Eagles Return to Oestrike for Weekend Series Against Ball State

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – After playing five-straight road games, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team returns to the friendly confines of Oestrike Stadium this weekend, April 17-19, for a three-game series against Ball State University. The Eagles are 6-3 in games played at Oestrike Stadium this season and will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Cardinals on Friday night.
    The series gets underway Friday, April 17, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. Game two is set to begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, while the series concludes Sunday, April 19, at 1 p.m. at Oestrike Stadium. Fans that cannot attend the games can listen live on the airwaves of Eagle All-Access free of charge.

THE SERIES: Eastern Michigan and Ball State will be meeting on the diamond for the 145th time on Friday evening, with the Eagles holding a 73-70-1 all-time series advantage. The Cardinals have claimed the last seven meetings, however.
    EMU's last victory over Ball State came in 2012 when the Eagles blanked the Cardinals 4-0 in the middle game of a three-game set, April 21. The last series victory over BSU came in 2011 as the Eagles swept the Cardinals at Oestrike Stadium, April 29-May 1.

ON THE MOUND: Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde and the Eagles have announced two starters for this weekend's games against Ball State. On Friday, senior RHP Charlie Land (2-5, 4.26 ERA) will square off against RHP Zach Plesac (2-2, 2.98 ERA) in the series opener. Senior RHP Ryan Lavoie (1-4, 6.51 ERA) will get the ball for the Green and White, while the Cardinals have not yet announced a starter for game two. In the series finale on Sunday, both teams have yet to name a probable starting pitcher.

LISTEN LIVE ON EAGLE ALL-ACCESS: All three games this weekend can be heard live on the airwaves of Eagle All-Access free of charge with veteran play-by-play voice of the Eagles Chad Bush and Greg Steiner on the call. Check EMUEagles.com/watch for more information and for the remaining EMU spring broadcast schedule.

SCOUTING BALL STATE: Ball State enters the weekend series with an overall record of 23-12 and an 8-4 mark in conference play which puts the Cardinals in second-place in the MAC West standings. BSU is coming off a 3-2 victory over Butler Wednesday, April 15, in a mid-week non-conference matchup.
    At the plate, the Cardinals are hitting .278 as a team with three players over the .300 mark. Senior Elbert Devarie leads the team in average (.346), doubles (9), RBI (27), total bases (70), and slugging percentage (.515). Sophomore outfielder Alex Call is having a solid year, batting .327 while also scoring a team-high 29 runs and stealing nine bags. Junior Ryan Spaulding is the other Cardinal hitter batting over .300, with a .311 average on the year. Matt Eppers is the Cardinals biggest threat on the basepaths, stealing 11-of-14 bases this season.
    On the mound, BSU has compiled a team ERA of 4.56 while striking out 270 batters in 311.2 innings. Sophomore RHP Zach Plesac has been the Cardinals ace, posting a 2-2 record with an ERA of 2.98 and a team-best 46 strikeouts. RHP B.J. Butler has made the most appearances for Ball State, seeing action on the mound in 17 games. Butler has recorded six saves while holding opponents to a .235 batting average against in 41 innings pitched.

MID-WEEK REVIEW: The Eagles dropped a roller coaster affair at Bowling Green State University Tuesday afternoon, April 14. BGSU took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning but neither team would get on the board again until the eighth. The Eagles scored a pair of runs on a bases loaded error from the third baseman to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth, but Bowling Green responded in the bottom half of the inning. The Falcons scored three runs with two-outs including a two-run homer to claim a 4-2 victory. Jordan Peterson led the offense going 2-for-5 with one double and one run scored, while Austin Wilson took the loss after pitching three innings of relief.
    The Green and White responded the next day, however, posting a 4-2 victory over the University of Michigan Wednesday, April 15. EMU took an early 2-0 lead in the third inning, but the Wolverines answered with a run in the fourth and sixth innings to knot the score at two-runs apiece. The teams would remain scoreless until the ninth inning, when John Rubino belted a two-run triple, while Sam Delaplane was able to get U-M to go 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to secure Eastern's eighth win in the last nine meetings over their Washtenaw County rival. Rubino matched a career-high with five hits in the contest, while stealing a career-best four bases.

RUBINO'S CAREER DAY: Senior John Rubino had a game to remember against the University of Michigan Wednesday, April 15, in the Eagles 4-2 victory. Rubino matched a career-high with five hits in the contest, going a perfect 5-for-5 at the dish. The last time he recorded five hits in a game was last season against Ohio University, April 2. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native capped his day with a two-run triple over the center fielder's head to drive in the winning runs in the top of the ninth. He also scored a pair of runs and stole a career-best four bases against the Wolverines.

DEALING DELAPLANE: Sophomore RHP Sam Delaplane has been solid out of the bullpen for Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde and the Eagles all season. In his last eight appearances, Delaplane has not allowed a run in 9.2 innings pitched, while only allowing four hits. He has struck out 13 hitters in that span and has recorded one win and four saves. On the season, the San Jose, Calif. native is 3-1 with an ERA of 3.18 while recording six saves. He has appeared in a team-high 18 games and has racked up 30 strikeouts in 22.2 innings pitched.

NOTABLE STREAKS: Three Eagles extended their reached base streak to 12 games this past week against Bowling Green and Michigan. Mitchell McGeein, Jordan Peterson, and John Rubino all reached base in both games against the Falcons and Wolverines to extend their streaks. The 12 games is a season-best for Rubino, while the senior is also supporting a five-game hitting streak entering this weekend's games.

RECENT SUCCESS AGAINST THE WOLVERINES: EMU defeated the University of Michigan by a final score of 4-2 Wednesday afternoon, April 15, at the Wilpon Complex. The Eagles have now defeated their Washtenaw County rival in eight of the past nine meetings dating back to the 2011 season. U-M snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Green and White earlier this year, April 7. The two teams will play one more time this season in Ann Arbor once again on Tuesday, May 12.

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 DECK FOR THE EAGLES: Following the weekend series against Ball State University, the Eagles will have the week off for final exams. The Green and White return to action next weekend, April 24-26, when it travels to DeKalb, Ill. for a three-game MAC weekend series against Northern Illinois University. The series gets underway Friday, April 24, at 3 p.m. while the final two games Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.

Eagles Return to Oestrike for Weekend Series Against Ball State

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Players Mentioned

Sam Delaplane

Charlie Land

Ryan Lavoie

Mitchell McGeein

Jordan Peterson

John Rubino

Austin Wilson

Eastern Michigan Athletics