Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, May 23
Avon, Ohio
12:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Central Michigan
Eagles Open MAC Tournament vs. CMU Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.
5/21/2012 5:52:00 PM | Baseball
No. 6 EMU takes on No. 3 CMU as Eagles go in search of a fifth MAC title
Complete Release (.pdf)
Live Stats
FREE Audio Broadcast
MAC Tournament Bracket (.pdf)
MAC Tournament Central
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com)– The No. 6-seeded Eastern Michigan University baseball team kicks off the 2012 Mid-American Conference Tournament Wednesday, May 23, with a 12:30 p.m. game against No. 3-seeded Central Michigan University at All-Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The Eagles (24-29; 14-13 MAC) will be in search of their first MAC crown since 2008, while the Chippewas (30-27; 17-10 MAC) will try for their first since 1995.
NO. 6 EAGLES SET TO FACE NO. 3 CHIPPEWAS IN AVON: EMU finished the regular season fourth in the MAC West Division after dropping the final three games of its conference slate to the University of Toledo. CMU claimed second in the division following a 2-1 series victory against Western Michigan University to close out the season.
LONG TIME COMING: Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan have already played each other three times this season, with EMU taking a 2-1 series win in Ypsilanti, April 13-15. However, the last time these two squads tangled in the MAC Tournament was in the quarterfinal game in 2007, when EMU throttled the Chippewas, 12-6, at Oestrike Stadium. The Green and White owns an all-time series lead of 87-59 against the Maroon and Gold.
PITCHING PROBABLES: Junior right hander Neil Butara (4-5) will get the nod on the hill for Head Coach Jay Alexander's squad against CMU. Butara has served as EMU's Friday starter for the entire MAC season and carries a 3-4 record with a 4.42 ERA in conference tilts. He has pitched 57 innings in MAC outings while allowing 28 earned runs on 61 hits with 24 walks and 35 strikeouts. Earlier this year against the Chippewas, the Euclid, Ohio native pitched 6.2 shutout innings in a 4-0 win, April 13.
For CMU, righty Zach Cooper (7-4) will toe the rubber after posting one of the top ERAs in the MAC (2.72) during the regular season. He has given up 30 earned runs and struck out 92 in 99.1 innings of work. Cooper took the loss in the 4-0 game against EMU, April 13, after tossing 7.1 innings.
EAGLES SMASH: In three games against CMU this season, the Eagles are hitting .294 (30-for-102) as a team with six doubles and three home runs. Sam Ott teed off against Chippewas pitchers, April 13-15, at a .545 (6-for-11) clip. Ben Magsig was .364 (4-for-11) with a team-best four RBI, while Brent Ohrman was .429 (6-for-14) with a double and a walk-off homer in the series finale.
THE COACHES: EMU Head Coach Jay Alexander enters the MAC Tournament with a 274-266 career record, including an 113-118 mark in nearly four seasons with the Eagles. CMU Head Coach Steve Jaska has compiled a 294-220-1 career record in his 10th season in Mt. Pleasant. CMU is 162-96 in MAC play under Jaksa.
MAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: In 12 total appearances at the MAC Tournament, Eastern Michigan has a 29-17 (.630) record. EMU has won the tournament four times: 1981, 1982, 2003 and 2008. In total, Eastern Michigan has out-scored opponents, 341-283, all-time in the MAC Tournament, averaging 7.8 runs per contest.
EMU BY THE NUMBERS: Eastern Michigan enters the MAC Tournament ninth in batting average (.267), sixth in on-base percentage (.362), seventh in slugging percentage (.365), first in walks (129) and sixth in RBI (131) during conference games. On the mound, EMU pitchers are 11th in ERA (5.22), seventh in average against (.292), 10th in earned runs (139) and fifth in strikeouts (177).
GET THOSE BATS GOING: After hitting a season-high .293 batting average following the series against Central Michigan, April 13-15, the EMU bats have cooled a bit to the tune of a .275 clip. Brent Ohrman (.349), Lee Longo (.306) and Sam Ott (.301) are the only three EMU players batting above .300 despite the Eagles holding the third-best on-base percentage in the MAC (.375). KSU is first in that category at .385.
MIGHTY MAGSIG: Ben Magsig's team-best 48 walks this season have increased his career total to 115 and have earned him a fifth place on the EMU all-time list in that category. The record for walks in a career is held by EMU great Glenn Gulliver, who received 140 free passes from 1973-76. A 32-game on-base streak from March 11-May 12 was the best in his stellar three-year career and was the longest such stretch for an EMU player since Jim Gulliver reached in 42 consecutive games in 2009.
TAKE YOUR BASE: EMU has walked 269 times this season, which falls just shy of the school's single-season record of 286 set in 1982. In 53 games, the Eagles have drawn the most walks in the MAC for an average of 5.1 free passes per contest. The closest challenger to the Eagles' walk total in the conference is Central Michigan (246).
OHRMAN'S CLAIM TO FAME: With an outstanding senior season, outfielder Brent Ohrman has solidified his spot in the EMU record books. The Adrian, Mich. native is just completed a career-best 23-game hitting streak which extended from March 16-April 26 and also posted a stretch of 26 games in which he reached base safely. With 53 career stolen bases including 21 this season, he is12th all-time at EMU. He is also 11th with 39 career doubles, eighth in runs scored with 148, third in at-bats with 756, and fourth in hits with 231.
BIG SIXTH INNINGS: The Eagles seem to enjoy heating up at the dish during the sixth inning in 2012. They are out-scoring opponents, 49-39, in that inning, which marks the most runs that EMU has scored in any single inning and is the best run differential (+10).
FIVE-OR-LESS: The statistics show that the Eagles give themselves a much better chance of winning when allowing five runs or less. EMU is 18-6 in that situation compared with 6-23 when giving up more than five tallies in a game.
LAST MAN STANDING: Senior pitcher Collin Taylor is the only remaining player on the EMU roster for the 2008 squad which captured EMU's fourth MAC Championship.
LONGO'S TIME TO SHINE: After a stellar 2011 MAC Tournament in which he hit .375 over five games, infielder Lee Longo is primed for another offensive outburst after a solid weekend against Toledo. Last year, Longo went 6-for-15 with a pair of homers in the postseason and racked up an 1.162 OBP in the process. He was second to only Zack Leonard (.409) in batting average.
LISTEN TO EMU BASEBALL FOR FREE ONLINE!: The EMU Athletic Media Relations Department is pleased to announce that all 2012 MAC Tournament games will be broadcast for free (audio only) on EMUEagles.com/showcase. Tune in to hear Chad Bush call play-by-play action and Greg Steiner and Chris Puzzuoli provide color commentary.
ONE OR THE OTHER: The MAC Tournament will call a new venue– All-Pro Freight Stadium– home for the first time in five years. From 2008-2011, VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio served as the host site of the event. EMU and Kent State were the only two teams to celebrate a MAC Championship in Chilicothe as the Eagles captured the crown in 2008 and the Golden Flashes won the following three years.
EMU has played at the venue located in Avon, Ohio four times since the park opened in 2009 and has racked up a 2-2 record. Cleveland State used the stadium as its home ballpark before discontinuing the program after last season. The Eagles dropped an 8-7 decision to Kent State, May 15, in a non-conference tilt this year.
CLINCHED: Eastern Michigan's decisive 11-7 win over Buffalo, May 12, clinched the squad a spot in the MAC Tournament for a seventh straight time dating back to 2006. Thanks to a come-from-behind, 4-3 triumph over the Bulls the following afternoon, EMU locked up at least the No. 6 seed.
REGULAR SEASON ENDS WITH A THUD: EMU finished the 2012 regular season on a four-game losing skid which included a setback to Kent State, 8-7, and a three-game sweep at the hands of the University of Toledo. The Eagles held one run leads in both the ninth and 12th innings of game one against the Rockets, but could not hold on for the victory in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss. UT won the final two games, 5-2 and 12-5, to clinch the MAC West Division.
Several EMU players turned in stellar performances during the series with Toledo including Neil Butara, whose seven-inning, one-run performance ended in an no-decision. Lee Longo was 5-for-11 at the dish with a double in each of the first two games and a solo blast in the finale.
Live Stats
FREE Audio Broadcast
MAC Tournament Bracket (.pdf)
MAC Tournament Central
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com)– The No. 6-seeded Eastern Michigan University baseball team kicks off the 2012 Mid-American Conference Tournament Wednesday, May 23, with a 12:30 p.m. game against No. 3-seeded Central Michigan University at All-Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The Eagles (24-29; 14-13 MAC) will be in search of their first MAC crown since 2008, while the Chippewas (30-27; 17-10 MAC) will try for their first since 1995.
NO. 6 EAGLES SET TO FACE NO. 3 CHIPPEWAS IN AVON: EMU finished the regular season fourth in the MAC West Division after dropping the final three games of its conference slate to the University of Toledo. CMU claimed second in the division following a 2-1 series victory against Western Michigan University to close out the season.
LONG TIME COMING: Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan have already played each other three times this season, with EMU taking a 2-1 series win in Ypsilanti, April 13-15. However, the last time these two squads tangled in the MAC Tournament was in the quarterfinal game in 2007, when EMU throttled the Chippewas, 12-6, at Oestrike Stadium. The Green and White owns an all-time series lead of 87-59 against the Maroon and Gold.
PITCHING PROBABLES: Junior right hander Neil Butara (4-5) will get the nod on the hill for Head Coach Jay Alexander's squad against CMU. Butara has served as EMU's Friday starter for the entire MAC season and carries a 3-4 record with a 4.42 ERA in conference tilts. He has pitched 57 innings in MAC outings while allowing 28 earned runs on 61 hits with 24 walks and 35 strikeouts. Earlier this year against the Chippewas, the Euclid, Ohio native pitched 6.2 shutout innings in a 4-0 win, April 13.
For CMU, righty Zach Cooper (7-4) will toe the rubber after posting one of the top ERAs in the MAC (2.72) during the regular season. He has given up 30 earned runs and struck out 92 in 99.1 innings of work. Cooper took the loss in the 4-0 game against EMU, April 13, after tossing 7.1 innings.
EAGLES SMASH: In three games against CMU this season, the Eagles are hitting .294 (30-for-102) as a team with six doubles and three home runs. Sam Ott teed off against Chippewas pitchers, April 13-15, at a .545 (6-for-11) clip. Ben Magsig was .364 (4-for-11) with a team-best four RBI, while Brent Ohrman was .429 (6-for-14) with a double and a walk-off homer in the series finale.
THE COACHES: EMU Head Coach Jay Alexander enters the MAC Tournament with a 274-266 career record, including an 113-118 mark in nearly four seasons with the Eagles. CMU Head Coach Steve Jaska has compiled a 294-220-1 career record in his 10th season in Mt. Pleasant. CMU is 162-96 in MAC play under Jaksa.
MAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY: In 12 total appearances at the MAC Tournament, Eastern Michigan has a 29-17 (.630) record. EMU has won the tournament four times: 1981, 1982, 2003 and 2008. In total, Eastern Michigan has out-scored opponents, 341-283, all-time in the MAC Tournament, averaging 7.8 runs per contest.
EMU BY THE NUMBERS: Eastern Michigan enters the MAC Tournament ninth in batting average (.267), sixth in on-base percentage (.362), seventh in slugging percentage (.365), first in walks (129) and sixth in RBI (131) during conference games. On the mound, EMU pitchers are 11th in ERA (5.22), seventh in average against (.292), 10th in earned runs (139) and fifth in strikeouts (177).
GET THOSE BATS GOING: After hitting a season-high .293 batting average following the series against Central Michigan, April 13-15, the EMU bats have cooled a bit to the tune of a .275 clip. Brent Ohrman (.349), Lee Longo (.306) and Sam Ott (.301) are the only three EMU players batting above .300 despite the Eagles holding the third-best on-base percentage in the MAC (.375). KSU is first in that category at .385.
MIGHTY MAGSIG: Ben Magsig's team-best 48 walks this season have increased his career total to 115 and have earned him a fifth place on the EMU all-time list in that category. The record for walks in a career is held by EMU great Glenn Gulliver, who received 140 free passes from 1973-76. A 32-game on-base streak from March 11-May 12 was the best in his stellar three-year career and was the longest such stretch for an EMU player since Jim Gulliver reached in 42 consecutive games in 2009.
TAKE YOUR BASE: EMU has walked 269 times this season, which falls just shy of the school's single-season record of 286 set in 1982. In 53 games, the Eagles have drawn the most walks in the MAC for an average of 5.1 free passes per contest. The closest challenger to the Eagles' walk total in the conference is Central Michigan (246).
OHRMAN'S CLAIM TO FAME: With an outstanding senior season, outfielder Brent Ohrman has solidified his spot in the EMU record books. The Adrian, Mich. native is just completed a career-best 23-game hitting streak which extended from March 16-April 26 and also posted a stretch of 26 games in which he reached base safely. With 53 career stolen bases including 21 this season, he is12th all-time at EMU. He is also 11th with 39 career doubles, eighth in runs scored with 148, third in at-bats with 756, and fourth in hits with 231.
BIG SIXTH INNINGS: The Eagles seem to enjoy heating up at the dish during the sixth inning in 2012. They are out-scoring opponents, 49-39, in that inning, which marks the most runs that EMU has scored in any single inning and is the best run differential (+10).
FIVE-OR-LESS: The statistics show that the Eagles give themselves a much better chance of winning when allowing five runs or less. EMU is 18-6 in that situation compared with 6-23 when giving up more than five tallies in a game.
LAST MAN STANDING: Senior pitcher Collin Taylor is the only remaining player on the EMU roster for the 2008 squad which captured EMU's fourth MAC Championship.
LONGO'S TIME TO SHINE: After a stellar 2011 MAC Tournament in which he hit .375 over five games, infielder Lee Longo is primed for another offensive outburst after a solid weekend against Toledo. Last year, Longo went 6-for-15 with a pair of homers in the postseason and racked up an 1.162 OBP in the process. He was second to only Zack Leonard (.409) in batting average.
LISTEN TO EMU BASEBALL FOR FREE ONLINE!: The EMU Athletic Media Relations Department is pleased to announce that all 2012 MAC Tournament games will be broadcast for free (audio only) on EMUEagles.com/showcase. Tune in to hear Chad Bush call play-by-play action and Greg Steiner and Chris Puzzuoli provide color commentary.
ONE OR THE OTHER: The MAC Tournament will call a new venue– All-Pro Freight Stadium– home for the first time in five years. From 2008-2011, VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio served as the host site of the event. EMU and Kent State were the only two teams to celebrate a MAC Championship in Chilicothe as the Eagles captured the crown in 2008 and the Golden Flashes won the following three years.
EMU has played at the venue located in Avon, Ohio four times since the park opened in 2009 and has racked up a 2-2 record. Cleveland State used the stadium as its home ballpark before discontinuing the program after last season. The Eagles dropped an 8-7 decision to Kent State, May 15, in a non-conference tilt this year.
CLINCHED: Eastern Michigan's decisive 11-7 win over Buffalo, May 12, clinched the squad a spot in the MAC Tournament for a seventh straight time dating back to 2006. Thanks to a come-from-behind, 4-3 triumph over the Bulls the following afternoon, EMU locked up at least the No. 6 seed.
REGULAR SEASON ENDS WITH A THUD: EMU finished the 2012 regular season on a four-game losing skid which included a setback to Kent State, 8-7, and a three-game sweep at the hands of the University of Toledo. The Eagles held one run leads in both the ninth and 12th innings of game one against the Rockets, but could not hold on for the victory in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss. UT won the final two games, 5-2 and 12-5, to clinch the MAC West Division.
Several EMU players turned in stellar performances during the series with Toledo including Neil Butara, whose seven-inning, one-run performance ended in an no-decision. Lee Longo was 5-for-11 at the dish with a double in each of the first two games and a solo blast in the finale.
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