Eastern Michigan Athletics
Wednesday, March 26
Oestrike Stadium
3 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Northwestern
Baseball Opens Home Campaign Against Northwestern
3/25/2014 3:17:00 PM | Baseball
Eagles and Wildcats set to square off Wednesday, March 26, at 3 p.m. at Oestrike Stadium
Complete Notes
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- After the Mid-American Conference opening series against Akron, the Eagles will hope to get back on the winning track and begin the 2014 home campaign at Oestrike Stadium. EMU is scheduled to play four home contests this week, beginning with Big Ten Conference opponent Northwestern University, March 26, with a 3 p.m. first pitch. The Eagles (8-11) and Wildcats (4-16) will meet on the diamond for just the second time in history.
A GUIDE TO NORTHWESTERN: The Wildcats come to Ypsilanti after dropping two out of three against Minnesota in their Big Ten Conference opening series, March 22-23. EMU will not be the first MAC team that Northwestern has faced this season. NU suffered a 4-5 setback at the hands of Ball State University, Feb. 23, in Port Charlotte, Fla. as part of the Snowbird Classic. Northwestern is managed by long-time head coach Paul Stevens who enters his 26th season the helm of the program as the winningest coach in NU baseball history with over 600 career victories.
At the dish, freshman Matt Hopfner leads the NU bats with a .389 average to go along with 13 RBI. Three Wildcats are tied with a team-high 10 runs scored while catcher Scott Heelan boasts the most RBI on the club with 14. On the mound, lefty Matt Portland has the best ERA out of the NU rotation with a 4.24 mark. He also leads the team in strikeouts, fanning 27 opposing hitters and holding them to a .264 average.
LAST TIME WE MET: In the only previous meeting between the two programs, the Wildcats shut out EMU, 8-0, at the Lake Charles Classic hosted by McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., Feb. 25, 2001. Northwestern pegged Eastern starting pitcher Anthony Tomey for eight runs on seven hits and four walks in 4.1 innings. Tomey held the Wildcats in check for three of the five innings he appeared in; however, he surrendered three runs in the first along with five in the fifth to take his first loss of the season. At the plate, EMU second baseman Todd Moore was the only Eagle to muster a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4. NU starter Michael Nall tossed a complete-game shutout, punching out 11 Eagles throughout the contest.
THE COMFORT OF OESTRIKE STADIUM: The home of EMU Baseball, Oestrike Stadium, named after EMU Hall of Fame Coach Ron Oestrike, was built in 1971, the year following Eastern Michigan's NAIA Collegiate National Championship and four years before its back-to-back NCAA Worlds Series appearances. The Eagles boast a record of 494-336-2 (.595) in their home stadium since its construction.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE BIG TEN: In the 65-year history of the Eastern Michigan baseball program, the Eagles have faced off against members of the Big Ten Conference a whopping 366 times, compiling a record of 139-222-5. Throughout the 2014 campaign, Head Coach Jay Alexander and his club are scheduled to face four different opponents from the Rosemont, Ill. based conference: Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Ohio State. Washtenaw County neighbor Michigan has been the Eagles most common Big Ten opponent as the two have met on the diamond for 176 games. The green and white of both Michigan State and EMU clashed on 129 different occasions, while the Eagles and the team from Columbus, Ohio have squared off in 15 meetings. Eastern and Northwestern's only game against one another took place at the start of the 2001 season.
LEADERS OF THE MAC: Through the first 19 games of the season, the EMU bats have proven to be huge threats to opposing pitchers. Eastern leads the MAC in doubles (44), RBI (115). Moreover, the Eagles rank second in the conference in runs (129), on base percentage (.369), slugging percentage (.384) and steals (33). Individually, three Eagles top the MAC charts. Sam Ott leads the league in runs scored (21), and sophomore Mitchell McGeein paces the conference with four homers on the season. Meanwhile, Lee Longo is second in the MAC with 11 doubles.
BETTER WITH DUCKS ON THE POND: With runners on the base, the pressure may seem to rise for hitters as they try to find a way to get their teammates around to score. However, the Eagles welcome the pressure by hitting at a better average with runners on than with the bases empty. EMU sluggers are hitting at a .305 clip with Eagles on the base path, including a .320 average with the bases loaded. When the bases are empty, Eastern is hitting just .239 as a team.
LONGO LEADS THE WAY: First baseman Lee Longo has had an incredible start to his final season as an Eagle. As of March 25, 2014, Longo is seventh in the nation in doubles with 11, just two shy of the country leader in Texas Tech's Adam Kirsch. Overall, the two-time MAC West Player of the Week is fourth nationally in doubles per game. Not only do Longo's doubles per game rank fourth in the country, but he also is one of the team leaders in multiple hitting categories, pacing the Green and White in batting average (.387), hits (29), RBI (18), total bases (43), hit by pitch (7) and on base percentage (.446). Another impressive stat is Longo's clutch hitting; with two outs in the inning, he has hit at a .560 clip with 12 RBI.
IRON MAN OTT: EMU looks to have its own Cal Ripken, Jr. as one Eagle has emerged as a baseball iron man. Since the end of his redshirt-freshman season in 2011, Sam Ott has started every game for Head Coach Jay Alexander. The Canton, Mich. native started the last 18 games of the 2011 season while starting all 110 games his sophomore and junior campaigns. He got in the lineup for all 56 games in 2012 primarily as the designated hitter while he had 54 starts in 2013, with the majority of them coming in right field. To kick off the 2014 slate, Ott has started all 19 games in right field to total 147 straight starts and counting for the EMU redshirt-senior.
Ott is one-of-27 NCAA Division I baseball players that boasts an active streak of over 100 starts. His 147 consecutive starts rank seventh in that category behind: Ryan Lindemuth, William & Mary (194); Aaron Attaway, Western Carolina (192); Justin Glass, Cincinnati (191); Ethan Gross, Memphis (181); Ross Kivett, Kansas State (175); Nick Favatella, Rutgers (165).
FINDING THE NATIONAL RANKS: Not only are the EMU sluggers one of the leaders of the Mid-American Conference in multiple categories, but the Eagles are also moving up the charts in the national ranks. Eastern's highest rank is ninth with 2.32 doubles per game, trailing nation-leading William & Mary which averages 3.09 per contest. In terms of total doubles, EMU's 44 two-base hits are 38th in the country, 24 behind the top mark. Tallying 6.8 runs per game, the Green and White is the 29th-best scoring team in the nation. The Eagles also have been effective on the base path, stealing 1.74 bases per game, which stands at No. 30 in all of NCAA Division I baseball.
WEATHER CAUSES CHANGES: Weather has wreaked havoc on the early baseball season as the Green and White has had to make several changes to the original schedule. First, unplayable field conditions at UT Martin forced the three-game series to be moved to a neutral site in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 21-23. Two days later, Feb. 25, the Eagles faced Austin Peay in a doubleheader that was supposed to be two games on back-to-back days. Remaining in the south, EMU was scheduled to play three games over three days against No. 30 Kentucky. While the three games were played, the series finale was moved up one day, making the two teams play a doubleheader Saturday March 1.
The two-game set against Morehead State, scheduled March 4-5, was called off due to snow covering the field as well as the three-game series at Evansville, March 7-9. However, EMU did find a place to play for the weekend, traveling down to Cincinnati to face Youngstown State in two games as well as the host Bearcats on one occasion. Within the past week, two more games were cancelled. The series finale against Northern Kentucky was called off, March 16, due to inclement weather; moreover, the contest against Bowling Green, scheduled for March 18, could not be played due to poor field conditions.
DOUBLE DIP: Inclement weather has forced Eastern to play four unexpected doubleheaders thus far this season and the series with Akron will mark the fifth twinbill of the 2014 campaign. The Eagles boast a 5-3 record in doubleheaders this year. EMU split with Austin Peay, Feb. 25, before dropping a pair of games at No. 30 Kentucky later that week, March 1. The last time the Green and White took the diamond, March 9, Head Coach Jay Alexander's squad swept a doubleheader down in Cincinnati. The Eagles first took down the host Bearcats, 5-4, and then continued their winning ways with an 11-5 thumping of Youngstown State. EMU out-scored Northern Kentucky, 26-5, sweeping a doubleheader over the Norse, 13-3 and 13-2 before dropping a pair of conference contests to Akron in the latest twinbill.
NOTABLE STREAKS: First baseman Lee Longo saw his 27 on base streak that dated back to the 2013 campaign come to an end against Akron, March 22. Fellow senior Adam Sonabend now holds the highest stretch at 15 consecutive games as the EMU catcher also is on a seven-game hitting streak. Sam Ott is the next closest Eagle, reaching base in eight straight contests.
MIODUSZEWSKI GRABS LEFT FIELD: After Head Coach Jay Alexander used four different Eagles to start in left field through the first 12 games of the season, a primary starter has emerged out of that group. Redshirt-freshman Michael Mioduszewski has been penciled in on the lineup card for the past seven contests in large part due to his power at the plate. Seven of Mioduszewski's 11 hits have been for extra bases, including his first career home run against Youngstown State, March 8. Making 10 starts in left, the Dexter, Mich. native boasts a slugging percentage of .541.
#MACtion AT OESTRIKE: The Green and White remain at home for the weekend, hosting defending MAC regular season champion Kent State for a three-game series, March 28-30. Game one is set to begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 28, before the two conference foes battle at the same time Saturday, March 29. The series concludes with a Sunday afternoon matchup, March 30, slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- After the Mid-American Conference opening series against Akron, the Eagles will hope to get back on the winning track and begin the 2014 home campaign at Oestrike Stadium. EMU is scheduled to play four home contests this week, beginning with Big Ten Conference opponent Northwestern University, March 26, with a 3 p.m. first pitch. The Eagles (8-11) and Wildcats (4-16) will meet on the diamond for just the second time in history.
A GUIDE TO NORTHWESTERN: The Wildcats come to Ypsilanti after dropping two out of three against Minnesota in their Big Ten Conference opening series, March 22-23. EMU will not be the first MAC team that Northwestern has faced this season. NU suffered a 4-5 setback at the hands of Ball State University, Feb. 23, in Port Charlotte, Fla. as part of the Snowbird Classic. Northwestern is managed by long-time head coach Paul Stevens who enters his 26th season the helm of the program as the winningest coach in NU baseball history with over 600 career victories.
At the dish, freshman Matt Hopfner leads the NU bats with a .389 average to go along with 13 RBI. Three Wildcats are tied with a team-high 10 runs scored while catcher Scott Heelan boasts the most RBI on the club with 14. On the mound, lefty Matt Portland has the best ERA out of the NU rotation with a 4.24 mark. He also leads the team in strikeouts, fanning 27 opposing hitters and holding them to a .264 average.
LAST TIME WE MET: In the only previous meeting between the two programs, the Wildcats shut out EMU, 8-0, at the Lake Charles Classic hosted by McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., Feb. 25, 2001. Northwestern pegged Eastern starting pitcher Anthony Tomey for eight runs on seven hits and four walks in 4.1 innings. Tomey held the Wildcats in check for three of the five innings he appeared in; however, he surrendered three runs in the first along with five in the fifth to take his first loss of the season. At the plate, EMU second baseman Todd Moore was the only Eagle to muster a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4. NU starter Michael Nall tossed a complete-game shutout, punching out 11 Eagles throughout the contest.
THE COMFORT OF OESTRIKE STADIUM: The home of EMU Baseball, Oestrike Stadium, named after EMU Hall of Fame Coach Ron Oestrike, was built in 1971, the year following Eastern Michigan's NAIA Collegiate National Championship and four years before its back-to-back NCAA Worlds Series appearances. The Eagles boast a record of 494-336-2 (.595) in their home stadium since its construction.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE BIG TEN: In the 65-year history of the Eastern Michigan baseball program, the Eagles have faced off against members of the Big Ten Conference a whopping 366 times, compiling a record of 139-222-5. Throughout the 2014 campaign, Head Coach Jay Alexander and his club are scheduled to face four different opponents from the Rosemont, Ill. based conference: Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern and Ohio State. Washtenaw County neighbor Michigan has been the Eagles most common Big Ten opponent as the two have met on the diamond for 176 games. The green and white of both Michigan State and EMU clashed on 129 different occasions, while the Eagles and the team from Columbus, Ohio have squared off in 15 meetings. Eastern and Northwestern's only game against one another took place at the start of the 2001 season.
LEADERS OF THE MAC: Through the first 19 games of the season, the EMU bats have proven to be huge threats to opposing pitchers. Eastern leads the MAC in doubles (44), RBI (115). Moreover, the Eagles rank second in the conference in runs (129), on base percentage (.369), slugging percentage (.384) and steals (33). Individually, three Eagles top the MAC charts. Sam Ott leads the league in runs scored (21), and sophomore Mitchell McGeein paces the conference with four homers on the season. Meanwhile, Lee Longo is second in the MAC with 11 doubles.
BETTER WITH DUCKS ON THE POND: With runners on the base, the pressure may seem to rise for hitters as they try to find a way to get their teammates around to score. However, the Eagles welcome the pressure by hitting at a better average with runners on than with the bases empty. EMU sluggers are hitting at a .305 clip with Eagles on the base path, including a .320 average with the bases loaded. When the bases are empty, Eastern is hitting just .239 as a team.
LONGO LEADS THE WAY: First baseman Lee Longo has had an incredible start to his final season as an Eagle. As of March 25, 2014, Longo is seventh in the nation in doubles with 11, just two shy of the country leader in Texas Tech's Adam Kirsch. Overall, the two-time MAC West Player of the Week is fourth nationally in doubles per game. Not only do Longo's doubles per game rank fourth in the country, but he also is one of the team leaders in multiple hitting categories, pacing the Green and White in batting average (.387), hits (29), RBI (18), total bases (43), hit by pitch (7) and on base percentage (.446). Another impressive stat is Longo's clutch hitting; with two outs in the inning, he has hit at a .560 clip with 12 RBI.
IRON MAN OTT: EMU looks to have its own Cal Ripken, Jr. as one Eagle has emerged as a baseball iron man. Since the end of his redshirt-freshman season in 2011, Sam Ott has started every game for Head Coach Jay Alexander. The Canton, Mich. native started the last 18 games of the 2011 season while starting all 110 games his sophomore and junior campaigns. He got in the lineup for all 56 games in 2012 primarily as the designated hitter while he had 54 starts in 2013, with the majority of them coming in right field. To kick off the 2014 slate, Ott has started all 19 games in right field to total 147 straight starts and counting for the EMU redshirt-senior.
Ott is one-of-27 NCAA Division I baseball players that boasts an active streak of over 100 starts. His 147 consecutive starts rank seventh in that category behind: Ryan Lindemuth, William & Mary (194); Aaron Attaway, Western Carolina (192); Justin Glass, Cincinnati (191); Ethan Gross, Memphis (181); Ross Kivett, Kansas State (175); Nick Favatella, Rutgers (165).
FINDING THE NATIONAL RANKS: Not only are the EMU sluggers one of the leaders of the Mid-American Conference in multiple categories, but the Eagles are also moving up the charts in the national ranks. Eastern's highest rank is ninth with 2.32 doubles per game, trailing nation-leading William & Mary which averages 3.09 per contest. In terms of total doubles, EMU's 44 two-base hits are 38th in the country, 24 behind the top mark. Tallying 6.8 runs per game, the Green and White is the 29th-best scoring team in the nation. The Eagles also have been effective on the base path, stealing 1.74 bases per game, which stands at No. 30 in all of NCAA Division I baseball.
WEATHER CAUSES CHANGES: Weather has wreaked havoc on the early baseball season as the Green and White has had to make several changes to the original schedule. First, unplayable field conditions at UT Martin forced the three-game series to be moved to a neutral site in Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 21-23. Two days later, Feb. 25, the Eagles faced Austin Peay in a doubleheader that was supposed to be two games on back-to-back days. Remaining in the south, EMU was scheduled to play three games over three days against No. 30 Kentucky. While the three games were played, the series finale was moved up one day, making the two teams play a doubleheader Saturday March 1.
The two-game set against Morehead State, scheduled March 4-5, was called off due to snow covering the field as well as the three-game series at Evansville, March 7-9. However, EMU did find a place to play for the weekend, traveling down to Cincinnati to face Youngstown State in two games as well as the host Bearcats on one occasion. Within the past week, two more games were cancelled. The series finale against Northern Kentucky was called off, March 16, due to inclement weather; moreover, the contest against Bowling Green, scheduled for March 18, could not be played due to poor field conditions.
DOUBLE DIP: Inclement weather has forced Eastern to play four unexpected doubleheaders thus far this season and the series with Akron will mark the fifth twinbill of the 2014 campaign. The Eagles boast a 5-3 record in doubleheaders this year. EMU split with Austin Peay, Feb. 25, before dropping a pair of games at No. 30 Kentucky later that week, March 1. The last time the Green and White took the diamond, March 9, Head Coach Jay Alexander's squad swept a doubleheader down in Cincinnati. The Eagles first took down the host Bearcats, 5-4, and then continued their winning ways with an 11-5 thumping of Youngstown State. EMU out-scored Northern Kentucky, 26-5, sweeping a doubleheader over the Norse, 13-3 and 13-2 before dropping a pair of conference contests to Akron in the latest twinbill.
NOTABLE STREAKS: First baseman Lee Longo saw his 27 on base streak that dated back to the 2013 campaign come to an end against Akron, March 22. Fellow senior Adam Sonabend now holds the highest stretch at 15 consecutive games as the EMU catcher also is on a seven-game hitting streak. Sam Ott is the next closest Eagle, reaching base in eight straight contests.
MIODUSZEWSKI GRABS LEFT FIELD: After Head Coach Jay Alexander used four different Eagles to start in left field through the first 12 games of the season, a primary starter has emerged out of that group. Redshirt-freshman Michael Mioduszewski has been penciled in on the lineup card for the past seven contests in large part due to his power at the plate. Seven of Mioduszewski's 11 hits have been for extra bases, including his first career home run against Youngstown State, March 8. Making 10 starts in left, the Dexter, Mich. native boasts a slugging percentage of .541.
#MACtion AT OESTRIKE: The Green and White remain at home for the weekend, hosting defending MAC regular season champion Kent State for a three-game series, March 28-30. Game one is set to begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 28, before the two conference foes battle at the same time Saturday, March 29. The series concludes with a Sunday afternoon matchup, March 30, slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
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