EMU Baseball Season Ends with Trip to Toledo

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Closing out the 2014 season, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team will head south down US-23 for a series against the University of Toledo Rockets, May 15-17, for the final three games of the season. The first two games against the conference rival are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m., May 15-16. Meanwhile, the season finale between the Eagles (17-33, 4-20 MAC) and Rockets (21-30, 10-14 MAC) is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, May 17.

LISTEN LIVE ON EAGLE ALL-ACCESS: The entire series between the Eagles and Rockets can be heard live on the airwaves of Eagle All-Access free of charge at EMUEagles.com/showcase. Greg Steiner and Adam Kuffner will provide coverage of game one, May 15, beginning at 2:50 p.m. For the remainder of the series, veteran play-by-play voice of the Eagles Chad Bush will join Steiner for the call, beginning at 2:50 p.m. on Friday, May 16 and 12:50 p.m. on Saturday, May 17.

FINAL EMU BASEBALL HOME GAME CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER: Due to inclement weather in the forecast, the May 13 baseball game between Eastern Michigan University and the University of Notre Dame was cancelled. The cancellation puts a lid on the 2014 home season for EMU baseball as the contest between the Eagles and Fighting Irish will not be rescheduled.

SCOUTING TOLEDO: The Rockets hold a 21-30 mark on the season, including 10-14 in MAC play. Toledo won its final non-conference game of the season, May 13, defeating Youngstown State, 6-2. In the previous conference series, UT dropped two-of-three at home to Western Michigan, placing them on the outside of the MAC Tournament bubble. Toledo and WMU are tied in conference record, trailing Akron and Northern Illinois, who currently hold the final two spots to Avon, Ohio, by one game. However, the Rockets only control the tiebreaker with the Huskies, losing series to both the Zips and Broncos. After being knocked out of contention for the conference tournament by UT last season, the Eagles will look to return the favor this year by playing spoiler.

Deion Tansel leads the UT sluggers as the only hitter with over a .300 average, batting .308. Power at the dish comes from Dan Zuchowsi, who leads the team in doubles (9), home runs (4), walks (31), RBI (28), slugging percentage (.385) and on-base percentage (.381). Providing speed on the base path, Tyler Grogg ranks fourth in the MAC with 25 stolen bases. On the mound, ace Ryan Wilkinson will get the ball to begin the series, leading the UT pitching staff with a 6-4 record and 2.27 ERA. He has gone the distance in four of his 13 starts, posting three shutouts in the process. His 60 strikeouts crack the top-10 in the MAC, ranking eighth. Sam Shutes (3-4, 4.43 ERA) is projected to pitch in game two, while Caleb Schillace (0-4, 6.00 ERA) is the probable starter for the regular season finale.

LAST TIME WE MET: EMU leads the all-time series between the two programs, 88-54. The two rivals also met in the final series of the MAC season last year, May 16-18, 2013, as Toledo took two-of-three at Oestrike Stadium to eliminate the Eagles from qualifying for the MAC Tournament. The Rockets shut out the Green and White, 4-0, in the series opener, but Eastern responded with a 10-4 victory in game two to even the series. In the win, EMU racked up 10 runs on 14 hits, while limiting Toledo to just four runs despite the Rockets tallying 13 hits. Lee Longo had an impressive day at the dish, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and a pair of runs. John Rubino, Adam Sonabend, Jamie Simpson and Nick Rotola each had multi-hit performances with two hits apiece. The victory put the Eagles' destiny in their own hands as a win would have clinched a MAC Tournament berth. However, Toledo squeaked by with a 6-5 victory in the final game of the 2013 regular season.

LONGO NAMED TO GREGG OLSON AWARD WATCH LIST: EMU first baseman Lee Longo has been named to the Gregg Olson Award Watch List, May 13, due to his outstanding play throughout the 2014 season. The list includes those baseball players that are up for the honor of being named college baseball's "Breakout Player of the Year." The award is named after former Auburn Tiger star pitcher Gregg Olson, who became one of the top collegiate players in the nation after an initial season filled with only mixed success. Olson went on to become a two-time All American, first round draft pick, American League Rookie of the Year and MLB All Star. Semifinalists are slated to be named, Friday, May 20th at the start of NCAA Regional play and the finalists are scheduled to be announced on Friday, June 6th at the beginning of Super Regional action. The winner of the 2014 Gregg Olson Award will be named in Omaha, Nebraska during the College World Series which is to be held this season at TD Ameritrade Park from June 15-June 25/26.

WEEKEND REVIEW: The past weekend was not a kind one for the Eagles as they were swept by the Central Michigan University Chippewas. Eastern dropped game one on May 9, 7-5, in a tightly-contested ballgame before a complete game from CMU starter Pat Kiminska pushed Central past EMU, 7-1, in game two, May 10. In the series finale, May 11, the Green and White scored the first run of the contest, but the Chippewas rattled off 15 unanswered runs to claim the sweep. Although the outcomes on the field were not what the Eagles wanted, Senior Day was a bright spot of the weekend. Prior to the Saturday game, the eight-member senior class of the EMU baseball program was recognized on the field: Zane Birchler, Dae Bowden, Kristian Calibuso, Lee Longo, Sam Ott, Paul Schaak, Adam Sonabend and Steve Weber. Throughout their careers donning the Green and White, the seniors have been a part of 105 victories.

RUBINO ON A ROLL: Ever since his five-hit day against the Ohio Bobcats, April 27, junior middle infielder John Rubino has been swinging a hot bat to lead all EMU sluggers. In the past 10 games, the Scottsdale, Ariz. native is hitting a whopping .512 at the plate, including a .651 slugging percentage. To put things in perspective, the closest Eagle in terms of average through that stretch is Lee Longo, the MAC's leading hitter, who has batted .361 in the last 10 games. Exactly one-third of Rubino's total hits on the season have come during this time, and he has improved his season batting average to .330. Rubino crossed the plate nine times in 10 games as well, tying for the most on the team.

DOUBLING DOWN: Two current Eagles are climbing up the program's all-time doubles list. Seniors Lee Longo and Sam Ott have recorded 52 and 51 doubles throughout their careers at Eastern, respectively, ranking fourth and fifth in EMU laurels. Longo leads the team in doubles this season with 19 while Ott has smacked 13 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.

ETCHING HIS NAME IN HISTORY: Along with ranking fourth all-time with 52 career doubles at Eastern Michigan, senior Lee Longo is moving up other career charts. He is fifth with 145 career RBI, trailing Audie Cole by 10 for fourth on that list. With 225 career hits, Longo ranks sixth in program history, one hit away from tying Cole for fifth. The EMU slugger has the eighth most at-bats out of anyone to ever step on the diamond wearing the Green and White. Over the weekend, Longo moved into the top-five in career at-bats with 720. With three games remaining in the 2014 campaign, he will most likely pass Jeff Davis to rank fourth at the end of his stellar EMU 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 13-3 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 0-26 when they are behind through six innings of play. Moreover, Eastern is currently outscoring the opposition, 50-22, in the sixth inning.

WALK THIS WAY: After moving up the leadoff spot past the halfway point of the season, Sam Ott has found ways to get on base with both hits and walks. Along with being the third-best hitter on the team in terms of average, the Canton, Mich. native is the Eagles' leader in walks with 33. Moreover, Ott's leadership in patience at the plate has helped EMU lead the Mid-American Conference with 212 walks. Reaching base via the base on balls has been a focal point throughout Ott's career. The senior has walked 118 times in his four years donning the Green and White, ranking fifth in EMU history. He is just two away from tying Ben Magsig for fourth in program laurels.

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 .373 average at the plate, the Mayfield, Ohio native thrives in pressure situations. With runners in scoring position, Longo is batting an impressive .507 (35-for-69), including a .750 clip of knocking in the runner on third with less than two outs (12-for-16). Another impressive stat is Longo's clutch hitting; with two outs in the inning as he has hit at an incredible .492 rate (32-for-65) with 24 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 50 games in right field to total 178 straight starts and counting for the EMU redshirt-senior. Ott is one-of-20 NCAA Division I baseball players that boasts an active streak of over 150 starts. His 178 consecutive starts rank fifth in that category behind: Justin Glass, Cincinnati (218); Ethan Gross, Memphis (206); Ross Kivett, Kansas State (204); Nick Favatella, Rutgers (194).

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 .297 clip with Eagles on the base path, including a .345 average with the bases loaded. When the bases are empty, Eastern is hitting .228 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 (.373), hits (69), RBI (46), total bases (95), doubles (19), hit by pitch (13), slugging percentage (.514) and on-base percentage (.444). 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 .373 batting average and is tied for the conference lead in doubles. Longo is also third in the MAC in RBI, while also ranking fourth in slugging percentage and fifth in on-base percentage.

FINDING THE NATIONAL RANKS: The EMU sluggers have found the charts in the the latest national rankings (May 12, 2014). The Eagles rank eighth in the nation in stolen bases (88), trailing nation-leading Wofford with 141. In terms of total doubles, EMU's 92 two-base hits are 40th in the country, while the Eagles' 1.84 doubles per game rank 44th nationally. Head Coach Jay Alexander's squad is second in the MAC in base on balls with 212, a mark that stands at No. 40 in NCAA Division I baseball. Tallying 5.7 runs per game, the Green and White is the 74th-best scoring team in the nation. Individually, Lee Longo cracks the top-50 in doubles (15th) batting average (42nd), while John Rubino is 35th in the nation with 22 stolen bases.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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