EMU Bats Off to Kalamazoo for Battles with the Broncos

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) --The Eastern Michigan University baseball team will wrap up the week with a three-game set against Western Michigan University, May 2-4, in a Mid-American Conference West division showdown. The series against the in-state rival is a big one for the Eagles (16-27, 3-15 MAC) to keep their chances alive of making the 2014 MAC Tournament. Instead of the games being played on the WMU campus, the series will take place at Homer Stryker Field in downtown Kalamazoo, Mich. The first two games with the Broncos (17-23, 6-12 MAC) are slated to begin at 3 p.m. while the Sunday contest has first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. The series will be the start of seven straight games against schools from the Great Lakes State.

EMU BASEBALL WINS 500th GAME AT OESTRIKE STADIUM: After falling behind 7-0, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team scored 11 unanswered runs to win the program's 500th game at Oestrike Stadium Tuesday night, April 29. The Eagles rallied past the Madonna University Crusaders, 11-7, for the milestone victory as the game was called after seven innings due to inclement weather. 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 World Series appearances. The Eagles boast a record of 500-344-2 (.593) in their home stadium since its construction.

BREAKING DOWN THE BRONCOS: Western Michigan enters the weekend after winning a pair of mid-week games over non-conference opponents Valparaiso and Notre Dame. Prior to those contests, the Broncos suffered a series setback to Northern Illinois by dropping two out of three to the Huskies in a MAC West Showdown. WMU currently sits at fifth in the West with a mark of 6-12 in conference play. The Broncos rely on their pitching as the staff ranks third in the MAC with a 4.03 ERA behind ace Steve Laudicina. The southpaw holds a 4-4 record with a 2.95 ERA, tossing complete games in three of his 11 starts. Chad Mayle and Keegan Akin are the other two probable starters for skipper Billy Gernon as Mayle boasts a team-best 2.81 ERA. At the plate, Brett Sunde leads the team with a .320 average, while Jared Kujawa provides slugging power. Kujawa is the conference leader in triples (7), adding seven doubles and a pair of home runs to go along with a WMU-high 31 RBI.

WINNING STREAK AGAINST WESTERN: EMU has been in control of the in-state rivalry, winning the last 11 matchups between the two programs. The last time Western defeated the Green and White occured April 23, 2010, as the Broncos took the second game of a doubleheader, 5-3, to earn the day's split. Moreover, under Head Coach Jay Alexander, Eastern Michigan is 13-2 against WMU, the best record against any other MAC institution under the sixth year manager. Last season, the Eagles swept Western Michigan at home by outscoring the visiting Broncos, 23-10, in three games, April 19-21, 2013. The highlight of the series was the first contest as then-senior Brian Hill took a no-hit bid into the ninth before allowing two hits for the 7-1 complete game victory. Hill threw 127 pitches and gave up just two ninth-inning knocks to go along with four strikeouts and a trio of walks. Overall, Eastern holds a slight edge in the all-time series, 80-79.

MID-WEEK REVIEW: The Eagles split a pair of games earlier this week, defeating Madonna in a game shortened due to inclement weather on April 29 before falling to Bowling Green in extra innings, April 30. After falling behind 7-0, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team scored 11 unanswered runs to pick up the program's 500th win at Oestrike Stadium, 11-7. The EMU sluggers continued to swing hot bats as six of the team's 13 hits went for extra bases. John Rubino went 2-for-4 with two RBI, including a solo homer in the sixth inning to snap a 25-game homerless streak for the Green and White. The freshman duo of Layne Gusler and Sam Delaplane did not surrender a Crusader hit in 4.1 combined innings pitched, walking two and striking out four as Delaplane earned the victory.

In the 11-8 setback at the hands of the Falcons, the Eagles committed five errors that proved costly, leading to four unearned runs in a rare non-conference matchup against the Mid-American Conference foe. EMU scored eight runs on eight hits, while also taking advantage of 13 walks issued by Bowling Green pitching. Each Eagle in the starting lineup walked at least once throughout the night. Sam Ott, John Rubino and Adam Dennison each collected a pair of hits, while Dennison joined teammates Lee Longo and Michael Mioduszewski in notching two RBI apiece. Longo reached base on four occasions, drawing three walks and recording one hit along with scoring one run.

RUBINO EARNS ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT ACCOLADES: EMU baseball's John Rubino was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Baseball First Team in District Five by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), May 1. The fifth district is the geographical region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio from which 12 players were chosen for this award. The Academic All-District teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. This is the second year of the expanded Academic All-America program as CoSIDA moved from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non-Division I) and has double the number of scholar-athletes honored. The expanded teams include NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division team combines NAIA, Canadian, and two-year schools.

Splitting time between shortstop and second base, Rubino has started in 42 of the Eagles' 43 games throughout the 2014 season thus far, leading EMU in stolen bases (19). Dating back to last season, the middle infielder has been on the lineup card in 107 of the past 108 games of his career. The junior is second on the team in RBI (32), while ranking third in hits (53), runs (30) and doubles (8). Aside from his success on the diamond, Rubino shines in the classroom as an economics major, currently holding a 3.92 grade point average at EMU.

FINDING THE NATIONAL RANKS: The EMU sluggers have found the charts in the the latest national rankings (May 1, 2014). The Eagles rank sixth in the nation in stolen bases (81), trailing nation-leading Wofford with 124. In terms of total doubles, EMU's 84 two-base hits are 33rd in the country, while the Eagles' 1.95 doubles per game ranks 29th nationally. Head Coach Jay Alexander's squad leads the MAC in base on balls with 194, a mark that stands at No. 34 in NCAA Division I baseball. Tallying 6.2 runs per game, the Green and White is the 42nd-best scoring team in the nation, moving up 41 spots within the last week. Eastern also cracks the top-50 in triples, settling in at No. 48 with 13 on the season.

EXTRA-INNING AFFAIRS: EMU baseball has played six extra-inning contests this year, holding a 2-4 record in games extending past the ninth inning. The Eagles started the season with a 6-5 victory over nationally-ranked Clemson, Feb. 14, in a 10-inning ballgame. In Eastern's most recent game, April 30, the Green and White dropped an 11-8 decision to Bowling Green in 10 innings. EMU is just one-of-26 teams in NCAA Division I baseball to have competed in at least six extra-inning affairs throughout the 2014 campaign thus far. Southern Illinois has played in the most baseball games needing extra innings with 11, while Hartford and UCF follow with nine games apiece.

THE END OF A POWER OUTAGE: In the top of the sixth inning against Madonna, April 29, EMU second baseman John Rubino blasted a hanging breaking ball over the left field fence to knot the game at seven. The solo homer snapped a 25-game homerless streak for the Green and White. Prior to Rubino's round-tripper, Mitchell McGeein was the last Eagle to go deep, smacking two home runs against Northern Kentucky, March 14. After going 5-for-6 against Ohio, April 27, Rubino is now 9-for-14 at the plate in the past three games, two of them resulting in EMU victories. Despite the lack of home runs by Eastern this season, the Eagles still have shown plenty of power at the plate, ranking second in the MAC in doubles.

A CHANGE AT LEADOFF: Three weeks ago, EMU Head Coach Jay Alexander decided to mix things up by inserting one of his best hitters, Sam Ott, into the leadoff position to try and spark the EMU offense. The starting right fielder, who usually bats in the three hole, has made a comfortable transition to the new spot in the order, doing his job by finding different ways to get on base. Since the switch, Ott has led the team with 16 hits, a .526 on-base percentage and 13 walks. Ott's nine base on balls are five more than any other Eagle in the 11-game stretch since he has taken the leadoff spot in the order. As the first slugger at the dish for the Green and White, Ott is hitting at a .372 clip. Moreover, the Canton, Mich. native has reached base in every game he has hit first in the lineup, increasing his streak to 20 consecutive games.

DOUBLING DOWN: Two current Eagles are climbing up the program's all-time doubles list. Seniors Lee Longo and Sam Ott have each recorded 49 doubles throughout their careers at Eastern, ranking fourth in EMU laurels. Longo leads the team in doubles this season with 16 while Ott has smacked 11 two-baggers throughout the 2014 campaign. The duo is chasing Derrick Peterson, who sits in third with 54 career doubles, looking to reach his total before season's end. Eastern Michigan hit king Zack Leonard holds the all-time record with 63 doubles during his four-year career.

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 12-3 when leading after the sixth as well as 4-1 when tied with its opponent through the first two-thirds of the game. In contrast, the Eagles are 0-23 when they are behind through six innings of play. Moreover, Eastern is currently outscoring the opposition, 43-19, in the sixth inning.

LEE'S CLUTCH HITTING: When the Eagles need a hit with runners on base, there is not anyone that Head Coach Jay Alexander would rather have at the plate than senior first baseman Lee Longo. While he leads the team with a .377 average at the plate, the Mayfield, Ohio native thrives in pressure situations. With runners in scoring position, Longo is batting an impressive .468 (29-for-62), including a .714 clip of knocking in the runner on third with less than two outs (10-for-14). Another impressive stat is Longo's clutch hitting; with two outs in the inning as he has hit at an incredible .519 rate (28-for-54) with 22 RBI.

RUBINO TAKES FIVE: EMU middle infielder John Rubino had a career day in the Eagles' 10-5 victory over Ohio, April 27. The junior recorded five of his team's 11 hits for a new personal best. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native went 5-for-6 with one double, two runs and a RBI. Rubino's five hits are the most recorded by an Eagle in one game since Brent Ohrman recorded six hits against the University at Buffalo, May 12, 2012. For the entire series against the Bobcats, Rubino hit at a .467 clip, tying teammate Sam Ott for the most hits in the series out of all EMU sluggers. He also stole two bases to go along with a .533 slugging percentage.

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 43 games in right field to total 171 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 171 consecutive starts rank fifth in that category behind: Justin Glass, Cincinnati (210); Ethan Gross, Memphis (1999); Ross Kivett, Kansas State (196); Nick Favatella, Rutgers (186).

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 .304 clip with Eagles on the base path, including a .327 average with the bases loaded. When the bases are empty, Eastern is hitting .235 as a team.

LONGO LEADS THE WAY: First baseman Lee Longo has had an incredible final season as an Eagle. He is the team leader in multiple hitting categories, pacing the Green and White in batting average (.377), hits (60), RBI (41), total bases (83), doubles (16), hit by pitch (12), slugging percentage (.522) and on-base percentage (.452). Moreover, Longo's stats have found the top of the Mid-American Conference rankings. The EMU slugger is the MAC's leading hitter with a .377 batting average. Meanwhile, he ranks third in the MAC in doubles, RBI, hits and on-base percentage. Longo is also fifth total bases.

MORE MICHIGAN OPPONENTS ON THE HORIZON: Following the trek to Kalamazoo for three games against the rival Broncos, EMU will still face off against opponents from the Great Lakes State next week. First, the Eagles travel to East Lansing, Mich. to battle Michigan State University, May 7, in hopes of avenging a 5-3 loss to the Spartans at Oestrike Stadium earlier this season, April 1. After the mid-week matchup, Eastern returns home to host another in-state rival, Central Michigan University, in the final home MAC series of the season for the Green and White, May 9-11.

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