Game Notes: RedHawks Ready For Knoxville Regional
5/14/2024 3:40:00 PM | Softball
#21/23 Miami RedHawks (48-7/26-1 MAC)
NCAA Knoxville Regional
May 17-19, 2024
Sherri Parker Lee Stadium  •  Knoxville, Tenn.
ESPN+: Eric Frede (pxp) Madison Shipman (analyst)
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ABOUT MIAMI:
•  The RedHawks enter Friday's contest with a 48-7 record (.873 win percentage), the best single season record in program history. Miami also finished the MAC season 26-1, recording the best single-season conference winning percentage in MAC history.
•  The RedHawks are currently ranked No. 21 in the nation according to Softball America and No. 23/24 in this week's ESPN and USAToday Coaches Poll. Miami had never been nationally ranked until this season.
•  Over the past four years, Miami is 173-54-1 overall and 107-16 in MAC play. The RedHawks have won every MAC Regular Season title since 2019 and every MAC Tournament Championship since 2021.
•  The RedHawks established a new Miami and MAC record with 23-straight wins from March 9 through April 21 and are 35-1 in their last 36 contests.
•  This is Miami's fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and eighth overall. Miami has twice played in the Knoxville Regional (2005, 2012).
•  The RedHawks feature the nation's top offense (9.15 runs/game), having scored at least 10 runs 25 different times this year. Miami has also recorded 24 run-rule victories in 2024. Miami leads the nation in home runs (159) and slugging percentage (.750). They are third nationally in batting average (.359) and second in on-base percentage (.460).
• Miami was a perfect 15-0 at home this season. The RedHawks were joined by the Hokies of Virginia Tech as the only two programs this season to go undefeated at home.
•  Eight different RedHawks earned First Team All-MAC in 2024: Holly Blaska, Reagan Bartholomew, Karli Spaid, Jenna Golembiewski, Addy Jarvis, Kate Kobayashi, Hadley Parisien, Sami Bewick.
•  Karli Spaid was named the 2024 MAC Player of the Year (and MAC Tournament MVP). This is the second-straight year Miami has captured the MAC POTY award after Jenna Golembiewski won the same award back in 2023. Spaid currently leads the nation with 36 home runs.
•  Spaid and Golembiewski were named USA Softball Finalists for National Player of the Year. The award will be pared down to 10 finalists on May 15 and a top-3 on May. 20. The winner will be announced during the College World Series.
•  Kirin Kumar was named MAC Coach of the Year, Sami Bewick earned MAC Freshman Player of the Year and Madilyn Reeves was named MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year.
•  Miami's offense features the top five home run hitters in school history, led by Karli Spaid (104), Allie Cummins (66), Holly Blaska (50), Jenna Golembiewski (46) and Kate Kobayashi (42).
•  Freshman Madilyn Reeves led the conference with 20 wins and was third with 119 strikeouts during the regular season. She is 19-1 in her last 24 appearances. Senior Addy Jarvis is 17-1 inside the circle with her lone loss coming against #2 Oklahoma.
ABOUT COACH KUMAR:Â Since Kumar arrived back in 2021, Miami has totaled a 173-54-1 record, capturing four MAC Regular Season Titles and three MAC Tournament crowns (no MAC Tournament in 2021). Under Kumar, the RedHawks are 107-16 in MAC play. Miami has 14 Power-5 victories since 2021 and Kumar has produced 32 All-MAC performers and a pair of MAC Player of the Year awards since arriving in southwest Ohio. Kumar is a two-time MAC Coach of the Year, capturing the award in 2021 and 2024.
DIGGING THE LONG BALL: Since Coach Kumar has arrived on campus, the Miami RedHawks have been one of the nation's most prolific home run hitting teams. In 2021, Miami hit 88 home runs (56 games). In 2022, the RedHawks mashed 114 dingers (58 games) and last year the RedHawks hit 97 home runs (59 games). This season, the RedHawks have put those numbers to shame, and have a chance to break a pair of NCAA records. As a side note, the RedHawks have more walks (268) than strikeouts (232) this season.
Single Season Team Home Run Record
ACE OF SPAID: Senior Karli Spaid has basically rewritten the Miami record books. She ranks first in career batting average (.399), hits (275), home runs (104), runs scored (254), RBI (259) and slugging percentage (.936). Her 104 career home runs is second all-time in NCAA history behind Oklahoma's Jocelyn Alo (122, 2018-22). Spaid is the lone RedHawk in program history to earn first-team All-MAC honors four-straight seasons and has also found a spot on the NFCA All-Region first-team each year since 2021. She is also chasing the NCAA single-season home run record:
Single Season Individual Home Run Record
BETTER THAN BEFORE: Jenna Golembiewski was named MAC Player of the Year in 2023 after recording a .306 batting average with 17 home runs and 36 RBI. This season, she is smashing those numbers, ranking near the top of the NCAA in batting average (.407), home runs (28) and RBI (78).
SHE'S STILL HERE?: Hard to believe, but Allie Cummins will be playing in her 250th game when the MAC Tournament begins. No player in MAC history has competed in more games. More impressive though ... she played many of those games behind the plate. When Cummins time comes to an end, she will rank either first or second in Miami history in career home runs, batting average, runs scored, hits, runs batted in and walks.
MIAMI VS. NCAA REGIONAL FIELD: For the fourth straight season, the Miami softball team will be competing in the NCAA Tournament and facing off against some familiar opponents.
All-Time Series vs. Virginia: Virginia leads 7-4
All-Time Series vs. Dayton: Miami leads 55-7
All-Time Series vs. Tennessee: Tennessee leads 6-3
HAWKS AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: The Miami RedHawks make their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend, all coming in the last 20 years. The RedHawks are 6-14 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Last season the RedHawks went 2-2 in the Evanston Regional, eventually falling to Northwestern in the Regional Final. Miami has never advanced to a Super Regional.
CAN'T TEACH EXPERIENCE: The 2024 RedHawks have combined to compete in 78 NCAA Tournament games during their career, dating back to the 2021 season.
AROUND THE HORN: Â Below are 3-4 tidbits for Miami's expected lineup.
Kate Kobayashi
• Came with Coach Kumar to Miami from Virginia Tech
• First-team All-MAC in 2024 after earning second-team All-MAC in 2022
• Posted career bests in batting average, runs scored, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage and on-base percentage in 2024
Karli Spaid
• Four-time First Team All-MAC (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
• 2024 MAC Player of the Year
• 2024 MAC Tournament MVP
• Hit the first career home run in Love's Field (home of the Oklahoma Sooners) history back on March 1, 2024.
• Is Miami's career leader in five different offensive categories
• Is second in NCAA history with 103 career home runs
Jenna Golembiewski
• 2023 MAC Player of the Year
• First-team All-MAC in 2023 and 2024
• Posted career bests in nine different offensive categories in 2024
• Second in the NCAA with 78 RBI in 2024
Holly Blaska
• Four-time All-MAC performer (first-team: 2021, 2024; second-team: 2022, 2023)
• Recorded career-bests in batting average, runs scored, home runs, RBI and slugging percentage in 2024
• Hit four home runs last season in the NCAA Tournament
Allie Cummins
• All-MAC (2021, 2022, 2023)
• Ranks first or second in Miami history in six different offensive categories
• Has played in 249 career games, the most of any player in MAC history
• Ranks second among NCAA active players with 192 walks
Sami Bewick
• Has started every game for the RedHawks in 2024 as a true freshman
• 2024 MAC Freshman Player of the Year
• Leads all MAC freshman with 14 home runs and 55 RBI
Chloe Parks
• Earned second-team All-MAC in 2022
• Has started 159 games at second base in her career for the RedHawks
• Has committed just 11 errors in her career and has a .972 fielding percentage since joining the Red and White.
Reagan Bartholomew
• Started 46 of 55 games this year at shortstop
• First Team All-MAC in 2024
• Recorded career bests in batting average, home runs and RBI this season
• In conference games only, she led the MAC with 39 RBI
• Hit a walk-off home run in the final game of the MAC Tournament
Hadley Parisien
• Played in 53 of 55 games
• First Team All-MAC in 2024
• Committed just one error all season
• Her .352 batting average leads the MAC among freshman hitters
Madilyn Reeves
• Led the MAC with 20 wins and was third with 119 strikeouts in the regular season
• 2024 MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year
• Picked up two wins in the MAC Tournament
•  Is 19-1 in her last 24 appearances
Addy Jarvis
• Played the past four seasons at Illinois. Began career at Youngstown State back in 2019
•  Is 17-1 on the year and hasn't suffered a loss since March 1 at #2 Oklahoma
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•  The RedHawks enter Friday's contest with a 48-7 record (.873 win percentage), the best single season record in program history. Miami also finished the MAC season 26-1, recording the best single-season conference winning percentage in MAC history.
•  The RedHawks are currently ranked No. 21 in the nation according to Softball America and No. 23/24 in this week's ESPN and USAToday Coaches Poll. Miami had never been nationally ranked until this season.
•  Over the past four years, Miami is 173-54-1 overall and 107-16 in MAC play. The RedHawks have won every MAC Regular Season title since 2019 and every MAC Tournament Championship since 2021.
•  The RedHawks established a new Miami and MAC record with 23-straight wins from March 9 through April 21 and are 35-1 in their last 36 contests.
•  This is Miami's fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and eighth overall. Miami has twice played in the Knoxville Regional (2005, 2012).
•  The RedHawks feature the nation's top offense (9.15 runs/game), having scored at least 10 runs 25 different times this year. Miami has also recorded 24 run-rule victories in 2024. Miami leads the nation in home runs (159) and slugging percentage (.750). They are third nationally in batting average (.359) and second in on-base percentage (.460).
• Miami was a perfect 15-0 at home this season. The RedHawks were joined by the Hokies of Virginia Tech as the only two programs this season to go undefeated at home.
•  Eight different RedHawks earned First Team All-MAC in 2024: Holly Blaska, Reagan Bartholomew, Karli Spaid, Jenna Golembiewski, Addy Jarvis, Kate Kobayashi, Hadley Parisien, Sami Bewick.
•  Karli Spaid was named the 2024 MAC Player of the Year (and MAC Tournament MVP). This is the second-straight year Miami has captured the MAC POTY award after Jenna Golembiewski won the same award back in 2023. Spaid currently leads the nation with 36 home runs.
•  Spaid and Golembiewski were named USA Softball Finalists for National Player of the Year. The award will be pared down to 10 finalists on May 15 and a top-3 on May. 20. The winner will be announced during the College World Series.
•  Kirin Kumar was named MAC Coach of the Year, Sami Bewick earned MAC Freshman Player of the Year and Madilyn Reeves was named MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year.
•  Miami's offense features the top five home run hitters in school history, led by Karli Spaid (104), Allie Cummins (66), Holly Blaska (50), Jenna Golembiewski (46) and Kate Kobayashi (42).
•  Freshman Madilyn Reeves led the conference with 20 wins and was third with 119 strikeouts during the regular season. She is 19-1 in her last 24 appearances. Senior Addy Jarvis is 17-1 inside the circle with her lone loss coming against #2 Oklahoma.
ABOUT COACH KUMAR:Â Since Kumar arrived back in 2021, Miami has totaled a 173-54-1 record, capturing four MAC Regular Season Titles and three MAC Tournament crowns (no MAC Tournament in 2021). Under Kumar, the RedHawks are 107-16 in MAC play. Miami has 14 Power-5 victories since 2021 and Kumar has produced 32 All-MAC performers and a pair of MAC Player of the Year awards since arriving in southwest Ohio. Kumar is a two-time MAC Coach of the Year, capturing the award in 2021 and 2024.
DIGGING THE LONG BALL: Since Coach Kumar has arrived on campus, the Miami RedHawks have been one of the nation's most prolific home run hitting teams. In 2021, Miami hit 88 home runs (56 games). In 2022, the RedHawks mashed 114 dingers (58 games) and last year the RedHawks hit 97 home runs (59 games). This season, the RedHawks have put those numbers to shame, and have a chance to break a pair of NCAA records. As a side note, the RedHawks have more walks (268) than strikeouts (232) this season.
Single Season Team Home Run Record
| Team, Year | Games | Home Runs |
| 1. Oklahoma, 2021 | 60 | 161 |
| 2. Miami, 2024 | 55 | 159 |
| 3. Hawaii, 2020 | 66 | 158 |
| 4. Oklahoma, 2022 | 62 | 155 |
ACE OF SPAID: Senior Karli Spaid has basically rewritten the Miami record books. She ranks first in career batting average (.399), hits (275), home runs (104), runs scored (254), RBI (259) and slugging percentage (.936). Her 104 career home runs is second all-time in NCAA history behind Oklahoma's Jocelyn Alo (122, 2018-22). Spaid is the lone RedHawk in program history to earn first-team All-MAC honors four-straight seasons and has also found a spot on the NFCA All-Region first-team each year since 2021. She is also chasing the NCAA single-season home run record:
Single Season Individual Home Run Record
| Player, Year | Home Runs |
| 1. Laura Espinoza (Arizona), 1995 | 37 |
| 2. Karli Spaid (Miami), 2024 | 36 |
| 3. Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma), 2022 | 34 |
| 4. Jocelyn Alo (Oklahoma), 2021 | 34 |
BETTER THAN BEFORE: Jenna Golembiewski was named MAC Player of the Year in 2023 after recording a .306 batting average with 17 home runs and 36 RBI. This season, she is smashing those numbers, ranking near the top of the NCAA in batting average (.407), home runs (28) and RBI (78).
SHE'S STILL HERE?: Hard to believe, but Allie Cummins will be playing in her 250th game when the MAC Tournament begins. No player in MAC history has competed in more games. More impressive though ... she played many of those games behind the plate. When Cummins time comes to an end, she will rank either first or second in Miami history in career home runs, batting average, runs scored, hits, runs batted in and walks.
MIAMI VS. NCAA REGIONAL FIELD: For the fourth straight season, the Miami softball team will be competing in the NCAA Tournament and facing off against some familiar opponents.
All-Time Series vs. Virginia: Virginia leads 7-4
All-Time Series vs. Dayton: Miami leads 55-7
All-Time Series vs. Tennessee: Tennessee leads 6-3
HAWKS AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: The Miami RedHawks make their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend, all coming in the last 20 years. The RedHawks are 6-14 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Last season the RedHawks went 2-2 in the Evanston Regional, eventually falling to Northwestern in the Regional Final. Miami has never advanced to a Super Regional.
CAN'T TEACH EXPERIENCE: The 2024 RedHawks have combined to compete in 78 NCAA Tournament games during their career, dating back to the 2021 season.
AROUND THE HORN: Â Below are 3-4 tidbits for Miami's expected lineup.
Kate Kobayashi
• Came with Coach Kumar to Miami from Virginia Tech
• First-team All-MAC in 2024 after earning second-team All-MAC in 2022
• Posted career bests in batting average, runs scored, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage and on-base percentage in 2024
Karli Spaid
• Four-time First Team All-MAC (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
• 2024 MAC Player of the Year
• 2024 MAC Tournament MVP
• Hit the first career home run in Love's Field (home of the Oklahoma Sooners) history back on March 1, 2024.
• Is Miami's career leader in five different offensive categories
• Is second in NCAA history with 103 career home runs
Jenna Golembiewski
• 2023 MAC Player of the Year
• First-team All-MAC in 2023 and 2024
• Posted career bests in nine different offensive categories in 2024
• Second in the NCAA with 78 RBI in 2024
Holly Blaska
• Four-time All-MAC performer (first-team: 2021, 2024; second-team: 2022, 2023)
• Recorded career-bests in batting average, runs scored, home runs, RBI and slugging percentage in 2024
• Hit four home runs last season in the NCAA Tournament
Allie Cummins
• All-MAC (2021, 2022, 2023)
• Ranks first or second in Miami history in six different offensive categories
• Has played in 249 career games, the most of any player in MAC history
• Ranks second among NCAA active players with 192 walks
Sami Bewick
• Has started every game for the RedHawks in 2024 as a true freshman
• 2024 MAC Freshman Player of the Year
• Leads all MAC freshman with 14 home runs and 55 RBI
Chloe Parks
• Earned second-team All-MAC in 2022
• Has started 159 games at second base in her career for the RedHawks
• Has committed just 11 errors in her career and has a .972 fielding percentage since joining the Red and White.
Reagan Bartholomew
• Started 46 of 55 games this year at shortstop
• First Team All-MAC in 2024
• Recorded career bests in batting average, home runs and RBI this season
• In conference games only, she led the MAC with 39 RBI
• Hit a walk-off home run in the final game of the MAC Tournament
Hadley Parisien
• Played in 53 of 55 games
• First Team All-MAC in 2024
• Committed just one error all season
• Her .352 batting average leads the MAC among freshman hitters
Madilyn Reeves
• Led the MAC with 20 wins and was third with 119 strikeouts in the regular season
• 2024 MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year
• Picked up two wins in the MAC Tournament
•  Is 19-1 in her last 24 appearances
Addy Jarvis
• Played the past four seasons at Illinois. Began career at Youngstown State back in 2019
•  Is 17-1 on the year and hasn't suffered a loss since March 1 at #2 Oklahoma
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