Baseball Takes on the Bulls in Weekend Series

Baseball at Buffalo (8-13, 2-1 MAC)
Date	Friday-Saturday, April 1-2
Location	Olean, N.Y. \| Fred Handler Park
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Game 1 \| Game 2 \| Game 3
Audio	N/A
Twitter	@EMU_Baseball

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team dips back into Mid-American Conference play this weekend with a three-game set against the University at Buffalo. The series, which has been moved to Olean, N.Y. , at Fred Handler Park, due to potential inclement weather in Buffalo, will begin Friday, April 1 with a doubleheader starting at noon. The series wraps up Saturday with a 3 p.m. first pitch.

    The action can be followed via live stats or by following our Twitter account, @EMU_Baseball. Links can be found on the schedule page of EMUEagles.com.

ALL-TIME SERIES: The Eagles and Bulls have met just 18 times in their respective histories, with Buffalo joining the MAC in 1998. The first ever meeting between EMU and UB came back in 2006, ending in a 3-0 sweep for Eastern. The two teams last met back in 2013 when UB took two of three from EMU in a weekend series April 12-14.

BREAKING DOWN THE BULLS: Buffalo enters the weekend sporting an 8-13 record, including 2-1 in MAC play. The Bulls began the conference slate by taking two of three from Toledo. They are most recently coming off of being swept in a doubleheader by St. Bonaventure, 2-1 and 9-2.

    Offensively, UB hits at a .232 clip as a team, are being outscored 101-122, and outhit 160-174. A pair of everyday starters in Bobby Sheppard and Vinny Mallaro are hitting .299. Mallaro leads the team in home runs (4) and RBI's (18) on the season.

    Defensively Buffalo holds a 5.31 staff ERA, while allowing opponents to hit .257. They strikeout 155 batters compared to 89 walks. The rotation is led by Alec Tuohy whose ERA sits at 2.92 on the season in 37 innings. He has also struck out 32 batters compared to just 12 walks.

MR. MARCH: Senior Mitchell McGeein's bat came alive in the month of March, turning his season around. He is currently on an 11-game hitting streak and 13-game reached base streak, which spanned the entire month. In that time, he is hitting .459/.533/.865 with 17 hits, six doubles, three home runs, 11 RBI's, nine runs scored and five drawn walks. All of those except home runs are a team-high's in that span. The hitting streak boosted his batting average from .214 to its current .354.

RUN EAGLES RUN: EMU has been alert and impactful on the base paths this season, as the team currently ranks third in the country in steals (60). In addition, redshirt junior Marquise Gill is third in the nation in steals with 20 on the season, while four Eagles are in the top-five of the conference.

GOTTA EARN THOSE RUNS: Freshman Davis Feldman is third in the MAC in earned run average with a 1.84 mark. This also ranks as the 93rd best ERA in the country, and Feldman is one of just 12 true freshman to rank within the top-100. Additionally, fellow freshman Tyler Butzin is second in team ERA with a 3.07 mark, and has not allowed an earned run in his last two starts, totaling 14.2 innings.

EAGLES DIG THE LONG BALL: EMU currently ranks 91st in the nation, and second in the MAC, in home runs with 16 as a team this season. Individually, senior Jackson Martin has hit a team-high five so far, which is tied for fourth in the MAC and 84th in the nation. The Eagles hit a season-high four home runs in the win over BGSU, March 27.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: Senior Jackson Martin is making the most of his final season in the Green and White. The Ontario native is hitting .293 on the year with 24 hits and team-highs in RBI's (20) and home runs (5). In the first 18 games, he matched the amount of starts he had all of last season, while his 19 hits, four home runs, four doubles, four steals and 19 RBI's were more than he had in his first three seasons combined.

CLEAN SWEEP: The Eagles began conference play with a commanding sweep of Bowling Green State University, March 25-27. EMU won games, 5-4, 4-0, and 8-4, and did not yield an earned run in the series until the ninth inning of the third game. It marked the first weekend sweep of a conference opponent since taking three from Western Michigan in April of 2014.

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 three home runs this season, putting him in a tie 16th-place all-time.

TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM: Eastern has been able to get on base any way possible this season, especially through hit-by-pitch. EMU is 57th in the nation and second in the MAC, being plunked 30 times. The Eagles were 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. Martin is 40th in the nation, being hit six times this season.

WORKHORSE OUT OF THE PEN: Senior lefty Michael Marsinek has been the go-to guy in relief so far this season for the Eagles. The veteran leads EMU in appearances (10), and in innings pitched out of the bullpen (16.0). Against Dayton, March 16, Marsinek struck out a career-high five batters in three innings without allowing an earned run. His ERA sits at a career-low 3.38, and he has not allowed an earned run in his last 9.2 innings of work.

PUTTING ON THE HITS: Despite the team being outscored this season 142-126, the Eagles are outhitting opponents by 19, 211-192 and have a better team batting average, .266-.252. They have also lost five games this season in which they have either tied or out-hit an opponent.

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN: A trio of freshmen have proven they will make significant contributions for the Eagles in 2016. Pitchers Davis Feldman and Tyler Butzin have already locked in spots in the weekend rotation, and are one-two in team ERA. Meanwhile in the field, Max Schuemann has seen his name in the starting lineup 16 times this season, splitting time between second and third base.

SPARTANS/MOUNTAINEERS ON THE HORIZON: EMU will spend the middle of the week on the road with a pair of non-conference contests. It beings with a jump up the road to East Lansing for an afternoon game versus the Michigan State University Spartans, Tuesday, April 5. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. That is followed by a journey southeast to West Virginia for a single game versus the West Virginia University Mountaineers. That game is set to begin at 6:30, Wednesday, April 6.

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Butzin

Davis Feldman

Marquise Gill

Michael Marsinek

Jackson Martin

Mitchell McGeein

Max Schuemann

Eastern Michigan Athletics