Eagles Ready for Midweek Games Against Oakland and Toledo

Softball vs. Oakland, at Toledo
Date	Tuesday, April 12 - 3 p.m. \| Wednesday, April 13 - 2 p.m.
Location	Ypsilanti, Mich. - Varsity Field \| Toledo, Ohio - Scott Park Softball Complex
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	EMUEagles.com \| UTRockets.com
Live Audio	EMUEagles.com \| N/A
Live Video	N/A \| ESPN3
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - A busy week for the Eastern Michigan University softball team kicks off Tuesday, April 12, at Varsity Field when the Eagles play host to the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland University. The Green and White's bout with OU was originally scheduled for next month, but was pushed up to Tuesday over the weekend. Following a single game versus Oakland, EMU will make a quick trip to Toledo, Ohio for game three of the series with the University of Toledo Wednesday, April 13.
   The Green and White (14-22, 4-6 MAC) are coming off of a split with Kent State University, April 8, after the rubber match was snowed out. The Golden Grizzlies will make the trip to Ypsilanti to play their first game in 11 days after weather has forced their last four games to be cancelled. Meanwhile, UT will look to complete a sweep of the Eagles this season after dropping two games to Ohio over the weekend.
   Fans can follow both games via Twitter (@EMUSoftball) and live stats. Additionally, Wednesday's bout with the Rockets will be streamed live on ESPN3.

TALE OF THE TAPE: The Eagles hold the upperhand in the series with Oakland and Toledo, compiling a combined record of 73-54-1 against the two teams all-time. EMU boasts a 17-5-1 overall record against the Golden Grizzlies, and are coming off a split of last season's doubleheader. OU blanked EMU, 8-0, in game one before the Eagles claimed game two, 4-2.
   In the series with Toledo, Eastern Michigan leads 56-49 but has lost three of the past four contests against the Rockets. Most recently, EMU dropped a doubleheader at home to UT. The Eagles were upended, 7-6, in the opener despite a late comeback and were then run-ruled, 9-0, in game two.

MINSKER BLANKS GOLDEN FLASHES: Junior Abbie Minsker is amid the best season of her career and has accomplished plenty of career-bests over the course of it. The Howell, Mich. product added another signature win to her resume Friday, April 8, shutting out Kent State University on the road. Minsker went the distance and fanned five along the way to the first shutout of her career and the first for the Eagles since April 18, 2015.

FIFTH INNING BREAKDOWN OFFSETS THIRD INNING SUCCESS: Fifth inning run production has consistently clipped the Eagles this season. The Green and White have been outscored by 28 runs in the frame as opponents have plated 42 to EMU's 14 runs in the inning. The staggering disparity has offset the Eagles' 41-28 advantage in the third inning, as teams have knocked off EMU in come-from-behind wins 10 times this season.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Eagles will play five games over the next five days and all but one will take place at Varsity Field. The lone road game on the docket for this week takes place in Toledo, Ohio where Eastern Michigan is set to square off against Toledo Wednesday, April 13. Looking to improve upon their 4-6 MAC ledger, the Eagles hope to continue their success on the road. EMU sits at 4-8 in true road games but holds a 3-2 mark when tangling with conference opponents at their place

NO RUN PATROL: The Eagles held one of the conference's most potent offense's scoreless for 11 innings over the weekend. Abbie Minsker's complete game shutout of Kent State was followed by four scoreless innings by Nicolle Miranda to open game two, leaving the Golden Flashes without a run for 11 innings. The 11-inning stretch was the longest the EMU pitching staff has gone without surrendering a run this season.

OLD FACES IN NEW PLACES: When the Eagles host Oakland Tuesday, April 12, OU assistant coach, Karen Baird, will return to Varsity Field for the first time since departing from EMU in 2013. Baird served as the head coach of the Eagles from 2003-2013 and led the Green and White to the program's first ever MAC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth in 2007. She is in her first season as part of the Golden Grizzlies' coaching staff led by Connie Miner. Miner began her coaching career at EMU, compiling a 269-254-2 record from 1987-1996. During her time at EMU, Miner had one All-American, nine Mid-East regional selections, 18 All-MAC selections, and 22 Academic All-MAC selections. Val Canfield rounds out the OU coaching staff. A former Eagle, Canfield played for Eastern Michigan from 1992-95 and etched her name into the record books in multiple categories. Additionally, Canfield was invited to attend the Olympic Team Trials for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team.

TAKING ON THE MITTEN: The Eagles have squared off against schools hailing from the state of Michigan 393 times in EMU's history. The Green and White have been most successful against Detroit, holding a 47-8 lead in the all-time series while clashing with Western Michigan most often. In 106 all-time meetings, the Broncos hold a 42-63-1 edge over the Eagles. EMU owns winning records against Grand Valley (2-0) and Oakland (17-5-1), but trail in the all-time series with Michigan (8-57), Michigan State (14-28), and Central Michigan (30-70-1).
   In her two seasons in charge of the Eagles, Head Coach Melissa Gentile has compiled a 5-15 record against in-state competition, highlighted by a win over Michigan State last year. This season's slate includes 12 games against teams that also call Michigan home - Michigan (L, 1-14), Michigan State, Detroit (L, 4-5 & W, 4-3), Central Michigan, Oakland, and Western Michigan.

DON'T MISS THE DIAMOND DINNER: The Eagles inaugural Diamond Dinner is scheduled for Friday, April 22, at the Holiday Inn located at 3600 Plymouth Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48105. The event begins at 6 p.m. and will feature a silent auction, dinner, season overview, presentation of season awards, and speeches by this year's seniors. The Diamond Dinner will double as the squad's banquet and is open to the public. Individual tickets include dinner and one drink ticket and are available for $50. Additionally, you can sponsor a student-athlete's meal for $25 or sponsor a table, which includes four dinners and drink tickets, for $400. More information can be found here.

GETTING TO KNOW THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES: The Golden Grizzlies travel to Ypsilanti for their first game in 11 days after their past two Horizon League series have been cancelled due to weather. Oakland is coming of a 2-0 win over Youngstown State, April 1, and has won three of its past four games. Despite the recent success however, OU's overall record sits at 7-19 this season. Additionally, Oakland is just 3-10 in true road games this season.
   Offensively, OU has struggled. The Golden Grizzlies have been outhit .239-.304 by opponents this season, which has led to OU being outscored 144-75 through 28 games. Brittney Miller sports a team-best .420 batting average and leads the team with 17 RBI's and seven doubles while Sarah Hartley is the only other OU player hitting above .255. Hartley comes in hitting at a .349 clip and has hit a team-high five homers this season.
   Oakland has committed 50 errors defensively, offsetting a team earned run average of 3.59. While OU's pitching staff is headlined by Haley Zemmer's 2.70 ERA, the Golden Grizzlies have surrendered 59 unearned runs. Compiling a 4-8 record, Zemmer has registered two shutouts while striking out a team-best 52 this season.

DEFUSING THE ROCKETS: Since sweeping the Eagles in a doubleheader at Varsity Field, April 5, the Rockets were swept by Ohio over the weekend. UT mustered just two runs over the weekend, falling 4-2 and 8-0, and now sit at 3-8 in league play and 8-28 overall.
   The Rockets enter the series finale boasting a team batting average of .223, while opponents are hitting .326 against them. Jessica Lemieux and Chandler Rice have paced the UT offense this season, hitting at .356 and .327 clips, respectively. Lemieux is the team's leader in runs scored (19) and stolen bases (21) while Rice ranks atop the team in RBI's (18) and home runs (5).
   In the circle, Marla Gooding has proven to be UT's ace while Heather Webb picked up her lone win of the season against the Eagles. Gooding pitched the first game of the series against the Green and White and now holds a team-best ERA of 4.21. Meanwhile, Webb shutout the Eagles, 9-0, last week and leads her squad with 49 strikeouts. Despite being the Rockets top strikeout threat, Webb has struggled with control, issuing 58 walks.

REGAINING A HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Since the 2006 season, the Eagles have compiled a 65-65-2 record at Varsity Field. Eastern Michigan holds a 10-23 record at its home diamond under head coach Melissa Gentile, including a 2-5 mark this season. With a total of 14 games taking place in Ypsilanti, EMU seeks its fifth winning record at home since 2006 and first since 2011.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Players Mentioned

Abbie Minsker

Nicolle Miranda

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