Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, February 28
Durham, N.C.
3:15 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Duke
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Randy Mascharka
Baseball Set for Duke and NC Central in Midweek Slate
2/27/2012 5:16:00 PM | Baseball
Eagles look to get on track against Blue Devils and Eagles
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com)– The Eastern Michigan University baseball team will try to improve off a 1-2 weekend at Oral Roberts University with a pair of weekday games Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 28-29, against Duke University and North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C. Tuesday's battle with the Blue Devils will begin at 3:15 p.m., while Wednesday's game with the Eagles is scheduled for 6 p.m.
RARE ENCOUNTERS: The Eagles and Blue Devils will meet for just the third time Tuesday, with Duke holding a 2-0 series advantage. Eastern Michigan enters the contest with a 1-4 record, while Duke sits at 4-5 after taking two-of-three games against Canisius College over the weekend.
Duke boasts a dangerous top of the batting order with Matt Berezo (.317/.391/.439), Grant McCabe (.419/.438/.581), Will Piwnica-Worms (.394/.523/.697) and Jeff Kremer (.378/.419/.514) representing Head Coach Sean McNally. There is relief at the bottom of the order however, as the remainder of Duke's starting lineup is hitting a collective .235. The Blue Devils will also post a threat on the base paths, having already swiped 18 bases in 20 attempts over nine games played.
DISTANT RELATIVES: On Wednesday, NCCU and EMU will not only share mascots (both are named the Eagles), but they will also play on the same field for the first time in either school's history. NC Central has struggled out of the gate so far this season, posting a 1-6 record which includes a 17-3 loss to Duke, Feb. 22.
Both Eagles squads have experienced similar pitching woes in the early portion of their respective seasons, as Eastern Michigan has allowed 10-or-more runs on four occasions and NC Central has earned the dubious stat five times with three of those games ending with 15-or-more runs scored by the opponent.
NC Central has the ability to score in bunches, having registered a season-high 15 runs in a 17-15 setback to New Jersey Institute. The Eagles used a 10-run ninth inning to claw their way back to within two runs before falling just short.
EAGLES GET FIRST WIN AT ORU: Eastern Michigan thrust itself into the win column Saturday, Feb. 25, with a 3-1 win over ORU in the middle game of the three-game weekend set. The Eagles received terrific pitching performances from starter Steve Weber (1-1) and reliever Neil Butara to record the victory.
Weber carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and faced the minimum 18 batters through the first six innings, giving up a leadoff walk in the fifth but ultimately getting an inning-ending double play. Butara was just as effective in his first appearance of the season, earning the save after pitching two and one-thirds innings while striking out three and giving up no hits. The junior reliever needed just 22 pitches to record the final seven outs of the contest.
OFF RHYTHM: The Eagles' inconsistencies to begin the 2012 campaign have proven to be the team's Achilles heel after five games. Lee Longo (.400/.455/.550) and Sam Ott (.400/.500/.400) are each off to stellar starts at the dish, but the team is batting just .255 and reaching base at a .309 clip with limited extra base power. Bo Kinder (.263/.333/.316) has also been a welcomed return to the EMU lineup after coming back from injury in 2011, posting a 3-for-5, four-RBI performance Friday against the Golden Eagles. Ironically, Ben Magsig is hitting just .231 to begin the season, but is still maintaining a lofty .986 OPS due in large part to his team-leading six walks and a two-run homer over the weekend against ORU.
On the mound, the EMU pitching staff has accumulated a 9.21 ERA and a .316 batting average against despite Steve Weber's 1.69 ERA in 10 and two-thirds innings of work. Jordan Glover also rebounded from a sloppy outing against USC Upstate in the season opener to record eight strikeouts in Friday's game against ORU. EMU pitchers have struck out 32 batters in 42 total innings, while walking 25 and surrendering 15 extra base hits.
GLOVER SETS PERSONAL BEST: Reliever Jordan Glover's eight strikeout performance Friday against ORU marked a career-best for the native of Toronto, Ontario. His previous high for punch-outs was six set back on March 29, 2011, against Cleveland State University.
DOESN'T BODE WELL: Giving up 10 runs per outing is not a winning recipe for any team, but the Eagles might have fared better than most last season when they went 5-6 after allowing double-digit runs in a game. This year, the team is 0-4 after allowing 10-plus runs, and is being outscored by a 9.6-2.6 pace through five games this season.
NOT DONE YET: Following the two midweek games with Duke and NC Central, the Green and White will continue its 17-game road swing with a four-game weekend set in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Eagles will face Marshall University and Wake Forest University twice with a double header Friday, March 2, and single games Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4.
RARE ENCOUNTERS: The Eagles and Blue Devils will meet for just the third time Tuesday, with Duke holding a 2-0 series advantage. Eastern Michigan enters the contest with a 1-4 record, while Duke sits at 4-5 after taking two-of-three games against Canisius College over the weekend.
Duke boasts a dangerous top of the batting order with Matt Berezo (.317/.391/.439), Grant McCabe (.419/.438/.581), Will Piwnica-Worms (.394/.523/.697) and Jeff Kremer (.378/.419/.514) representing Head Coach Sean McNally. There is relief at the bottom of the order however, as the remainder of Duke's starting lineup is hitting a collective .235. The Blue Devils will also post a threat on the base paths, having already swiped 18 bases in 20 attempts over nine games played.
DISTANT RELATIVES: On Wednesday, NCCU and EMU will not only share mascots (both are named the Eagles), but they will also play on the same field for the first time in either school's history. NC Central has struggled out of the gate so far this season, posting a 1-6 record which includes a 17-3 loss to Duke, Feb. 22.
Both Eagles squads have experienced similar pitching woes in the early portion of their respective seasons, as Eastern Michigan has allowed 10-or-more runs on four occasions and NC Central has earned the dubious stat five times with three of those games ending with 15-or-more runs scored by the opponent.
NC Central has the ability to score in bunches, having registered a season-high 15 runs in a 17-15 setback to New Jersey Institute. The Eagles used a 10-run ninth inning to claw their way back to within two runs before falling just short.
EAGLES GET FIRST WIN AT ORU: Eastern Michigan thrust itself into the win column Saturday, Feb. 25, with a 3-1 win over ORU in the middle game of the three-game weekend set. The Eagles received terrific pitching performances from starter Steve Weber (1-1) and reliever Neil Butara to record the victory.
Weber carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and faced the minimum 18 batters through the first six innings, giving up a leadoff walk in the fifth but ultimately getting an inning-ending double play. Butara was just as effective in his first appearance of the season, earning the save after pitching two and one-thirds innings while striking out three and giving up no hits. The junior reliever needed just 22 pitches to record the final seven outs of the contest.
OFF RHYTHM: The Eagles' inconsistencies to begin the 2012 campaign have proven to be the team's Achilles heel after five games. Lee Longo (.400/.455/.550) and Sam Ott (.400/.500/.400) are each off to stellar starts at the dish, but the team is batting just .255 and reaching base at a .309 clip with limited extra base power. Bo Kinder (.263/.333/.316) has also been a welcomed return to the EMU lineup after coming back from injury in 2011, posting a 3-for-5, four-RBI performance Friday against the Golden Eagles. Ironically, Ben Magsig is hitting just .231 to begin the season, but is still maintaining a lofty .986 OPS due in large part to his team-leading six walks and a two-run homer over the weekend against ORU.
On the mound, the EMU pitching staff has accumulated a 9.21 ERA and a .316 batting average against despite Steve Weber's 1.69 ERA in 10 and two-thirds innings of work. Jordan Glover also rebounded from a sloppy outing against USC Upstate in the season opener to record eight strikeouts in Friday's game against ORU. EMU pitchers have struck out 32 batters in 42 total innings, while walking 25 and surrendering 15 extra base hits.
GLOVER SETS PERSONAL BEST: Reliever Jordan Glover's eight strikeout performance Friday against ORU marked a career-best for the native of Toronto, Ontario. His previous high for punch-outs was six set back on March 29, 2011, against Cleveland State University.
DOESN'T BODE WELL: Giving up 10 runs per outing is not a winning recipe for any team, but the Eagles might have fared better than most last season when they went 5-6 after allowing double-digit runs in a game. This year, the team is 0-4 after allowing 10-plus runs, and is being outscored by a 9.6-2.6 pace through five games this season.
NOT DONE YET: Following the two midweek games with Duke and NC Central, the Green and White will continue its 17-game road swing with a four-game weekend set in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Eagles will face Marshall University and Wake Forest University twice with a double header Friday, March 2, and single games Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4.
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