Eagles Set For Two Mid-Week Contests

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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – After dropping both games of Sunday's doubleheader at Kent State University the Eastern Michigan University baseball team looks to rebound against the University Notre Dame and Michigan State University in a pair of non-conference games this week. The Eagles (9-16, 2-4 MAC) will make the trek to Notre Dame for a 6:05 p.m. matchup against the Fighting Irish (16-10, 3-9 ACC) Tuesday, March 31, at Frank Eck Stadium before hosting Michigan State at Oestrike Stadium Wednesday, April 1. First pitch against the Spartans (12-12, 2-3 Big Ten) is scheduled for 6 p.m.

THE SERIES: Eastern Michigan and Notre Dame will be meeting for the sixth time on the diamond Tuesday, with the Fighting Irish holding a 3-2 series advantage. The last meeting between the two schools resulted in an Eagles 12-6 win over then No. 26 Notre Dame in South Bend May 1, 2013.
    Eastern and Michigan State will be squaring off for the 132nd time Wednesday night, with the Spartans leading the all-time series, 74-55-2. MSU defeated the Eagles in both matchups last season, 5-3 in Ypsilanti and 12-4 in East Lansing.

ON THE MOUND: Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde and the Eagles announced left-handed pitcher Adam Hornstra (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will get the start Tuesday against Notre Dame. It will be the first career appearance for the freshman. Hornstra will be matched up against sophomore righty Ryan Smoyer (2-0, 4.70 ERA) who is making his third start of the season for the Irish. Freshman left-hander Kyle Huckaby (0-1, 5.06 ERA) will get the ball for the Eagles against Michigan State Wednesday.

SCOUTING NOTRE DAME: Notre Dame enters the midweek contest with an overall record of 16-10 and a 3-9 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Irish were swept in their last two ACC series by No. 8 Louisville and No. 12 Virginia but have won their last 12 non-conference games. ND has already played three MAC opponents this season, winning all three matchups against Akron, Central Michigan, and Western Michigan.
    As a team, the Irish are batting .252 with a pair of hitters hitting over .300. Sophomore Cavin Biggio, son of MLB Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, leads the team in hitting (.313), runs scored (23), total bases (50), and slugging percentage (.505). Biggio is the Fighting Irish biggest threat on the base paths as well, having posted a perfect seven-for-seven mark on stolen bases. Junior Lane Richards is batting .307 with a team-best 19 RBI.
    On the mound, the Irish have compiled a team ERA of 3.46 in 26 games. Sophomore Ryan Smoyer will be making his third start of the season against the Eagles. Smoyer is 2-0 with an ERA of 4.70 and has recorded six strikeouts in 15.1 innings pitched. Out of the bullpen, freshman southpaw Sean Guenther (1-1, 2.91 ERA) has made a team-high 12 appearances while Peter Solomon (2-0, 1.40 ERA) has recorded four saves in 19.1 innings while striking out 19.

TAKING A LOOK AT MICHIGAN STATE: Michigan State enters the game against the Eagles with an overall record of 12-13. The Spartans dropped two-of-three to the University of Illinois in a Big Ten Conference series this past weekend.
    MSU has posted a team batting average of .264 through the first 24 games this season with senior infielder Mark Weist leading the charge. Weist leads the team in hitting with 32 base knocks and a .340 batting average. Senior Blaise Salter has provided the power for the Spartans thus far this season, leading the team in home runs (3), RBI (17), and slugging percentage (.460).
    As a pitching staff, the Spartans have compiled a team ERA of 3.85 while striking out 177 batters in 205.2 innings. Freshman Andrew Gonzalez has posted a team-best ERA of 1.33 in eight appearances for the Spartans. Gonzalez has made a pair of starts and is holding opponents to just a .159 batting average against. Joe Mockbee and Jeff Kinley have been solid out of the bullpen posting ERA's of 2.10 and 2.65, respectively.

LAST MEETING AGAINST THE IRISH: The last time the Eagles and Fighting Irish squared off on the diamond was during the 2013 season at Frank Eck Stadium in South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame entered the contest ranked 26th in the country while the Green and White had lost three straight. Eastern Michigan erupted for 12 runs on 12 hits in the contest to defeat the Fighting Irish, 12-6. It was the first win over a ranked opponent for EMU since Feb. 18, 2011, when the Eagles beat the No. 4 Clemson Tigers, 7-6. Lee Longo belted a three-run homer in the contest and finished with two hits and four RBI. John Rubino contributed with three hits and a pair of runs scored, while Jamie Simpson and Marquise Gill each recorded two knocks in the game. Ben Dartnell picked up the victory for the Eagles in relief, tossing three hitless innings with three strikeouts.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE BIG TEN: In the 66-year history of the Eastern Michigan baseball program, the Eagles have faced off against members of the Big Ten Conference 373 times, compiling a record of 141-227-5. Throughout the 2015 campaign, Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde and his team are scheduled to face three different opponents from the Big Ten: Indiana, Michigan, and Michigan State. Washtenaw County neighbor Michigan has been the Eagles' most common Big Ten opponent as the two have met on the diamond 177 times. EMU and Michigan State have clashed on 131 different occasions, while the Eagles and Indiana have squared off in seven meetings now.

STEALING YOUR WAY INTO THE RECORD BOOK: The Eagles stole a program record 11 bases in the 10-6 victory over Wayne State Wednesday, March 25, at Oestrike Stadium. The previous record was 10 swipes, which the Green and White accomplished against Boston College March 1, 1986. Six different players stole a base against the Warriors, including four who recorded multiple stolen bases in the contest. Jordan Peterson led the way with three, while Brennan Williams, John Rubino, and Austin Wilson each recorded two. Mitchell McGeein and Tony DiLeo posted the other stolen bases for EMU.

MONTGOMERY'S MONSTER WEEK: John Montgomery had an outstanding week for the Green and White, batting .636 (7-for-12) in four games. The sophomore recorded four runs, two extra base hits, five RBI, 11 total bases, and a slugging percentage of 1.000. Montgomery got his week started with a three-hit performance against Wayne State. He drove in a pair of runs and scored two runs against the Warriors as well. The Anaheim Hills, Calif. native belted his fourth home run of the season against Kent State in the series opening game Saturday, March 28. He posted three RBI in the first game against the Golden Flashes. Montgomery collected two hits in Sunday's doubleheader against KSU, scoring a run in the nightcap.

THE DIFFERENCE AT THE PLATE: In the Eagles' nine victories this season, the Green and White has a team batting average of .312 and has scored 47 runs which is good for 5.2 runs per contest. EMU has belted eight home runs in those nine games as well. Eastern Michigan is hitting nearly 100 points lower in the 16 losses, however, batting at a .207 clip while only scoring 2.8 runs per game and hitting five homers.

RUBINO'S BIG GAME: Senior John Rubino had a game to remember in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against Kent State. Rubino was 4-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored, two RBI, and one double. He stole a career-high three bases against the Golden Flashes as well. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native is hitting .214 this season with 11 runs scored and nine stolen bases.

ALL EAGLES FLOCK TO ANN ARBOR ON APRIL 7TH: The Eastern Michigan baseball team announced last week that it has added a game against the University of Michigan Tuesday, April 7, at the Wilpon Complex with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. The Eagles softball team is scheduled to play in Ann Arbor as well, taking on the Wolverines in a 6 p.m. contest at the Wilpon Complex.

THAT'S A FIRST: Junior Austin Wilson made his first career appearance on the mound for the Green and White against the Warriors Wednesday, March 25. The junior outfielder pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing one walk and striking out one. Wilson was 2-for-4 in the contest at the dish, including a pair of stolen bases and a run scored.

MOVING UP THE ALL-TIME RANKS: Senior John Rubino has been a staple in the Eagles' lineup since he stepped foot on campus for his freshman season in 2012. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native has played in 172 games, starting in 160 of them for the Green and White. Rubino currently ranks 13^th in the EMU record book in steals (45) and is tied for 16th in career at-bats (632). The infielder's four hit performance against the Golden Flashes cracked him into the top-25 in the career hits category (176). He is just seven runs away to rank in the top-20 for career runs scored.

ON DECK FOR THE EAGLES: Following the midweek showdowns with Notre Dame and Michigan State, the Eagles welcome in-state rival Western Michigan University to Oestrike Stadium for a three-game Mid-American Conference series, April 3-5.

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Players Mentioned

Ben Dartnell

Tony DiLeo

Marquise Gill

Adam Hornstra

Kyle Huckaby

Lee Longo

Mitchell McGeein

John Montgomery

Jordan Peterson

John Rubino

Brennan Williams

Austin Wilson

Eastern Michigan Athletics