EMU Baseball Set to Host Inaugural Oestrike Classic, March 18-20

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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team will host the Inaugural Oestrike Classic and take on the likes of Alma, Michigan and Oakland in a four-team, round-robin tournament at Oestrike Stadium, March 18-20.

OESTRIKE CLASSIC: The Inaugural Oestrike Classic will pay homage to the legendary Ron Oestrike, who coached the then-Hurons from 1965-1987 and totaled 657 wins in his tenure. He led EMU to back-to-back College World Series appearances in 1975-76 including a runner-up finish in the latter of the two appearances. Oestrike developed a plan for and helped fund Oestrike Stadium which celebrates its 40th Anniversary in 2011.
The Oestrike Classic will feature four teams: Alma College, University of Michigan, Oakland University and host Eastern Michigan University. It will be a round-robin format with two games on each day.

Schedule:
Friday
2:00 p.m. – Alma vs. Michigan
5:00 p.m. – Oakland vs. EMU
Saturday
Noon – Michigan vs. Oakland
3:00 p.m. – Alma vs. EMU
Sunday
11:00 a.m. – Oakland vs. Alma
2:00 p.m. – Michigan vs. EMU

EMU BASEBALL ON THE WEB: Don't forget to stay up-to-date with Eastern Michigan University baseball for the 2011 season online at EMUEagles.com. Listen live to EMU baseball for just $1 per game all season long. And for a limited time only, you can purchase a full season, All-Access pass for $7.95. Offer ends April 8.

THE SERIES: Eastern Michigan has held a dominating series advantage against both Alma and Oakland. Against the Scots, the Eagles sport a 36-10 all-time mark and have won nine straight meetings dating back to 1970. The series, which has lain dormant for the last 32 years, will be rekindled as the Scots and Eagles meet for the first time since April 29, 1979 when EMU defeated Alma 6-4.
    The Eagles and Golden Grizzlies have a more frequent history as EMU has taken each of the last three meetings, including both meetings in 2010. The Green and White hold a 42-11 all-time series lead against Oakland and will meet three times over the weekend. EMU and Michigan will meet for the 170th time this weekend and the Wolverines hold a 56-111-2 overall record.

EAGLE RECAP: The Eagles were named Central Region Team of the Week by College Baseball Insider after going on the road and winning two out of three against host Kansas University at Hoglund Ballpark, March 11-13. After dropping game one, 8-2, EMU bounced back to win game two, 8-1, and then took the series finale by a 10-4 score.
    The Green and White used outstanding starting pitching and timely hitting to win two games against the Jayhawks of the Big XII Conference. In game one, the Eagles kept the score close at 3-2 until the eighth inning when the Jayhawks broke it open with a five-run frame on their way to the win.
    In game two, the Eagles scored three first inning runs while riding the right arm of Steve Weber en route to the lopsided win. Their victory in game three proved very similar as right-hander Corey Chaffins went eight innings and allowed just two runs. The offense built up as much as a 9-2 lead before going away with the 10-4 tally. Daniel Russell and Brent Ohrman each recorded eight hits in the series and four apiece in the series finale.

ON THE HORIZON: EMU heads to Morgantown, W.Va. for a two-game set with the Mountaineers. The Eagles dropped two out of threeto WVU a year ago, but made the one win count as they set a school record for most runs scored with a 23-0 victory the middle game of the series. On March 25, the Mid-American Conference season officially begins as the Eagles welcome in Buffalo to Oestrike Stadium for a three-game series, March 25-27.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: Michigan is off to a 3-12 start to begin the 2011 campaign after dropping its first seven games before defeating UMass, 5-2. As a team, the Wolverines are hitting .263 with Michael O'Neill and Patrick Biondi as the lone players hitting over .300. O'Neill comes in at a .356-clip with a homerun, eight RBI, 11 runs scored and a team-high 21 hits. Biondi is hitting .306 with a pair of doubles, six RBI and eight runs scored.
    The U-M pitching staff has a cumulative 6.21 ERA and an opponent batting average of .315. Ben Ballantine, Tyler Mills and Matt Broder each sport a 1-1 record while Kyle Clark is 0-1, but has a 3.00 ERA in four appearances.

A GLANCE AT THE SCOTS: Alma College comes into the weekend sporting a 1-6 overall record. The Scots won their first game of the season over the College of Staten Island before dropping the next six games. Alma has a team batting average of .213 and is led by Adam Rezmer with a .375 batting average with a homerun, four RBI and two runs scored this year. Nate Smith is right behind with a .308 average, a homerun and three RBI.
    The pitching staff has compiled a 5.10 ERA with a .328 batting average against. Richard Schreiber has the team's lone win with a 1-1 record and a 6.30 ERA.

A LOOK AT THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES: Oakland enters the weekend with a 2-7 overall record. The Golden Grizzlies dropped their first three to fourth-ranked Oklahoma to begin the season and then split a pair with Butler before dropping four of their next five. OU is hitting .272 as a team and Tommy Joblonski and Aaron Wick lead them by sporting .350-plus batting averages. Joblonski is hitting .360 with two doubles, three RBI and five runs scored while Wick is hitting .350 with four RBI and five runs scored.
    The OU pitching staff has a 7.98 ERA through its first nine games with an opponent batting average of .356. Two-way player Wick has a 1-2 record with a 7.02 ERA while Mark Leichtman has yet to record a decision but has a 4.66 ERA.

BEST START IN 18 YEARS: Eastern Michigan is off to its best start in 18 years after matching its 9-6 start to open the 1993 season. The Eagles have won eight of their last 10 contests and are averaging nearly nine runs and over 10 hits per game during that span.

TEAM OF THE WEEK: With their series victory over the Kansas Jayhawks, College Baseball Insider named Eastern Michigan the Central Region Team of the Week. Georgia was named CBI's National Team of the Week while Stony Brook garnered Northeast Region honors, No. 7 Virginia grabbed Southeast Region accolades, and California earned West Region recognition.

RUSSELL WINS WEEKLY HONOR: Sophomore outfielder Daniel Russell hit a team-best .615 (8-for-13) while adding five RBI, three runs scored and he was perfect in the field in each of his 10 chances, highlighted by a play where he threw a runner out at home in the 10-4 series finale win. Also in that victory, Russell went 4-for-5 at the dish with a walk, a run scored and four RBI.

REVERSED FORTUNES: The Eagles had been held scoreless in the first inning of each until game 14 of the season against Kansas when they pushed three runs across to take an early lead on the way to an 8-1 victory over the Jayhawks. EMU has been outscored 17-3 in the first inning through its first 15 games of the season. Conversely, the Green and White has outscored its opponents 27-5 in the second inning thus far this season.

HE'S ON FIRE: Brent Ohrman went 8-for-13 in the Eagles' three-game series against Kansas last weekend and extended his hitting streak a career-best 10 games. Ohrman leads the team with a .500 (23-for-46) batting average over the past 10 games with a team-highs in hits (23), doubles (8) and RBI (13) while adding eight runs scored a .717 slugging percentage and a .528 OBP. Zack Leonard isn't far behind during that span with an eight-game streak of his own and a .432 BA over his past 10 games.

THREE'S COMPANY: The EMU starting pitching staff against Kansas last weekend, which consisted of Rob Wendzicki, Steve Weber and Corey Chaffins, put up impressive numbers. As a starting pitching staff, they combined to compile a 2-0 record with a 1.71 ERA and a 12 strikeouts against just four walks.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

EMU Baseball Set to Host Inaugural Oestrike Classic, March 18-20

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