Coyotes face four-game slate in South Carolina
South Dakota faces a four-game slate in Greenville, South Carolina as part of the Paladine Classic, hosted by Furman while Akron is the third team at the event. The tourney was reduced from three days to two days due to forecasted rain on Friday.
The Schedule
Saturday
- 10:30 a.m. vs Akron | Third Meeting | 0-2
- 3:30 p.m. vs. Furman | Second Meeting | 1-0
Sunday
- 9 a.m. vs. Akron
- 11:30 a.m. vs. Furman
The Opponents
Akron (2023 Final RPI 151, 28-23, MAC)
Akron enters with a 2-7 record and last competed in the USC Upstate tournament in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where they went 1-4. Megan Lee paces the offense with a .321 average while Alexis Campbell is hitting .310 as both share the team lead with nine hits. The four member pitching staff carries a 3.83 team ERA, led by Haley Croyle who is 0-4 with a 2.19 ERA in 22 innings of work. The Zips opened the season in week two with a 2-1 win over Middle Tennessee, but have lost seven of their last eight games.
Furman (2023 Final RPI 196, 20-32, SoCon)
Furman is 9-5 and have played its last nine games in the state of South Carolina, going 5-4. They went 2-2 at the Battle at the Beach hosted by Coastal Carolina, including a 13-8 win over Louisville from the ACC. The Paladins opened their season with a 4-1 win over North Dakota State. Furman has five starters hitting over .300, led by Ashlee Lykins who has 17 hits in 14 games for a .362 average. Kley Perry is hitting .326 with seven of her 14 hits going for extra bases and she owns a team-high 15 RBIs. Slyvia Burroughs is hitting .333 with 10 RBIs. The five member pitching staff sports a 3.40 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP. Lauralee Scott, who has seven appearances but only one start, owns a 1.87 ERA in 18 innings of work. Sierra Tufts has thrown 35 innings in her seven starts for a 2.40 ERA.