Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, February 15
Buies Creek, N.C.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Campbell
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
EMU Baseball Lifts Lid on 2013 Season Friday at Campbell
2/12/2013 1:01:00 PM | Baseball
Eagles bring back 20 letterwinners and welcome 10 newcomers for 2013
Complete Release (.pdf)
EMU Baseball Season Preview Video
Live Stats
Free Audio Broadcast (opening game only)
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team kicks off its 64th season of competition with a three-game set against the Fighting Camels of Campbell University Friday-Saturday, Feb. 15-16, in Buies Creek, N.C. Friday's game is slated for 3 p.m. while the two games Saturday begin at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Eastern Michigan and Campbell have only met once before. In the 1992 campaign, the Eagles doubled up the Camels, 4-2, Feb. 26.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING CAMELS: The Fighting Camels come into 2013 looking to feed off the success they experienced in 2012, when they broke 10 single-season team records including a program-best 41 wins. Campbell got off to a quick start last year, going 23-3 in its first 26 games and rattled off 18 consecutive victories.
Like the Eagles, the Camels return a wealth of talent including six position starters and a pair of starting pitchers. In addition, Campbell welcomes 12 newcomers to the team. Returning hurlers Ryan Mattes and Hector Cedano will have to make up for the loss of Matt Sergey, who went 7-0 with a 3.38 ERA last season.
SEASON OPENERS: Since 1949, EMU has an all-time mark of 32-33 in season lidlifters. The Eagles fell to USC Upstate, 12-1, in the season opener last year. The Green and White last won on opening day in 2010, when they toppled No. 25 Kansas, 3-1.
THE SKINNY: Fifth-year Head Coach Jay Alexander believes the 2013 version of his team is one primed to make a run at the Mid-American Conference title.
“I'm excited about our athleticism,” Alexander remarked”. “We brought in lots of talented young players who can play multiple position. With youth comes growing pains so if we can get them to play 'old' I like our chances a lot. In addition we have more depth on the mound than we've had since I've been here.”
“We will be fun to watch. Incoming players like Adam Sonabend, Nick Rotola, Marquise Gill, Mitchell McGeein, Mike Marsinek and Devon Bronson will make immediate impact to our team.”
GET USED TO IT: This weekend's series with Campbell touches off a 17-game road swing which will span nearly a month until March 15. After the series with Fighting Camels, it is off to take Big 12 opponent Washington State for a four-game set, Feb. 22-24. During the road trip, the Green and White also face off against Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Cincinnati and Morehead State in that order.
Eastern Michigan baseball players are used to these long trips away from Ypsilanti to begin the season. In 2012, EMU played 16 road games before they returned home and went 3-13 over that span. It was a much more positive outcome in 2011, when the squad went 9-6 over its opening 15 contests.
COMING AND GOING: The 2013 EMU baseball team features a robust senior class consisting of 10 student-athletes. This year's senior class includes Joe Battistelli, Neil Butara, Taylor Dimmerling, Brian Hill, Kendall Lewis, Daniel Russell, Jamie Simpson, Brian Valente, Steve Weber, and Austin Williams.
Twenty letterwinners return from a year ago including six position players and 11 pitchers. The Green and White lost nine players from a season ago including four position players and a pair of pitchers.
New to the club are nine freshmen and one junior college transfer. The 2013 recruiting class is one of Jay Alexander's strongest yet and includes eight position players (Tony DiLeo, Marquise Gill, Darius Jackson, Jackson Martin, Mitchell McGeein, Nick Rotola, Adam Sonabend and Austin Wilson) and a pair of left-handed hurlers (Devon Bronson, Michael Marsinek).
MR. RELIABLE: Next to 2012 graduate Brent Ohrman, redshirt junior Sam Ott has been the mark of consistency both offensively and defensively over the last two seasons. In 2012 especially, Ott displayed great flexibility splitting time between right field, first base and designated hitter all while hitting .293 and ranking fifth in the MAC with 36 walks.
Ott, who posted a .976 fielding percentage last year, stands as Jay Alexander's everyday right fielder to begin the season.
BIG SHOES TO FILL: The departure of Brent Ohrman in centerfield leaves a substantial void in terms of athletic ability and leadership prowess in the EMU locker room. Besides serving as team captain last year, Ohrman turned in his second-consecutive 20 stolen base season, led the team with a .344 batting average and Brent Ohrman finished his stellar collegiate career third all-time in at-bats (772), fourth in hits (234), eight in runs scored (149) and 12th in stolen bases (53).
WITH THAT SAID...: The responsibility of taking over duties in center will fall to senior Daniel Russell, who will move over from left field. Russell has built a reputation for solid defensive play during his time donning the Green and White and should fit in nicely in center. Russell's managed a subpar .221 batting average last year but still got on base at a .376 clip thanks to 34 walks.
Predicted to be the leadoff hitter this season, Russell brings ample speed and baserunning ability to the position. In 2012, the Grandville, Mich. native tied for the team lead with five triples. He is tied for eighth in EMU history with 11 three-baggers.
BACK ON THE BUMP: Several of EMU's leading pitchers were sidelined for the entire 2012 season due to Tommy John Surgery including southpaw Brian Hill and right-handers Kristian Calibuso and Kendall Lewis.
Lewis will make an immediate impact in the starting rotation, where he will see his first action since toeing the rubber since the 2011 campaign. In his last full season (2010), Lewis went 7-4 in 14 starts with a 4.21 ERA and a .255 batting average against.
Hill, one of five lefties on the pitching staff, has never thrown an official pitch for the Eagles, having sat out 2011 as a redshirt and 2012 for medical reasons. Kristian Calibuso was Eastern Michigan's closer in 2011 and will compete with senior Joe Battistelli and freshman left-hander Devon Bronson for that role this time around.
I'LL TRADE YOU A RUBINO FOR A RUBINO: Jay Alexander's lineup card will read “Rubino” once again for the shortstop position, but this season the fifth-year head coach will be marking down sophomore John Rubino in place of his brother Tucker Rubino, who was lost to graduation.
In 2012, the Rubino brothers patrolled the middle infield with Tucker at short and John patrolling second base on 41 occasions. This time around, John will get his shot at shortstop after proving his defensive abilities last season. At the dish, John will look to build off a .287 on-base percentage and follow in his brother's footsteps as one of the toughest hitters to strike out in all of Divsion I baseball.
SONABEND SHOULD FIT RIGHT IN: There were four transfers to EMU from various colleges prior to the 2012 season. In 2013, there is only one: catcher/infielder Adam Sonabend. Sonabend joins the team from Mesa C.C. in Mesa, Ariz. As a member of the Thunderbirds, Sonabend was named first-team ACCAC DII All-Region after batting .325 with a home run, 15 doubles and 40 RBI.
Sonabend figures in as a potent middle-of-the-order hitter with a strong balance of power and contact. Defensively, he will start the season at catcher while redshirt sophomore Adam Dennison is questionable due to injury.
WEBER FORCED TO SIT: Senior hurler Steve Weber will have to take a redshirt in 2013 after experiencing arm complications during the offseason. EMU's would-be ace decided to stay at the collegiate ranks even after being drafted in the 33rd round (1,007th pick overall) by the Miami Marlins in the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft.
Weber was Eastern Michigan's workhorse last season, leading the team in wins (7-5), innings pitched (79.2) and strikeouts (62). The North Royalton, Ohio native tied a MAC Tournament record for innings pitched in a single game, May 24, when he pitched 10 innings in a 2-1 loss against Miami.
MAKING THE MOVE: Senior Jamie Simpson played 40 games last season mainly in the outfield. But with an injury to catcher Adam Dennison, Adam Sonabend will have to fill the void as the team's backstop and evacuate his duties as this season's first baseman. That means Simpson will shift his attention to playing first base and will likely split time there with freshman Mitchell McGeein.
DOG FIGHT AT THE HOT CORNER: With the departure of the 2012 MAC leader in on-base percentage, Ben Magsig, the third base job will be a battle between senior Austin Williams and freshman Marquise Gill. Williams split time with John Rubino at second base last year and hit .250 with four doubles and 12 RBI. Gill brings a wealth of athletic ability to the squad as he was a multi-sport athlete in high school.
THE 2013 COACHING STAFF: Jay Alexander returns for his fifth season as head coach. The 40-year-old native of Detroit, Mich. owns a career record of 275-268 over 11 seasons between stints at EMU and Wayne State. Over four season at EMU, Alexander is 114-120 with a winning record of 56-52 in MAC games.
Returning with Alexander are Associate Head Coach Andrew Maki and Assistant Coach Aaron Hepner, who have each been members of the EMU coaching staff since the 2009 season.
STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN: The fans were turned up to full blast last year when the Eagles took the mound, so much so that the team racked up a school-record 389 strikeouts. Steve Weber led the team with 62 strikeouts over 95.2 innings of work and Neil Butara sent down 58 hitters on strike three.
Jordan Glover recorded EMU's 388th strikeout of the year to surpass the previous single-season record of 387 set in 2010. The Eagles ranked third overall in fanned batters trailing only Kent State (535) and Central Michigan (436).
BREAKING THE HIERARCHY: In order to strengthen the sense of togetherness and team spirit this season, Head Coach Jay Alexander has done away with the traditional captain system which most teams adopt.
IT WAS A YEAR FOR TRIPLES: EMU was among the top teams in the nation with 21 triples in 2012. Bo Kinder and Daniel Russell each had five three-baggers to tie for the MAC lead.
NOT SO B1G: The Eagles went 3-2 against Big Ten opponents last year which included a home-and-home sweep over Michigan. EMU also split games with Michigan State. Since Jay Alexander took over head coaching duties, EMU has posted a winning record against the B1G in three out of four seasons.
BALL FOUR: EMU's offense excelled at working bases on balls last season, racking up 278 over 56 games for an average of 5.0 free passes per game. Ben Magsig, a 2012 graduate, set the EMU single-season record for walks (53) and three additional players, Sam Ott (36), Daniel Russell (34) and Tucker Rubino (34) had more than 30 on the season. Eastern Michigan was tops in the MAC in the walks category and came just eight shy of tying the 1984 squad's all-time mark of 286.
MAC PREVIEW: The Mid-American Conference should once again live up to its reputation as a potent mid-major league in 2013. For the Eagles to improve upon a 14-13 record and fourth-place finish in the West Division in 2012, they will have to fight through a long list of capable opponents.
EMU will start off MAC play with four straight series against MAC East foes beginning with Miami, the team which eliminated the Eagles from postseason contention last year, March 22-24. The final five series are against each West Division opponent.
OESTRIKE CLASSIC BACK ON FOR 2013: EMU baseball will once again host the Oestrike Classic, March 15-17, to kick off an action-packed 22-game home slate. Butler and Northern Kentucky will also participate in this year's weekend tournament.
OESTRIKE STADIUM'S BRAND NEW LOOK: Now in its 42nd year of existence, Oestrike Stadium has received several critical upgrades including an all-new brick facade around the stadium, a new fence surrounding the outfield and a completely remodeled locker room with brand new locker stations for each player. In addition, former EMU baseball standout and current manager of the New York Mets, Terry Collins, has donated money for a new scoreboard to grace left-center field.
Since the stadium opened in 1971, EMU has tallied just six losing seasons, while compiling a staggering 485 victories (485-327-2) for a .597 winning percentage. The Eagles recorded 19 wins at Oestrike Stadium in 2006 –the most wins at home by EMU in school history.
20 FOR 20: EMU won 25 games last year, making it 20 straight seasons of 20-or-more wins for the Eagles.
SEVEN STRAIGHT TRIPS TO MAC TOURNEY: The Eagles made the MAC Tournament for a seventh straight season last year dating back to 2006. EMU took fourth place in the West Division with a 14-13 record and locked up the No. 6 spot in the tournament. After knocking off No. 3 Central Michigan in the opening round, the Green and White fell to No. 7 Miami and then to the Chippewas in the double-elimination format.
EMU BASEBALL ALL-TIME: Since 1949, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team has posted an all-time record of 1437-1300-10 for a (.525) winning percentage. The club won the 1970 NAIA National Championship, finished fifth at the 1975 NCAA College World Series and took home runner-up honors at the 1976 CWS.
The Eagles have four MAC Tournament titles to their credit (1981, '82, 2003, '08) to go along with seven regular-season crowns (1975, '76, '78, '81, '82, 2003, '07).
KENT STATE'S CWS BID A FIRST SINCE EMU'S TRIP IN '76: In 2012, Kent State became the first team from the Mid-American Conference to reach college baseball's grand stage since the 1976 Eastern Michigan University squad earned runner-up honors that year.
The 1976 Eagles steamrolled their opponents to the tune of a 46-16 record and a 12-3 ledger for first place in the MAC. That season, the Green and White featured a lineup full of major-league talent including the pitching duo of Bob Owchinko and Bob Welch. Owchinko and Welch alone combined for 23 wins against just six losses.
LISTEN TO EMU BASEBALL ALL SEASON LONG: All 2013 home games and select road contests will be available online as an audio-only internet broadcast on EMUEagles.com/showcase. Veteran play-by-play voice Chad Bush returns to the broadcast booth and will be joined by Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Greg Steiner, who will serve the analyst. Check EMUEagles.com for a complete broadcast schedule and for any changes in air times and dates.
EMU Baseball Season Preview Video
Live Stats
Free Audio Broadcast (opening game only)
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team kicks off its 64th season of competition with a three-game set against the Fighting Camels of Campbell University Friday-Saturday, Feb. 15-16, in Buies Creek, N.C. Friday's game is slated for 3 p.m. while the two games Saturday begin at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Eastern Michigan and Campbell have only met once before. In the 1992 campaign, the Eagles doubled up the Camels, 4-2, Feb. 26.
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING CAMELS: The Fighting Camels come into 2013 looking to feed off the success they experienced in 2012, when they broke 10 single-season team records including a program-best 41 wins. Campbell got off to a quick start last year, going 23-3 in its first 26 games and rattled off 18 consecutive victories.
Like the Eagles, the Camels return a wealth of talent including six position starters and a pair of starting pitchers. In addition, Campbell welcomes 12 newcomers to the team. Returning hurlers Ryan Mattes and Hector Cedano will have to make up for the loss of Matt Sergey, who went 7-0 with a 3.38 ERA last season.
SEASON OPENERS: Since 1949, EMU has an all-time mark of 32-33 in season lidlifters. The Eagles fell to USC Upstate, 12-1, in the season opener last year. The Green and White last won on opening day in 2010, when they toppled No. 25 Kansas, 3-1.
THE SKINNY: Fifth-year Head Coach Jay Alexander believes the 2013 version of his team is one primed to make a run at the Mid-American Conference title.
“I'm excited about our athleticism,” Alexander remarked”. “We brought in lots of talented young players who can play multiple position. With youth comes growing pains so if we can get them to play 'old' I like our chances a lot. In addition we have more depth on the mound than we've had since I've been here.”
“We will be fun to watch. Incoming players like Adam Sonabend, Nick Rotola, Marquise Gill, Mitchell McGeein, Mike Marsinek and Devon Bronson will make immediate impact to our team.”
GET USED TO IT: This weekend's series with Campbell touches off a 17-game road swing which will span nearly a month until March 15. After the series with Fighting Camels, it is off to take Big 12 opponent Washington State for a four-game set, Feb. 22-24. During the road trip, the Green and White also face off against Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Cincinnati and Morehead State in that order.
Eastern Michigan baseball players are used to these long trips away from Ypsilanti to begin the season. In 2012, EMU played 16 road games before they returned home and went 3-13 over that span. It was a much more positive outcome in 2011, when the squad went 9-6 over its opening 15 contests.
COMING AND GOING: The 2013 EMU baseball team features a robust senior class consisting of 10 student-athletes. This year's senior class includes Joe Battistelli, Neil Butara, Taylor Dimmerling, Brian Hill, Kendall Lewis, Daniel Russell, Jamie Simpson, Brian Valente, Steve Weber, and Austin Williams.
Twenty letterwinners return from a year ago including six position players and 11 pitchers. The Green and White lost nine players from a season ago including four position players and a pair of pitchers.
New to the club are nine freshmen and one junior college transfer. The 2013 recruiting class is one of Jay Alexander's strongest yet and includes eight position players (Tony DiLeo, Marquise Gill, Darius Jackson, Jackson Martin, Mitchell McGeein, Nick Rotola, Adam Sonabend and Austin Wilson) and a pair of left-handed hurlers (Devon Bronson, Michael Marsinek).
MR. RELIABLE: Next to 2012 graduate Brent Ohrman, redshirt junior Sam Ott has been the mark of consistency both offensively and defensively over the last two seasons. In 2012 especially, Ott displayed great flexibility splitting time between right field, first base and designated hitter all while hitting .293 and ranking fifth in the MAC with 36 walks.
Ott, who posted a .976 fielding percentage last year, stands as Jay Alexander's everyday right fielder to begin the season.
BIG SHOES TO FILL: The departure of Brent Ohrman in centerfield leaves a substantial void in terms of athletic ability and leadership prowess in the EMU locker room. Besides serving as team captain last year, Ohrman turned in his second-consecutive 20 stolen base season, led the team with a .344 batting average and Brent Ohrman finished his stellar collegiate career third all-time in at-bats (772), fourth in hits (234), eight in runs scored (149) and 12th in stolen bases (53).
WITH THAT SAID...: The responsibility of taking over duties in center will fall to senior Daniel Russell, who will move over from left field. Russell has built a reputation for solid defensive play during his time donning the Green and White and should fit in nicely in center. Russell's managed a subpar .221 batting average last year but still got on base at a .376 clip thanks to 34 walks.
Predicted to be the leadoff hitter this season, Russell brings ample speed and baserunning ability to the position. In 2012, the Grandville, Mich. native tied for the team lead with five triples. He is tied for eighth in EMU history with 11 three-baggers.
BACK ON THE BUMP: Several of EMU's leading pitchers were sidelined for the entire 2012 season due to Tommy John Surgery including southpaw Brian Hill and right-handers Kristian Calibuso and Kendall Lewis.
Lewis will make an immediate impact in the starting rotation, where he will see his first action since toeing the rubber since the 2011 campaign. In his last full season (2010), Lewis went 7-4 in 14 starts with a 4.21 ERA and a .255 batting average against.
Hill, one of five lefties on the pitching staff, has never thrown an official pitch for the Eagles, having sat out 2011 as a redshirt and 2012 for medical reasons. Kristian Calibuso was Eastern Michigan's closer in 2011 and will compete with senior Joe Battistelli and freshman left-hander Devon Bronson for that role this time around.
I'LL TRADE YOU A RUBINO FOR A RUBINO: Jay Alexander's lineup card will read “Rubino” once again for the shortstop position, but this season the fifth-year head coach will be marking down sophomore John Rubino in place of his brother Tucker Rubino, who was lost to graduation.
In 2012, the Rubino brothers patrolled the middle infield with Tucker at short and John patrolling second base on 41 occasions. This time around, John will get his shot at shortstop after proving his defensive abilities last season. At the dish, John will look to build off a .287 on-base percentage and follow in his brother's footsteps as one of the toughest hitters to strike out in all of Divsion I baseball.
SONABEND SHOULD FIT RIGHT IN: There were four transfers to EMU from various colleges prior to the 2012 season. In 2013, there is only one: catcher/infielder Adam Sonabend. Sonabend joins the team from Mesa C.C. in Mesa, Ariz. As a member of the Thunderbirds, Sonabend was named first-team ACCAC DII All-Region after batting .325 with a home run, 15 doubles and 40 RBI.
Sonabend figures in as a potent middle-of-the-order hitter with a strong balance of power and contact. Defensively, he will start the season at catcher while redshirt sophomore Adam Dennison is questionable due to injury.
WEBER FORCED TO SIT: Senior hurler Steve Weber will have to take a redshirt in 2013 after experiencing arm complications during the offseason. EMU's would-be ace decided to stay at the collegiate ranks even after being drafted in the 33rd round (1,007th pick overall) by the Miami Marlins in the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft.
Weber was Eastern Michigan's workhorse last season, leading the team in wins (7-5), innings pitched (79.2) and strikeouts (62). The North Royalton, Ohio native tied a MAC Tournament record for innings pitched in a single game, May 24, when he pitched 10 innings in a 2-1 loss against Miami.
MAKING THE MOVE: Senior Jamie Simpson played 40 games last season mainly in the outfield. But with an injury to catcher Adam Dennison, Adam Sonabend will have to fill the void as the team's backstop and evacuate his duties as this season's first baseman. That means Simpson will shift his attention to playing first base and will likely split time there with freshman Mitchell McGeein.
DOG FIGHT AT THE HOT CORNER: With the departure of the 2012 MAC leader in on-base percentage, Ben Magsig, the third base job will be a battle between senior Austin Williams and freshman Marquise Gill. Williams split time with John Rubino at second base last year and hit .250 with four doubles and 12 RBI. Gill brings a wealth of athletic ability to the squad as he was a multi-sport athlete in high school.
THE 2013 COACHING STAFF: Jay Alexander returns for his fifth season as head coach. The 40-year-old native of Detroit, Mich. owns a career record of 275-268 over 11 seasons between stints at EMU and Wayne State. Over four season at EMU, Alexander is 114-120 with a winning record of 56-52 in MAC games.
Returning with Alexander are Associate Head Coach Andrew Maki and Assistant Coach Aaron Hepner, who have each been members of the EMU coaching staff since the 2009 season.
STAY OUT OF THE KITCHEN: The fans were turned up to full blast last year when the Eagles took the mound, so much so that the team racked up a school-record 389 strikeouts. Steve Weber led the team with 62 strikeouts over 95.2 innings of work and Neil Butara sent down 58 hitters on strike three.
Jordan Glover recorded EMU's 388th strikeout of the year to surpass the previous single-season record of 387 set in 2010. The Eagles ranked third overall in fanned batters trailing only Kent State (535) and Central Michigan (436).
BREAKING THE HIERARCHY: In order to strengthen the sense of togetherness and team spirit this season, Head Coach Jay Alexander has done away with the traditional captain system which most teams adopt.
IT WAS A YEAR FOR TRIPLES: EMU was among the top teams in the nation with 21 triples in 2012. Bo Kinder and Daniel Russell each had five three-baggers to tie for the MAC lead.
NOT SO B1G: The Eagles went 3-2 against Big Ten opponents last year which included a home-and-home sweep over Michigan. EMU also split games with Michigan State. Since Jay Alexander took over head coaching duties, EMU has posted a winning record against the B1G in three out of four seasons.
BALL FOUR: EMU's offense excelled at working bases on balls last season, racking up 278 over 56 games for an average of 5.0 free passes per game. Ben Magsig, a 2012 graduate, set the EMU single-season record for walks (53) and three additional players, Sam Ott (36), Daniel Russell (34) and Tucker Rubino (34) had more than 30 on the season. Eastern Michigan was tops in the MAC in the walks category and came just eight shy of tying the 1984 squad's all-time mark of 286.
MAC PREVIEW: The Mid-American Conference should once again live up to its reputation as a potent mid-major league in 2013. For the Eagles to improve upon a 14-13 record and fourth-place finish in the West Division in 2012, they will have to fight through a long list of capable opponents.
EMU will start off MAC play with four straight series against MAC East foes beginning with Miami, the team which eliminated the Eagles from postseason contention last year, March 22-24. The final five series are against each West Division opponent.
OESTRIKE CLASSIC BACK ON FOR 2013: EMU baseball will once again host the Oestrike Classic, March 15-17, to kick off an action-packed 22-game home slate. Butler and Northern Kentucky will also participate in this year's weekend tournament.
OESTRIKE STADIUM'S BRAND NEW LOOK: Now in its 42nd year of existence, Oestrike Stadium has received several critical upgrades including an all-new brick facade around the stadium, a new fence surrounding the outfield and a completely remodeled locker room with brand new locker stations for each player. In addition, former EMU baseball standout and current manager of the New York Mets, Terry Collins, has donated money for a new scoreboard to grace left-center field.
Since the stadium opened in 1971, EMU has tallied just six losing seasons, while compiling a staggering 485 victories (485-327-2) for a .597 winning percentage. The Eagles recorded 19 wins at Oestrike Stadium in 2006 –the most wins at home by EMU in school history.
20 FOR 20: EMU won 25 games last year, making it 20 straight seasons of 20-or-more wins for the Eagles.
SEVEN STRAIGHT TRIPS TO MAC TOURNEY: The Eagles made the MAC Tournament for a seventh straight season last year dating back to 2006. EMU took fourth place in the West Division with a 14-13 record and locked up the No. 6 spot in the tournament. After knocking off No. 3 Central Michigan in the opening round, the Green and White fell to No. 7 Miami and then to the Chippewas in the double-elimination format.
EMU BASEBALL ALL-TIME: Since 1949, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team has posted an all-time record of 1437-1300-10 for a (.525) winning percentage. The club won the 1970 NAIA National Championship, finished fifth at the 1975 NCAA College World Series and took home runner-up honors at the 1976 CWS.
The Eagles have four MAC Tournament titles to their credit (1981, '82, 2003, '08) to go along with seven regular-season crowns (1975, '76, '78, '81, '82, 2003, '07).
KENT STATE'S CWS BID A FIRST SINCE EMU'S TRIP IN '76: In 2012, Kent State became the first team from the Mid-American Conference to reach college baseball's grand stage since the 1976 Eastern Michigan University squad earned runner-up honors that year.
The 1976 Eagles steamrolled their opponents to the tune of a 46-16 record and a 12-3 ledger for first place in the MAC. That season, the Green and White featured a lineup full of major-league talent including the pitching duo of Bob Owchinko and Bob Welch. Owchinko and Welch alone combined for 23 wins against just six losses.
LISTEN TO EMU BASEBALL ALL SEASON LONG: All 2013 home games and select road contests will be available online as an audio-only internet broadcast on EMUEagles.com/showcase. Veteran play-by-play voice Chad Bush returns to the broadcast booth and will be joined by Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations Greg Steiner, who will serve the analyst. Check EMUEagles.com for a complete broadcast schedule and for any changes in air times and dates.
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