Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, April 5
Bowling Green, Ohio
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Bowling Green
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Baseball Travels to Bowling Green, April 5-7
4/4/2013 4:17:00 PM | Baseball
Eagles looking for second straight conference series win
Complete Release (.pdf)
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team looks to make it two Mid-American Conference series wins in a row when the squad heads down I-75 to face off with Bowling Green State University Friday-Sunday, April 5-7. Friday's game begins at 3 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday's contests start at 1 p.m.
The Eagles (12-15; 2-4 MAC) are coming off a 3-2 homestand, while the Falcons (6-17; 2-4 MAC) just completed a 2-2 road swing. Both teams enter the third weekend of MAC play tied for fourth in their respective divisions.
BOWLING GREEN SCOUTING REPORT: The Falcons, who failed to qualify for the MAC Tournament in 2012, are batting just .245 this season compared to EMU's average of .264. BGSU has also struggled to come up with extra-base hits and is tied for last in the MAC with Western Michigan with 21 two-baggers. Despite having a ballpark notorious for giving up the long ball, the Falcons have the second-worst home run total in the conference (three).
Pitching has been the Falcons' strong point this year. The staff as a whole carries a 3.89 ERA with two starting pitchers, Cody Apthorpe (1-2) and Mike Frank (1-4), holding down averages of 3.22 and 3.79, respectively.
BGSU is led by 22nd-year Head Coach Danny Schmitz, who is a 2005 inductee of the Eastern Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame. Schmitz earned four letters from 1974-77 and played second base for the two teams that went to the NCAA College World Series in 1975 and 1976.
ALL TIME WITH THE FALCONS: Eastern Michigan has enjoyed a 91-68 record in 159 all-time meetings with Bowling Green. Under Head Coach Jay Alexander, the Eagles have amassed a 7-3 record which includes a 2-1 series victory last season at Oestrike Stadium.
CALIBUSO EARNS FIRST SAVE AGAINST BOBCATS: Redshirt junior reliever Kristian Calibuso's second appearance of the season against Ohio, March 30, resulted in his first save since the 2011 MAC Tournament. Calibuso converted the final three outs of the game with the tying run at second in EMU's 5-4 triumph over a visiting Ohio squad to even up the series at a game apiece. The Brandon, Fla. native spent the 2012 season sidelined after Tommy John surgery.
“SCHAAK-NASTY”: Paul Schaak (2-1) is near the top of the EMU strikeout ranks with 28. The junior southpaw had 21 strikeouts all of last year in 28.1 innings on the bump, but has already surpassed that total in 27.0 innings in 2013. In his previous four starts this year, Schaak racked up six, five, nine and four punchouts, respectively, with the nine-strikeout effort coming against Butler, March 16. Schaak's 2012 single-game high for strikeouts was three.
SIMPSON FINDS HIS PLACE: In his second full season in an EMU uniform, senior Jamie Simpson has hit his stride as Jay Alexander's primary first-baseman and No. 6 hitter. After an up-and-down 2012 campaign in which he hit .256 in 40 games played and 26 starts, Simpson is leading the 2013 club with three round-trippers and carries an impressive .859 OPS. His .287 batting average is also fourth on the team and has started in every game this year.
BEST TO BE AHEAD AFTER FOUR: When the Eagles have the lead after four innings this season, they have gone on to a 9-2 record. That mark improves to 10-1 after five, 10-2 after six and 10-0 after seven. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Green and White does most of its offensive damage in the fourth and fifth innings with run totals of 23 and 30, respectively.
Conversely, the Eagles are 0-10 when trailing after four frames, 0-11 after five, 1-10 after six, 0-10 after seven and 1-11 after eight.
CONFERENCE QUICK STATS: Through six MAC games, the Eagles are 2-4 and are batting .257 with a .352 slugging percentage and a .329 on-base percentage. EMU pitchers have a 5.50 ERA.
BATTISTELLI RACKING UP THE SAVES: Senior hurler Joe Battistelli notched his 15th-career save and fourth of the season in EMU's 4-3 win over Concordia, March 26. Battistelli broke a second-place tie all-time in EMU history with Matt Shoemaker, who posted 14 saves from 2007-08. Steve Herbst (1992-95) had the most saves (23) of any EMU pitcher from 1992-95.
ALEXANDER NEARS 300 CAREER WINS: EMU Head Coach Jay Alexander (287-284) is 13 wins away from recording his 300th victory as the head man of a collegiate baseball program. Alexander is in his fifth season coaching the Eagles and has guided his teams to a record of 126-135 (.483). In six seasons at Wayne State, the 1996 graduate of the Division II school led the Warriors to a 161-148 (.521) ledger. The 41-year-old Alexander (3-30-72) became the first African-American head coach in EMU baseball history in 2009 when he took over for current Michigan State Head Coach Jake Boss, Jr.
EAGLES COMING OFF MAC SERIES WIN: The Eagles clinched a series victory against Ohio University Easter Sunday, March 31, with a convincing 13-6 win at Oestrike Stadium. EMU pounded out 16 hits and four EMU players turned in multiple-hit outings. The top of EMU's lineup was lethal Sunday as hitters one through four combined to go 10-for-17. Sam Ott led the way with a 3-for-5 day which included his second homer of the year and a season-high five RBI. Ott also notched his 10th double of the season and was one-of-five Eagles to record a two-bagger. Brian Hill (2-1) and Paul Schaak (2-1) each recorded victories as well.
DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO EARN IT: EMU played its first-of-five games against Big-Ten Conference opponents Wednesday, April 3, at home against Michigan State. The game was tied, 2-2, when defensive miscues led to seven unearned MSU tallies. The Spartans went on to a 9-3 win and all nine runs went down as unearned. The bright spot in the game came from freshman catcher Tony DiLeo, who belted his first-career homer, a two-run shot, in the second inning.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team looks to make it two Mid-American Conference series wins in a row when the squad heads down I-75 to face off with Bowling Green State University Friday-Sunday, April 5-7. Friday's game begins at 3 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday's contests start at 1 p.m.
The Eagles (12-15; 2-4 MAC) are coming off a 3-2 homestand, while the Falcons (6-17; 2-4 MAC) just completed a 2-2 road swing. Both teams enter the third weekend of MAC play tied for fourth in their respective divisions.
BOWLING GREEN SCOUTING REPORT: The Falcons, who failed to qualify for the MAC Tournament in 2012, are batting just .245 this season compared to EMU's average of .264. BGSU has also struggled to come up with extra-base hits and is tied for last in the MAC with Western Michigan with 21 two-baggers. Despite having a ballpark notorious for giving up the long ball, the Falcons have the second-worst home run total in the conference (three).
Pitching has been the Falcons' strong point this year. The staff as a whole carries a 3.89 ERA with two starting pitchers, Cody Apthorpe (1-2) and Mike Frank (1-4), holding down averages of 3.22 and 3.79, respectively.
BGSU is led by 22nd-year Head Coach Danny Schmitz, who is a 2005 inductee of the Eastern Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame. Schmitz earned four letters from 1974-77 and played second base for the two teams that went to the NCAA College World Series in 1975 and 1976.
ALL TIME WITH THE FALCONS: Eastern Michigan has enjoyed a 91-68 record in 159 all-time meetings with Bowling Green. Under Head Coach Jay Alexander, the Eagles have amassed a 7-3 record which includes a 2-1 series victory last season at Oestrike Stadium.
CALIBUSO EARNS FIRST SAVE AGAINST BOBCATS: Redshirt junior reliever Kristian Calibuso's second appearance of the season against Ohio, March 30, resulted in his first save since the 2011 MAC Tournament. Calibuso converted the final three outs of the game with the tying run at second in EMU's 5-4 triumph over a visiting Ohio squad to even up the series at a game apiece. The Brandon, Fla. native spent the 2012 season sidelined after Tommy John surgery.
“SCHAAK-NASTY”: Paul Schaak (2-1) is near the top of the EMU strikeout ranks with 28. The junior southpaw had 21 strikeouts all of last year in 28.1 innings on the bump, but has already surpassed that total in 27.0 innings in 2013. In his previous four starts this year, Schaak racked up six, five, nine and four punchouts, respectively, with the nine-strikeout effort coming against Butler, March 16. Schaak's 2012 single-game high for strikeouts was three.
SIMPSON FINDS HIS PLACE: In his second full season in an EMU uniform, senior Jamie Simpson has hit his stride as Jay Alexander's primary first-baseman and No. 6 hitter. After an up-and-down 2012 campaign in which he hit .256 in 40 games played and 26 starts, Simpson is leading the 2013 club with three round-trippers and carries an impressive .859 OPS. His .287 batting average is also fourth on the team and has started in every game this year.
BEST TO BE AHEAD AFTER FOUR: When the Eagles have the lead after four innings this season, they have gone on to a 9-2 record. That mark improves to 10-1 after five, 10-2 after six and 10-0 after seven. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Green and White does most of its offensive damage in the fourth and fifth innings with run totals of 23 and 30, respectively.
Conversely, the Eagles are 0-10 when trailing after four frames, 0-11 after five, 1-10 after six, 0-10 after seven and 1-11 after eight.
CONFERENCE QUICK STATS: Through six MAC games, the Eagles are 2-4 and are batting .257 with a .352 slugging percentage and a .329 on-base percentage. EMU pitchers have a 5.50 ERA.
BATTISTELLI RACKING UP THE SAVES: Senior hurler Joe Battistelli notched his 15th-career save and fourth of the season in EMU's 4-3 win over Concordia, March 26. Battistelli broke a second-place tie all-time in EMU history with Matt Shoemaker, who posted 14 saves from 2007-08. Steve Herbst (1992-95) had the most saves (23) of any EMU pitcher from 1992-95.
ALEXANDER NEARS 300 CAREER WINS: EMU Head Coach Jay Alexander (287-284) is 13 wins away from recording his 300th victory as the head man of a collegiate baseball program. Alexander is in his fifth season coaching the Eagles and has guided his teams to a record of 126-135 (.483). In six seasons at Wayne State, the 1996 graduate of the Division II school led the Warriors to a 161-148 (.521) ledger. The 41-year-old Alexander (3-30-72) became the first African-American head coach in EMU baseball history in 2009 when he took over for current Michigan State Head Coach Jake Boss, Jr.
EAGLES COMING OFF MAC SERIES WIN: The Eagles clinched a series victory against Ohio University Easter Sunday, March 31, with a convincing 13-6 win at Oestrike Stadium. EMU pounded out 16 hits and four EMU players turned in multiple-hit outings. The top of EMU's lineup was lethal Sunday as hitters one through four combined to go 10-for-17. Sam Ott led the way with a 3-for-5 day which included his second homer of the year and a season-high five RBI. Ott also notched his 10th double of the season and was one-of-five Eagles to record a two-bagger. Brian Hill (2-1) and Paul Schaak (2-1) each recorded victories as well.
DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO EARN IT: EMU played its first-of-five games against Big-Ten Conference opponents Wednesday, April 3, at home against Michigan State. The game was tied, 2-2, when defensive miscues led to seven unearned MSU tallies. The Spartans went on to a 9-3 win and all nine runs went down as unearned. The bright spot in the game came from freshman catcher Tony DiLeo, who belted his first-career homer, a two-run shot, in the second inning.
Inside the Ride Episode 2: Katie Condon
Thursday, October 16
16th Annual EMU Baseball Golf Outing
Sunday, October 05
Oestrike Stadium Turf Replacement Time lapse
Friday, October 03
Oestrike Stadium Upgrades Reveal
Thursday, October 02