Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, March 9
Tucson, Ariz.
6 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Arizona
The Eagles at the Tulsa Air National Guard Base
Baseball Heads to Arizona to Face No. 7 Wildcats
3/8/2012 4:27:00 PM | Baseball
Eagles look to snap three-game losing skid
Complete Release (.pdf)
Live Stats
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com)– The Eastern Michigan University baseball team continues its season-opening 17-game road stint with a three-game weekend set against the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats Friday-Sunday, March 9-11. The Eagles (3-8) will face their stiffest challenge of the 2012 campaign against a Wildcats (10-2) team on a five-game winning streak.
Game one gets underway Friday afternoon at the brand-new Hi Corbett Field at 6 p.m. MT. Saturday's game is also slated for a 6 p.m. MT start, while Sunday's action will begin at 11 a.m. MT.
THE SERIES: Eastern Michigan and Arizona will meet for the eighth time Friday, with the Wildcats holding a 1-7 series advantage. The Eagles and Wildcats first met in the finals of the 1976 College World Series, when Arizona claimed its first national title in school history with a 7-1 win over the Eagles.
EMU's win against Arizona came in the 2007 campaign, when the Green and White claimed a 7-5 victory. The two clubs last met in 2008, when the Wildcats posted a 13-7 win in the consolation bracket of NCAA Tournament's Ann Arbor Region.
ON THE MOUND: This weekend's series with the Wildcats will test the mettle of the EMU pitching staff against some of the stingiest pitchers in collegiate baseball. On Friday, Joe Battistelli (1-2, 9.00 ERA) will try for a second straight win against Wildcats' ace Kurt Heyer (3-0, 0.78 ERA). Heyer has allowed just a pair of earned runs in 23 innings and has struck out 25 batters.
Steve Weber (1-1, 1.02 ERA) has proven to be the Eagles' most trustworthy arm so far this season, and will need to maintain his consistency against UA starter Konner Wade (2-0, 1.25 ERA) Saturday. Weber is holding opponents to a .203 batting average through three starts, while Wade has notched 33 strikeouts in 21.2 innings.
The final game will pit Brian Valente (0-2, 4.15 ERA) against James Farris (2-1, 3.26 ERA). Valente took the loss in his previous start, but has only allowed four earned runs in two appearances.
STREAKING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS: The Eagles enter the weekend on a three-game losing slide, while the Wildcats are cruising on a five-game winning streak. Of course, Arizona has also had the benefit of playing all of its games to this point in its home ball park. Nonetheless, the Tucson, Ariz. based squad has been smashing the baseball at a .322 clip while its pitchers are carrying a collective 2.50 ERA.
All of EMU's losses on the other hand have been on the road. The Green and White has been outscored, 26-13, during that stretch, and is averaging just over six base hits per contest.
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: If accumulated bus miles translated into runs, the Eagles would have been crowned national champions after playing six games in six days in the state of North Carolina. The Eagles started with a 9-8 setback at Duke Tuesday, Feb. 28, before topping NC Central, 8-4, the following afternoon in Durham, N.C.
EMU took a day off for travel Thursday before claiming a second-straight victory against former MAC foe Marshall, 6-5, in a neutral site game on the campus of Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Eagles then dropped a pair of decision to Wake Forest and one to Marshall to send the team back to the Great Lakes State with a 2-4 mark on the week.
EAGLES THUNDER PAST THE HERD: The Eagles opened last weekend's four-game stint with Wake Forest and Marshall with a nail-biting 6-5 win over the Thundering Herd. Lee Longo went a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Bo Kinder hit 3-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and a stolen base. Brent Ohrman was hitless in three attempts but notched the game-winning RBI on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and stole his first bag of the season.
Joe Battistelli (1-2) recovered from surrendering five runs in the first three innings by allowing just three hits and no MU runs over his final three innings of work. Reliever Collin Taylor tossed the final three innings to pick up his first save of the season.
OH SO CLOSE: Sam Ott nearly added to the quirkiness of playing a game on a date which only comes around once every four years when he came a triply shy of hitting for the cycle in EMU's 8-4 victory over NC Central, Feb. 29. The Canton, Mich. native blasted the game-winning home run in the fourth inning on a day when he went 2-for-2 with three walks and a trio of runs scored.
SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE: Catchers Matt Hitt and Adam Dennison have shared duties behind the plate to start the 2012 campaign, as Hitt has started six games for Jay Alexander and Dennison has started five times. Hitt carries a batting average of .250 to go along with a home run and six walks, while Dennison is hitting .208.
FREELANCERS: Patience is a virtue, especially when that virtue puts you 90 feet closer to home. In 11 games, the Eagles have drawn 60 walks for an average of 5.5 free passes per contest. EMU's walk total ranks 21st among NCAA Division I teams. Ben Magsig leads the Eagles in walks and is ranked 11th nationally in total free passes (13) and is 18th in walks per game (1.18).
Eastern Michigan walked a total of 234 times last season for second-most in the Mid-American Conference to trail only Central Michigan (235).
SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME: When leading off an inning, EMU batters are reaching base at a .455 clip. Sam Ott is 5-for-6 (.833) when hitting first in an inning, while Daniel Russell is 4-for-5 (.800) and Ben Magsig is 6-for-9 (.667).
EMU VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: Since 2003, the Eagles have a 6-18 mark against teams ranked in the top-25. EMU snapped a long skid against top-25 teams with its 3-1 victory over 25th-ranked Kansas in 2010. Prior to that win, their previous win over a ranked opponent was Feb. 7, 2007, when the Eagles claimed a 6-3 win at No. 19 Tennessee. When the Eagles topped No. 4 Clemson last season, 7-6, it marked the highest ranked team the Eagles have beaten since 2003. Prior to that, EMU's top win was against Notre Dame, who was ranked No. 13 when it claimed a 5-3 win over the Fighting Irish, April 15, 2003.
The Eagles will have another chance to face off with a nationally-ranked opponent in 2012, when they travel to Tucson, Ariz. to play Arizona, March 9-11. The Wildcats enter the season ranked as high as fifth and as low as 20th in different polls.
RECORD WATCH: Outfielder Brent Ohrman has recorded four stolen bases this season to run his career total to 36, good for the 14th-most all-time among EMU players. With his pair of swiped bags Sunday, March 4, against Wake Forest, the senior moved past former Eagle speedsters Trumaine Riley (2003-07) and Jeff Hehr (2005-07), who each had 34. Ohrman is now one stolen base behind Ryan Arnett's (2003-05) career mark of 37 for 13th place.
Ben Magsig's team-best 13 walks this season have increased his career total to 80 and have earned him sole possession of 12th place and put him just six free passes behind Greg Ryan (1996-98) who amassed 86. The record for walks in a career is held by EMU great Glenn Gulliver, who received 140 free passes from 1973-76.
Live Stats
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com)– The Eastern Michigan University baseball team continues its season-opening 17-game road stint with a three-game weekend set against the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats Friday-Sunday, March 9-11. The Eagles (3-8) will face their stiffest challenge of the 2012 campaign against a Wildcats (10-2) team on a five-game winning streak.
Game one gets underway Friday afternoon at the brand-new Hi Corbett Field at 6 p.m. MT. Saturday's game is also slated for a 6 p.m. MT start, while Sunday's action will begin at 11 a.m. MT.
THE SERIES: Eastern Michigan and Arizona will meet for the eighth time Friday, with the Wildcats holding a 1-7 series advantage. The Eagles and Wildcats first met in the finals of the 1976 College World Series, when Arizona claimed its first national title in school history with a 7-1 win over the Eagles.
EMU's win against Arizona came in the 2007 campaign, when the Green and White claimed a 7-5 victory. The two clubs last met in 2008, when the Wildcats posted a 13-7 win in the consolation bracket of NCAA Tournament's Ann Arbor Region.
ON THE MOUND: This weekend's series with the Wildcats will test the mettle of the EMU pitching staff against some of the stingiest pitchers in collegiate baseball. On Friday, Joe Battistelli (1-2, 9.00 ERA) will try for a second straight win against Wildcats' ace Kurt Heyer (3-0, 0.78 ERA). Heyer has allowed just a pair of earned runs in 23 innings and has struck out 25 batters.
Steve Weber (1-1, 1.02 ERA) has proven to be the Eagles' most trustworthy arm so far this season, and will need to maintain his consistency against UA starter Konner Wade (2-0, 1.25 ERA) Saturday. Weber is holding opponents to a .203 batting average through three starts, while Wade has notched 33 strikeouts in 21.2 innings.
The final game will pit Brian Valente (0-2, 4.15 ERA) against James Farris (2-1, 3.26 ERA). Valente took the loss in his previous start, but has only allowed four earned runs in two appearances.
STREAKING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS: The Eagles enter the weekend on a three-game losing slide, while the Wildcats are cruising on a five-game winning streak. Of course, Arizona has also had the benefit of playing all of its games to this point in its home ball park. Nonetheless, the Tucson, Ariz. based squad has been smashing the baseball at a .322 clip while its pitchers are carrying a collective 2.50 ERA.
All of EMU's losses on the other hand have been on the road. The Green and White has been outscored, 26-13, during that stretch, and is averaging just over six base hits per contest.
THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: If accumulated bus miles translated into runs, the Eagles would have been crowned national champions after playing six games in six days in the state of North Carolina. The Eagles started with a 9-8 setback at Duke Tuesday, Feb. 28, before topping NC Central, 8-4, the following afternoon in Durham, N.C.
EMU took a day off for travel Thursday before claiming a second-straight victory against former MAC foe Marshall, 6-5, in a neutral site game on the campus of Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Eagles then dropped a pair of decision to Wake Forest and one to Marshall to send the team back to the Great Lakes State with a 2-4 mark on the week.
EAGLES THUNDER PAST THE HERD: The Eagles opened last weekend's four-game stint with Wake Forest and Marshall with a nail-biting 6-5 win over the Thundering Herd. Lee Longo went a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI, while Bo Kinder hit 3-for-4 with an RBI, a walk and a stolen base. Brent Ohrman was hitless in three attempts but notched the game-winning RBI on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and stole his first bag of the season.
Joe Battistelli (1-2) recovered from surrendering five runs in the first three innings by allowing just three hits and no MU runs over his final three innings of work. Reliever Collin Taylor tossed the final three innings to pick up his first save of the season.
OH SO CLOSE: Sam Ott nearly added to the quirkiness of playing a game on a date which only comes around once every four years when he came a triply shy of hitting for the cycle in EMU's 8-4 victory over NC Central, Feb. 29. The Canton, Mich. native blasted the game-winning home run in the fourth inning on a day when he went 2-for-2 with three walks and a trio of runs scored.
SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE: Catchers Matt Hitt and Adam Dennison have shared duties behind the plate to start the 2012 campaign, as Hitt has started six games for Jay Alexander and Dennison has started five times. Hitt carries a batting average of .250 to go along with a home run and six walks, while Dennison is hitting .208.
FREELANCERS: Patience is a virtue, especially when that virtue puts you 90 feet closer to home. In 11 games, the Eagles have drawn 60 walks for an average of 5.5 free passes per contest. EMU's walk total ranks 21st among NCAA Division I teams. Ben Magsig leads the Eagles in walks and is ranked 11th nationally in total free passes (13) and is 18th in walks per game (1.18).
Eastern Michigan walked a total of 234 times last season for second-most in the Mid-American Conference to trail only Central Michigan (235).
SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME: When leading off an inning, EMU batters are reaching base at a .455 clip. Sam Ott is 5-for-6 (.833) when hitting first in an inning, while Daniel Russell is 4-for-5 (.800) and Ben Magsig is 6-for-9 (.667).
EMU VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: Since 2003, the Eagles have a 6-18 mark against teams ranked in the top-25. EMU snapped a long skid against top-25 teams with its 3-1 victory over 25th-ranked Kansas in 2010. Prior to that win, their previous win over a ranked opponent was Feb. 7, 2007, when the Eagles claimed a 6-3 win at No. 19 Tennessee. When the Eagles topped No. 4 Clemson last season, 7-6, it marked the highest ranked team the Eagles have beaten since 2003. Prior to that, EMU's top win was against Notre Dame, who was ranked No. 13 when it claimed a 5-3 win over the Fighting Irish, April 15, 2003.
The Eagles will have another chance to face off with a nationally-ranked opponent in 2012, when they travel to Tucson, Ariz. to play Arizona, March 9-11. The Wildcats enter the season ranked as high as fifth and as low as 20th in different polls.
RECORD WATCH: Outfielder Brent Ohrman has recorded four stolen bases this season to run his career total to 36, good for the 14th-most all-time among EMU players. With his pair of swiped bags Sunday, March 4, against Wake Forest, the senior moved past former Eagle speedsters Trumaine Riley (2003-07) and Jeff Hehr (2005-07), who each had 34. Ohrman is now one stolen base behind Ryan Arnett's (2003-05) career mark of 37 for 13th place.
Ben Magsig's team-best 13 walks this season have increased his career total to 80 and have earned him sole possession of 12th place and put him just six free passes behind Greg Ryan (1996-98) who amassed 86. The record for walks in a career is held by EMU great Glenn Gulliver, who received 140 free passes from 1973-76.
Drew Beckner's Comments After BGSU Win in MAC Tournament
Friday, May 23
Robbie Britt's Comments After MAC Tournament Win over BGSU
Friday, May 23
EMU Stuns BGSU for First Postseason Win Since 2017
Friday, May 23
Baseball 2025 MAC Tournament Practice Day Recap
Wednesday, May 21