiple promotions for the Bobcat fans in attendance. Friday will serve as the second "Bark at the Park Day", during which all dogs will get in for free. Saturday is "Strike out Breast Cancer Day" and "Bring Your Mom to the Park Day", where all Ohio University mothers in town for Mom's Weekend get in for free when accompanying their son or daughter. Finally, Sunday will serve as both Ohio Softball's "Senior Day" and "Fan Appreciation Day."
A WIN ON FRIDAY WOULD...
Be the 767th win in program history
Be the 302nd conference win in program history
Be the 93rd coaching win during Jodi Hermanek's time at Ohio, ranking her No. 3 on the program wins list
Be the seventh straight win over Buffalo
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
With a record of 24-27 (10-8 MAC), Ohio currently sits as the No. 5 seed for the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament. If the Bobcats are to remain in the 5-8 seed range, they will play their first game of the tournament on Wednesday, May 9 at either 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Should Ohio work its way up to a No. 3 or No. 4 seed, the `Cats will play their first game on May 9 at either 5 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.
PREVIEWING THE BULLS
Buffalo enters Friday's doubleheader with a 14-27 record which includes a 4-13 mark in MAC play. The Bulls are currently on a six-game losing streak, with all of these losses coming within the conference. Buffalo most recently dropped a home series to Ball State, falling 9-5 and 13-0.
The Bulls hit .270 as a team, ranking seventh in the MAC. Buffalo's team earned-run average is the highest in the league at 5.41. Three Bulls hit .317 or higher and the squad possesses very balanced home-run power, as six student-athletes have hit three home runs or more so far in 2012.
Ohio will likely see Tori Speckman (11-11, 4.80 ERA) and Holly Johnson (3-13, 5.09 ERA) in the pitching circle on Friday.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES
Kent State enters the weekend with a 26-24 record which includes an 11-7 mark league play. The Golden Flashes will play at Akron on Friday before coming to Athens on Saturday. Kent is most recently coming off a close series loss to Miami in which they dropped both contests by a combined four runs.
The Golden Flashes are hitting .265 as a team, ranking eighth in the MAC. Kent ranks in the middle of the league in terms of earned-run average, as its combined figure of 3.24 ranks sixth in the conference. Three Golden Flashes hit .307 or higher and a number of the student-athletes have some pop in their bats, with six Flashes having hit four home runs or more throughout the season.
Ohio will likely see Emma Johnson (15-13, 2.10 ERA) and Danielle Abernathy (7-8, 3.86 ERA) in the pitching circle this weekend.
HIT PARADE
Ohio's offense has been very strong in the 2012 season. The Bobcats have collected 378 hits during the year, a mark which ranks 10th all-time in program history. The top mark of 430 was set during the 1995 season.
HOME RUN KINGS
Hitting 15 home runs during the past eight games pushed Ohio's single-season home run total to 39, a mark which ranks No. 1 in program history. The prior record of 35 was set during the 2011 season. Raven King (Alpine, Utah) and Lauren Gellerman (San Diego, Calif.) have been instrumental in setting this mark, as the two have hit 12 and 10 home runs, respectively. Each of these totals broke the prior single-season record of eight set by Erin Chapman in 2004.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Raven King picked up her second MAC East Player of the Week honor on Tuesday, the league office announced. King hit 10-for-19 (.526) during the last week, slugged at a pace of 1.368, hit five home runs, drove in 14 runs and scored 10 more of her own. King's Player of the Week award is the second one she has earned this season and marks the seventh time that the Bobcats have been honored by the league office this year.
STRIKING THEM OUT
During the last week of games, freshman pitcher Lauren McClary (Pasadena, Texas) registered 21 strikeouts. She has now registered 185 strikeouts on the season, moving her into second all-time in the program record book. The single-season strikeout record of 191 was set by Annie hare during the 1995 season.
GOING THE DISTANCE
McClary has pitched 191 innings during the 2012 season. This single-season mark ranks sixth all-time in program history. Annie Hare's top mark of 235.1 was set during the 1995 season.
