Baseball Heads to Dayton for Flyer Classic

Baseball at Flyer Classic
Date	Friday, March 11- Sunday, March 13
Location	Dayton, Ohio
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	wsuraiders.com \| daytonflyers.com
Live Stream	ESPN 3 (GM 1, GM 2) \| A-10 Network
Twitter	@EMU_Baseball

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team continues life on the road when it jumps down to Dayton, Ohio for the Flyer Classic, March 11-13. EMU will play four games over the three-day span against Oakland University and hosts Wright State University and the University of Dayton. The first game of the series between EMU and Oakland will take place at WSU's stadium with a noon first pitch, March. 11. On Saturday, March 12, EMU will face the Raiders in a double-header, with game one begining at 1 p.m. The weekend concludes with a single game against the Flyers, Sunday March 13, with another 1 p.m. first pitch.

    The games against Wright St. and Dayton will be streamed live online, and can also be followed via live stats.

ALL-TIME SERIES: EMU has faced the three teams a combined 71 times. Oakland is the most common opponent, as the two have faced off 55 times, with EMU leading 44-11. The Eagles and Raiders have met 11 times, and WSU leads the series 8-3. FInally EMU and UD have met five times, and the Flyers have blanked the Eagles 5-0.

GOING UP AGAINST THE GRIZZLIES: Oakland enters the weekend with the same record as EMU at 4-8. They spent the beginning of the season on the west coast, playing games against Pepperdine, Fresno State, Portland, and Seattle.
   The offense hits .242 as a squad and is being outscored 77-59. Defensively, they allow opponents to hit .290 and have a staff ERA of 5.33. Projected Friday starter Joe Buchalski leads the team with a 3.00 ERA in 15 innings. He also leads OU with 19 strikeouts.

WRIGHT STATE WRAP UP: The Raiders come into the weekend with a winning, 7-6, record. They won their first five games of the season before dropping their next five. They won their home debut against Xavier, March 8.
   Offensively, WSU hits .238 as a team and are outscoring opponents 79-71. Much like EMU, they are active on the basepaths, stealing 26 on the season. Mitch Roman leads them in steals with 12. On the rubber, WSU holds a 5.21 staff ERA and hold opponents to .280 in the box.

FIGURING OUT THE FLYERS: Dayton has had a slow start to the season, entering the weekend with a 2-8 record. The Flyers began 0-8 before picking up wins in their last two games against High Point and MAC member Miami. UD hits .238 as a team and are being out-scored 76-43 on the year. Their pitching staff holds a 6.67 ERA and allow opponents to hit at a .318 clip.

RUN EAGLES RUN: EMU has been alert and impactful on the basepaths early in the season. They currently rank first in the country in steals (33). In addition, redshirt junior Marquise Gill is ninth in the nation in steals with nine on the season, while four Eagles are in the top-five in the conference.

TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM: Eastern has been able to get on base any way possible this season, especially by hit-by-pitch. EMU is 21st in the nation, being plunked 20 times. EMU was nailed a program record seven times against Arizona State, March 6. In addition, Jackson Martin got beamed three times in that game, tying the most in a single game since 1999.

DAZZLING FRESHMAN ON THE MOUND: True freshman Davis Feldman has made an early impact for EMU on the mound in 2016. The righty rookie is leading the MAC in ERA (0.63) which is also good for 45th in the nation. He has only allowed one earned run in 14.1 innings pitched.

CAN'T KEEP HIM OFF: Through the first dozen of the season, Michael Mioduszewski has reached base safely in each of the 12 games. He leads the team with six walks, and is second with 15 hits.

TRACKING THE TATERS: Senior Mitchell McGeein entered his final season with 19 career homers, good for 20th on the all-time EMU list. He currently has one homerun this season, putting him in a tie for 18th place all-time.

NEW LOOK ROTATION: The biggest question mark for EMU headed into the season is who will lock down the weekend starting rotation slots. After graduating all three members of that rotation last season, EMU will use a mix of veterans and rookies to fill the void. After the first 12 games, two spots look to be locked down, with freshman righty Davis Feldman and senior Augie Gallardo occupying two spots. They have combined to make six starts for the Eagles this season.

PITCHING IN A PINCH: Senior Austin Wilson, the usual starting centerfielder, has undertaken a new role for the Eagles in 2016. After pitching some in relief in 2015, Wilson has made one start and three relief appearances for EMU this season. In 9.1 innings pitched, the righty has struck out 10 and allowed only two earned runs, putting his ERA at 1.93.

RUBY ANNIVERSARY: The 2016 season sees a milestone anniversary for Eagle baseball, as it has been 40 years since the 1976 EMU squad finished the season as College World Series runners-up. The 2016 team will honor that team throughout the season by periodically wearing replica jerseys inspired by the ones they wore in '76. This includes the return of the "Scrpit E" to the uniform and official team gear throughout the season.

BISONS ON THE HORIZON: EMU's final non-conference weekend series will take place down in Tennessee against Lipscomb University, March 18-20. The three-game set against the Bisons down in Nashville will begin Friday with a 6 p.m. CT first pitch.

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Players Mentioned

Davis Feldman

Augie Gallardo

Marquise Gill

Jackson Martin

Mitchell McGeein

Mike Mioduszewski

Austin Wilson

Eastern Michigan Athletics