Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, April 5
Muncie, Ind.
12 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Ball State
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eagles Begin Divisional Play with Three Games at Ball State
4/3/2014 2:52:00 PM | Baseball
Baseball's weekend series against the Cardinals will take place, April 4-6, at the Ball Diamond in Muncie, Ind.
Complete Notes
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University baseball team enters Mid-American Conference West Division play trying to rebound from a pair of mid-week setbacks as the Eagles (10-15, 1-5 MAC) travel to Muncie, Ind. for a three-game set against the Ball State University Cardinals (19-10, 4-1 MAC), April 4-6. First pitch for the opening game of the series is set for 3 p.m. Friday, April 4, while the other two games will begin at 1 p.m., April 5-6, at the Ball Diamond.
MID-WEEK REVIEW: EMU fell short in two games earlier in the week at home versus Michigan State University, April 1, and on the road against the University of Dayton, April 2. Playing under the lights of Oestrike Stadium, all eight runs scored in the contest occurred in the fourth inning as the Spartans outscored the Eagles, 5-3, to earn the win. While the final outcome was not what Eastern wanted, its pitching provided a season-best in strikeouts, sitting down 14 Spartans throughout the ballgame. Looking to get back on the winning track, EMU headed south to Dayton, Ohio to face the Flyers. However, the Green and White fell behind 7-0 before a furious comeback cut the lead to one, 7-6, through seven innings. Due to darkness, the game was called at that point, giving the victory to Dayton. The close games made it three-straight contests being decided by two runs-or-less for the Eagles.
A LOOK AT BALL STATE: Ball State is 19-10 on the 2014 campaign, including 4-1 in conference action. The Cardinals split a pair of mid-week games, soaring past Indiana Tech, 13-8, April 1, before falling to Northern Kentucky, a team the Eagles swept by outscoring the Norse 26-5 in a doubleheader. BSU dropped a 4-3 decision to NKU in a seven-inning contest shortened due to rain, April 2. Just like Eastern, Ball State beat Northwestern by one this season, while also losing a one-run contest to Dayton earlier in the year.
Sean Godfrey provides the majority of the power in the BSU lineup, leading the team in hits (37), RBI (27), doubles (13), home runs (5) and slugging percentage (.546). The senior Cardinal leads the conference in doubles while also ranking 10th in the nation with his 13 two-base hits. Godfrey's 13 stolen bases are also ranked 25th nationally. On the mound, the Cardinals plan to throw three right-handers at the Eagles this weekend. The 2013 MAC Pitcher of the Year, Scott Baker, will get the nod in the opener as the junior holds a 4-2 record with a 3.80 ERA. Senior T.J. Weir is expected to start game two, while Zach Plesac will get the ball in the final game of the series. Plesac boasts the best ERA on the team at 2.48.
SEEKING REVENGE ON THE CARDINALS: EMU leads the all-time series against Ball State, 73-67-1. However, Head Coach Jay Alexander's club is looking for revenge against the Cardinals after BSU swept the Eagles in last season's Mid-American Conference series at Oestrike Stadium, May 3-5, 2013. Ball State outscored the Green and White 20-7 in the three-game set, including a 10-6 victory in a wild 12-inning opening contest. Eastern will attempt to flip the script this weekend with a road sweep on BSU's home field, the Ball Diamond.
DARKNESS LOOMS AND DOOMS: Darkness covered the skies of Dayton Wednesday, April 2, just as the EMU sluggers sparked to life. The Eagles trailed 7-0 through five innings before coming alive in the sixth with a pair of runs. Eastern kept the momentum going with four runs in the seventh to make it a one-run ballgame, 7-6. However, the umpires decided to call the game after the Eagles were retired in the seventh due to darkness fall upon Woerner Field at Time Warner Cable Stadium. The lack of light extinguished the fire of the EMU bats with the unexpected ending as Dayton walked away with the 7-6 decision.
THE MOST IMPORTANT INNING: A good indicator of the outcomes of EMU baseball games this season is to see how the Eagles fare after the sixth inning. The Green and White is 8-1 when leading after the sixth as well as 2-0 when tied with its opponent through the first two-thirds of the game. In contrast, Eastern is 0-14 when they are behind through six innings of play. Moreover, Eastern is currently outscoring the opposition, 21-8, in the sixth inning.
DYNAMIC DUO WITH THE DOUBLE DEUCE: In EMU's latest MAC contest, a 2-1 victory over Kent State, March 30, the duo of right-hander Steve Weber and lefty Michael Marsinek shut down the Golden Flashes, whose bats were hot through the first two games of the series. The two EMU pitchers threw a combined eight innings while retiring 22-straight hitters in the process. After giving up two hits that led to a run in the top of the first, Weber got back-to-back Golden Flashes to ground out to second base to the end the inning. The redshirt-senior found a groove by retiring the side in the next five innings. Exiting after six innings with a line of one run on two hits, Weber closed out his day by sending down 17 in a row. Marsinek entered the contest in the seventh and continued the streak left by Weber. The southpaw retired the first five KSU hitters he faced before issuing a walk with two outs in the eighth.
Both pitchers are expected to start this weekend against Ball State. Marsinek is the probable starter for game two, April 5, while Weber will once again pitch a series finale, April 6, against the Cardinals.
LEADERS OF THE MAC: Through the first 25 games of the season, the EMU bats have proven to be huge threats to opposing pitchers. Eastern leads the MAC in doubles (53) while ranking second in the conference in runs (152) and RBI (136) Individually, three Eagles top the MAC charts. Sophomore Mitchell McGeein paces the conference with four homers on the season, and Lee Longo's 12 doubles are tied for a MAC best.
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 25 games in right field to total 153 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 153 consecutive starts rank seventh in that category behind: Ryan Lindemuth, William & Mary (196); Aaron Attaway, Western Carolina (195); Justin Glass, Cincinnati (192); Ethan Gross, Memphis (181); Ross Kivett, Kansas State (179); Nick Favatella, Rutgers (167).
YOUNG GUNS: Against Northwestern, Head Coach Jay Alexander went with four true freshman pitchers to toss the first 5.1 innings in the Eagles' 9-8 victory over the Wildcats, March 26. Sam Delaplane made his first career start, while Sterling Sharp, Layne Gusler and Tyler Russell all made relief appearances. After Delaplane pitched his scheduled two innings, Sharp picked up the first win of his career by tossing four innings of relief and letting just one run cross the plate. Gusler pitched to one batter before Russell relieved him, lasting 1.1 innings and surrendering one run on two hits.
Four true freshmen pitching in one game is a rare occurrence as Eastern is just one-of-17 NCAA Division I baseball teams to do so throughout the 2014 season. The other schools having four freshmen pitchers in one game include: Bethune-Cookman, Coastal Carolina, Florida, Georgia Tech, Holy Cross, James Madison, Navy, Nebraska, Northwestern State, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, San Jose State, Santa Clara, South Carolina, Western Kentucky and Wichita State.
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 .291 clip with Eagles on the base path, including a .296 average with the bases loaded. When the bases are empty, Eastern is hitting .227 as a team.
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 12 of the past 13 games, including 11 in left, due in large part to his power at the plate. Eight of Mioduszewski's 15 hits have been for extra bases, including his first career home run against Youngstown State, March 8. Making 13 starts in left, the Dexter, Mich. native boasts a slugging percentage of .472.
LONGO LEADS THE WAY: First baseman Lee Longo has had an incredible start to his final season as an Eagle. As of April 1, 2014, Longo is 10th in the nation in doubles with 12, just three shy of the country's 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 (.362), hits (34), RBI (24), total bases (49), hit by pitch (8) and on base percentage (.425). Another impressive stat is Longo's clutch hitting; with two outs in the inning, he has hit at a .531 clip with 15 RBI.
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. In the latest national rankings (April 1, 2014), Eastern's highest rank is 16th with 2.17 doubles per game, trailing nation-leading William & Mary which averages 3.12 per contest. In terms of total doubles, EMU's 50 two-base hits are 45th in the country, 28 behind the top mark. Tallying 6.2 runs per game, the Green and White is the 52nd-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. 25 in all of NCAA Division I baseball.
ANOTHER B1G OPPONENT AWAITS: EMU will conclude its five-game road trip with a mid-week contest, April 8, against Ohio State University. First pitch from Columbus, Ohio is set for 6:35 p.m., and the game will be broadcast over the airwaves of Eagle All-Access. Veteran Voice of the Eagles Chad Bush will have the play-by-play while Greg Steiner will provide the analysis for the free audio edition of EMU Baseball on Eagle All-Access.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University baseball team enters Mid-American Conference West Division play trying to rebound from a pair of mid-week setbacks as the Eagles (10-15, 1-5 MAC) travel to Muncie, Ind. for a three-game set against the Ball State University Cardinals (19-10, 4-1 MAC), April 4-6. First pitch for the opening game of the series is set for 3 p.m. Friday, April 4, while the other two games will begin at 1 p.m., April 5-6, at the Ball Diamond.
MID-WEEK REVIEW: EMU fell short in two games earlier in the week at home versus Michigan State University, April 1, and on the road against the University of Dayton, April 2. Playing under the lights of Oestrike Stadium, all eight runs scored in the contest occurred in the fourth inning as the Spartans outscored the Eagles, 5-3, to earn the win. While the final outcome was not what Eastern wanted, its pitching provided a season-best in strikeouts, sitting down 14 Spartans throughout the ballgame. Looking to get back on the winning track, EMU headed south to Dayton, Ohio to face the Flyers. However, the Green and White fell behind 7-0 before a furious comeback cut the lead to one, 7-6, through seven innings. Due to darkness, the game was called at that point, giving the victory to Dayton. The close games made it three-straight contests being decided by two runs-or-less for the Eagles.
A LOOK AT BALL STATE: Ball State is 19-10 on the 2014 campaign, including 4-1 in conference action. The Cardinals split a pair of mid-week games, soaring past Indiana Tech, 13-8, April 1, before falling to Northern Kentucky, a team the Eagles swept by outscoring the Norse 26-5 in a doubleheader. BSU dropped a 4-3 decision to NKU in a seven-inning contest shortened due to rain, April 2. Just like Eastern, Ball State beat Northwestern by one this season, while also losing a one-run contest to Dayton earlier in the year.
Sean Godfrey provides the majority of the power in the BSU lineup, leading the team in hits (37), RBI (27), doubles (13), home runs (5) and slugging percentage (.546). The senior Cardinal leads the conference in doubles while also ranking 10th in the nation with his 13 two-base hits. Godfrey's 13 stolen bases are also ranked 25th nationally. On the mound, the Cardinals plan to throw three right-handers at the Eagles this weekend. The 2013 MAC Pitcher of the Year, Scott Baker, will get the nod in the opener as the junior holds a 4-2 record with a 3.80 ERA. Senior T.J. Weir is expected to start game two, while Zach Plesac will get the ball in the final game of the series. Plesac boasts the best ERA on the team at 2.48.
SEEKING REVENGE ON THE CARDINALS: EMU leads the all-time series against Ball State, 73-67-1. However, Head Coach Jay Alexander's club is looking for revenge against the Cardinals after BSU swept the Eagles in last season's Mid-American Conference series at Oestrike Stadium, May 3-5, 2013. Ball State outscored the Green and White 20-7 in the three-game set, including a 10-6 victory in a wild 12-inning opening contest. Eastern will attempt to flip the script this weekend with a road sweep on BSU's home field, the Ball Diamond.
DARKNESS LOOMS AND DOOMS: Darkness covered the skies of Dayton Wednesday, April 2, just as the EMU sluggers sparked to life. The Eagles trailed 7-0 through five innings before coming alive in the sixth with a pair of runs. Eastern kept the momentum going with four runs in the seventh to make it a one-run ballgame, 7-6. However, the umpires decided to call the game after the Eagles were retired in the seventh due to darkness fall upon Woerner Field at Time Warner Cable Stadium. The lack of light extinguished the fire of the EMU bats with the unexpected ending as Dayton walked away with the 7-6 decision.
THE MOST IMPORTANT INNING: A good indicator of the outcomes of EMU baseball games this season is to see how the Eagles fare after the sixth inning. The Green and White is 8-1 when leading after the sixth as well as 2-0 when tied with its opponent through the first two-thirds of the game. In contrast, Eastern is 0-14 when they are behind through six innings of play. Moreover, Eastern is currently outscoring the opposition, 21-8, in the sixth inning.
DYNAMIC DUO WITH THE DOUBLE DEUCE: In EMU's latest MAC contest, a 2-1 victory over Kent State, March 30, the duo of right-hander Steve Weber and lefty Michael Marsinek shut down the Golden Flashes, whose bats were hot through the first two games of the series. The two EMU pitchers threw a combined eight innings while retiring 22-straight hitters in the process. After giving up two hits that led to a run in the top of the first, Weber got back-to-back Golden Flashes to ground out to second base to the end the inning. The redshirt-senior found a groove by retiring the side in the next five innings. Exiting after six innings with a line of one run on two hits, Weber closed out his day by sending down 17 in a row. Marsinek entered the contest in the seventh and continued the streak left by Weber. The southpaw retired the first five KSU hitters he faced before issuing a walk with two outs in the eighth.
Both pitchers are expected to start this weekend against Ball State. Marsinek is the probable starter for game two, April 5, while Weber will once again pitch a series finale, April 6, against the Cardinals.
LEADERS OF THE MAC: Through the first 25 games of the season, the EMU bats have proven to be huge threats to opposing pitchers. Eastern leads the MAC in doubles (53) while ranking second in the conference in runs (152) and RBI (136) Individually, three Eagles top the MAC charts. Sophomore Mitchell McGeein paces the conference with four homers on the season, and Lee Longo's 12 doubles are tied for a MAC best.
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 25 games in right field to total 153 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 153 consecutive starts rank seventh in that category behind: Ryan Lindemuth, William & Mary (196); Aaron Attaway, Western Carolina (195); Justin Glass, Cincinnati (192); Ethan Gross, Memphis (181); Ross Kivett, Kansas State (179); Nick Favatella, Rutgers (167).
YOUNG GUNS: Against Northwestern, Head Coach Jay Alexander went with four true freshman pitchers to toss the first 5.1 innings in the Eagles' 9-8 victory over the Wildcats, March 26. Sam Delaplane made his first career start, while Sterling Sharp, Layne Gusler and Tyler Russell all made relief appearances. After Delaplane pitched his scheduled two innings, Sharp picked up the first win of his career by tossing four innings of relief and letting just one run cross the plate. Gusler pitched to one batter before Russell relieved him, lasting 1.1 innings and surrendering one run on two hits.
Four true freshmen pitching in one game is a rare occurrence as Eastern is just one-of-17 NCAA Division I baseball teams to do so throughout the 2014 season. The other schools having four freshmen pitchers in one game include: Bethune-Cookman, Coastal Carolina, Florida, Georgia Tech, Holy Cross, James Madison, Navy, Nebraska, Northwestern State, Saint Joseph's, Saint Louis, San Jose State, Santa Clara, South Carolina, Western Kentucky and Wichita State.
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 .291 clip with Eagles on the base path, including a .296 average with the bases loaded. When the bases are empty, Eastern is hitting .227 as a team.
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 12 of the past 13 games, including 11 in left, due in large part to his power at the plate. Eight of Mioduszewski's 15 hits have been for extra bases, including his first career home run against Youngstown State, March 8. Making 13 starts in left, the Dexter, Mich. native boasts a slugging percentage of .472.
LONGO LEADS THE WAY: First baseman Lee Longo has had an incredible start to his final season as an Eagle. As of April 1, 2014, Longo is 10th in the nation in doubles with 12, just three shy of the country's 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 (.362), hits (34), RBI (24), total bases (49), hit by pitch (8) and on base percentage (.425). Another impressive stat is Longo's clutch hitting; with two outs in the inning, he has hit at a .531 clip with 15 RBI.
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. In the latest national rankings (April 1, 2014), Eastern's highest rank is 16th with 2.17 doubles per game, trailing nation-leading William & Mary which averages 3.12 per contest. In terms of total doubles, EMU's 50 two-base hits are 45th in the country, 28 behind the top mark. Tallying 6.2 runs per game, the Green and White is the 52nd-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. 25 in all of NCAA Division I baseball.
ANOTHER B1G OPPONENT AWAITS: EMU will conclude its five-game road trip with a mid-week contest, April 8, against Ohio State University. First pitch from Columbus, Ohio is set for 6:35 p.m., and the game will be broadcast over the airwaves of Eagle All-Access. Veteran Voice of the Eagles Chad Bush will have the play-by-play while Greg Steiner will provide the analysis for the free audio edition of EMU Baseball on Eagle All-Access.
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