Eagles Hit The Road For a Pair of Mid-Week Showdowns

Bowling Green: Live Stats Live Audio // Michigan: Live Stats Live Audio

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – After dropping three-straight games to Central Michigan University last weekend, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team looks to get back in the win column this week with a pair of non-conference road matchups Tuesday and Wednesday, April 14-15, against Bowling Green State University and the University of Michigan.
    The Eagles first take on Bowling Green Tuesday, April 14, for a 3 p.m. non-conference tilt before squaring off against Michigan Wednesday, April 15, at 4 p.m. Both games can be heard live on the airwaves of Eagle All-Access with veteran play-by-play voice of the Eagles Chad Bush and Greg Steiner on the call.

THE SERIES: Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green will be meeting on the diamond for the 165th time Tuesday, with the Eagles leading the all-time series 94-70. EMU has already defeated the Falcons this season by a final score of 4-1 at Oestrike Stadium, April 8.
    Eastern and Michigan will be squaring off for the second time this season and 179th time overall Wednesday, with the Wolverines holding a 113-63-2 series advantage. U-M snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Green and White by claiming an 18-4 victory over EMU last Tuesday, April 7.

ADDED GAME AT OAKLAND: Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde and the Eastern Michigan baseball team have announced they have added a game at Oakland University on Tuesday, May 5. The Eagles have had five games cancelled this season, causing Van Ameyde and his staff to find replacement games. Game time against the Golden Grizzlies is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Oakland Baseball Field.

ON THE MOUND: Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde and the Eagles will go with the same two starting pitchers against BGSU and U-M this week, but the two southpaws will flip-flop games. Freshman LHP Adam Hornstra will make his third start of the season against the Falcons Tuesday afternoon, April 14. Hornstra (0-2, 15.00 ERA) will be matched up against RHP Jevon Boyd (0-0, 1.69 ERA), who also started last week against the Green and White. Freshman LHP Kyle Huckaby will take the mound Wednesday, April 15, against the Wolverines. Huckaby (3-1, 3.04 ERA) will be opposed by RHP Keith Lehmann (1-2, 2.91 ERA) for U-M.

CATCH THE GAMES ON EAGLE ALL-ACCESS: Both games this week can be heard live on the airwaves of Eagle All-Access free of charge with Chad Bush and Greg Steiner on the call. The duo will be broadcasting all three games this weekend against Ball State as well. Check EMUEagles.com/watch for the remaining EMU spring broadcast schedule.

TAKING A LOOK AT THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS: Bowling Green enters play this week after claiming its second-straight MAC series victory, winning two out of three games over Ohio University. The Falcons have an overall record of 11-19, with a 5-7 mark in conference action. As a team, BGSU is hitting .273 with four players supporting a batting average over .300. Trey Keegan leads the team in hitting at .320 and also has a team-best seven doubles, 26 RBI, and a .476 slugging percentage.
    After claiming two of three games at Penn State University last weekend, Michigan enters this week supporting a 21-14 overall record. The Wolverines are hitting .299 as a team, with Jackson Glines leading the way at .377. Three other Wolverines are hitting over .300 as well: Carmen Benedetti (.346), Cody Bruder (.333), and Jacob Cronenworth (.310). Benedetti has knocked in a team-high 37 runs while also leading the team in doubles (12), total bases (69), and slugging percentage (.543).

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 375 times, compiling a record of 142-228-5. 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 178 times. EMU and Michigan State have clashed on 132 different occasions, while the Eagles and Indiana have squared off in seven meetings now.

LEADING THE CONFERENCE: Junior Mitchell McGeein blasted his league-leading ninth home run of the season in the Eagles game Friday, April 10 at Central Michigan. McGeein also tops in the conference in total bases with 74 and is second in slugging percentage at .578.

PLAYING LONG BALL: The Eagles hit three home runs Friday afternoon, April 10, in the MAC series opener at Central Michigan University. The three round-trippers matched a season-high for the Green and White in a game, as the Eagles also hit three in the nightcap of a Sunday doubleheader, March 1, at Santa Clara. Jackson Martin, Mitchell McGeein, and Austin Wilson all homered in the game against the Chippewas. For Martin and Wilson, it was their first collegiate homer.

EMU/FAMILY TIES: Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green will be squaring off for the second time this season Tuesday, April 14, in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Falcons are coached by former EMU baseball student-athlete Danny Schmitz. Schmitz was a member of the EMU baseball team from 1974-1977, and was on the 1976 team that made it to the College World Series championship game, and he was named to the 1976 College World Series All-Tournament Team. Current first-year EMU assistant coach, Spencer Schmitz, is the son of Danny. Spencer played for his father at BGSU before beginning his coaching career. He was an assistant coach under his father for six years (2008-2013) before serving as the assistant at the University of Akron last season.

FLASHBACK TO LAST WEEK: Tuesday and Wednesday's games mark the second time in a week's span the Eagles will square off against Bowling Green and Michigan. The Green and White defeated BGSU last Wednesday, April 8, by a final score of 4-1, behind strong pitching performances from Kyle Huckaby and Matthew Beaton. Huckaby and Beaton combined to give up no earned runs and only three hits in the contest. Adam Dennison led the offense, going 3-for-3 with one RBI. The Wolverines used a season-high 20 hits to defeat EMU last Tuesday, April 7, 18-4. Tony DiLeo was the lone Eagle to record multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4 while Dennison went 1-for-2 with two RBI.

NOTABLE STREAKS: Three different Eagles extended their reached base streak out to double digits over the weekend at CMU. Mitchell McGeein, Jordan Peterson, and John Rubino all reached base in the three games against the Chippewas, extending their streak out to 10 games. The 10 game streak is a season-high for Rubino.

ON DECK FOR THE EAGLES: Following the mid-week games against the University of Michigan and Bowling Green State University, the Eagles welcome Ball State University for a three-game Mid-American Conference weekend series. The series gets underway Friday, April 17, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. at Oestrike Stadium. Game two is set to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 18, while the series concludes Sunday, April 19, at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Matthew Beaton

Adam Dennison

Tony DiLeo

Adam Hornstra

Kyle Huckaby

Jackson Martin

Mitchell McGeein

Jordan Peterson

John Rubino

Austin Wilson

Eastern Michigan Athletics