Eastern Michigan Athletics
Baseball Travels to Michigan for Doubleheader on Comcast Local
4/18/2007 12:29:57 PM | Baseball
Eagles and Wolverines play two seven inning games begining at 3 p.m.
EAGLES TRAVEL TO MICHIGAN FOR DOUBLEHEADER ON COMCAST LOCAL TV: The Eastern Michigan University baseball team travels the University of Michigan for a seven-inning doubleheader at Ray Fisher Stadium, April 18. The doubleheader will be broadcast live on Comcast Local (Channel 8 in Ypsilanti) with Ben Holden handling play-by-play duties and Geoff Zahn serving as color analyst. The Eagles enter the game with a 12-14 record and 9-1 Mid-American Conference mark. Michigan leads the all-time series against EMU with a 104-53-2 record.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: Michigan enters the game with a 22-6 overall record and a perfect 8-0 Big Ten Conference record. Michigan is led by sophomore Zach Putnam who is batting .381 with 43 hits, 19 runs scored, 30 RBI and 4 home runs.
LAST TIME AGAINST MICHIGAN: The EMU baseball team dropped a seven-inning doubleheader, 11-4 and 9-1, against cross-town rival University of Michigan in non-conference action Tuesday night (April 10) at Oestrike Stadium. Eastern had no answer for the U-M pitching staff as the Eagles’ offense only generated five runs and 11 hits in two games. Conversely, Michigan had its way with the EMU staff pounding out 20 runs on 28 hits in its two victories. Last season, the two teams split both meetings with the Eagles winning 9-3 at Oestrike Stadium (April 19, 2006) and the Wolverines taking the second game 11-6 at Ray Fisher Stadium (May 9, 2006).
EAGLES OFF TO GREAT START IN CONFERENCE PLAY: With the three-game sweep of Ohio (April 13 & 14), EMU moved into first place in the MAC West Division standings. Eastern’s 9-1 MAC record is the best start to the conference season since 1982 when the Eagles started 9-1-1.
FISCHER HURLS COMPLETE GAME SHUTOUT: Junior ace Jeff Fischer (3-3) recorded his second career complete game shut out to lead EMU to a 2-0 victory over Ohio University (April 13). Fischer went the distance allowing just four scattered hits while striking out five to record his sixth career complete game with a 0.00 ERA. Fischer also did not allow an Ohio runner past second base all game. In his last two starts, Fischer is a perfect 2-0 in conference games and has allowed only one run.
BIDDLE ALSO NOTCHES COMPLETE GAME SHUT OUT: George Biddle (3-3) recorded the second straight complete game shutout by an Eagle pitcher allowing seven scattered hits while striking out six in the Eagles’ 1-0 win over Ohio (April 14). The complete game shutout was the second of Biddle’s career since he went the distance in EMU’s 10-0 victory over Buffalo last season (March 31, 2006). For the week, Biddle made two appearances pitching 13.0 innings with 13 strikeouts for a 0.00 ERA.
GOOSE EGGS FOR THE OPPOSITION: EMU recorded back-to-back shutout victories against Ohio, 1-0, and 2-0 (April 13 and 14). The last time the Eagles recorded back-to-back shutout conference victories was in 1975 when they defeated Miami, 8-0 and 6-0. EMU recorded consecutive shutouts against non-conference opponents Wayne State ,10-0, and Northwood, 13-0, May 3-4, 1994.
STRIKEOUT KING: Junior Jeff Fischer has 55 strikeouts on the season which ranks second in the MAC (9.46 per game). Fischer now has 221 career strikeouts which moved him into fourth place all time in EMU history passing former EMU Hall of Fame pitcher and MLB professional Bob Welch (219).
EMU Career Strikeout Leaders:
1. Bob Owchinko 306 1973-76
2. Anthony Tomey 249 2000-03
3. Woody Mills 225 1970-73
4. Jeff Fischer 221 2005-Present
LEAVING THE YARD: So far this season, the EMU baseball team has hit 16 home runs. The Eagles are led by senior Derek Lerhman who has four bombs on the season followed by junior Todd Graves who has three. Junior Jeff Davis ranks third on the team with two while seniors Patrick Dean and Brian Blackburn, junior Josh Ivan and sophomore Aaron Powell each have one.
MOVING ON THE BASES: When junior Jeff Davis puts the ball in play, his speed makes him a threat to extend any hit when rounding the base pads. The Avondale, Ariz. native leads EMU with four triples which is second in the conference standings and also moved him into a 14th place tie all time in EMU history for career triples. His four triples are also the most tallied by an Eagle since 2002 when Greg Anglin hit six. Davis also is tied for second on the team with five doubles.
FISCHER MAKES COLLEGE BASEBALL FOUNDATION NATIONAL HONOR ROLL: Jeff Fischer was named to the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) National Honor Roll Players of the Week for the week of April 10. The junior picked up his second win on the mound to lead EMU to a, 3-1, victory over Miami that snapped the RedHawks’ 10-game winning streak, which was the third longest active winning streak in the nation. Fischer went 7.2 innings, allowing only one run, on just three scattered hits, while striking out 10. After allowing a hit in the top of the first inning, Fisher did not allow another RedHawk hit until the eighth. The CBF releases a regular National Honor Roll, Feb 13th-May 22nd, saluting the finest performances of the past week’s action as nominated by conference and university baseball media contacts.
EMU SNAPS MIAMI’S 10-GAME WINNING STREAK: Behind a strong pitching performance from 2006 Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year Jeff Fischer, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team spoiled Miami University’s return to Oestrike Stadium with a 3-1 victory over the RedHawks in Mid-American Conference action Friday afternoon (April 6). The game marked the first time the Eagles hosted Miami since the teams played a doubleheader April 4, 1999. The victory also snapped Miami’s 10 game winning streak which was the third longest active winning streak in the nation. Fischer (2-3) went a strong 7.2 innings allowing one run on three hits while striking out 10. After allowing a hit in the top of the first inning, Fisher did not allow another RedHawk hit until the eighth. Sophomore Matt Shoemaker recorded the last four outs to notch his fifth save of the season.
OESTRIKE STADIUM GETS A NEW LOOK: Thanks to the generosity of many donors, the Oestrike Stadium infield has been replaced with ProGrass, a synthetic surface supported by an extensive drainage system and sub base. The base paths, home plate area and pitchers mound were upgraded with brown-colored synthetic turf. The improved sub base and drainage system allows the infield to handle up to eight inches of rain an hour and still be playable. "This project would not have been possible without the generosity of a large number of true EMU baseball faithful who believe in our championship dreams and made a financial commitment to this project," said head baseball coach Roger Coryell. "This field will give us a critical competitive advantage that we had to have to maintain our edge."
