Baseball Battles Big Ten Foes in Midweek Action

Baseball at No. 13 Michigan (25-7, 6-3 B1G) & Ohio State (14-17, 3-6 B1G)
Date	Tuesday-Wednesday, April 11-12
Venue	Ann Arbor, Mich. \| Ray Fisher Stadium, Columbus, Ohio \| Bill Davis Stadium
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	mgoblue.com \| ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Audio	Eagle All-Access (Tuesday Only)
Video	BTN Plus ($)
Twitter	@EMUBaseball

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team has a full midweek slate, taking on a pair of Big Ten opponents in the No. 13 University of Michigan, Tuesday, April 11, followed by a Wednesday game against The Ohio State University, April 12. First pitch from Ray Fisher Stadium in Ann Arbor is set for 4 p.m., followed by a 6:35 start time on Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus.
   The action can be tracked live on Twitter by following @EMU_Baseball. Live stats will be available through mgoblue.com and ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Audio will be provided though Eagle All-Access for the Michigan game with veteran broadcasters Greg Steiner and Chad Bush on the call.

ALL-TIME VS MICHIGAN: Eastern and UM have met 183 times since EMU began keeping records in 1949, which is the most meetings all-time for Eastern against any opponent. Michigan holds the 117-64-2 advantage in the series. The two schools have met each season since 1964. Last season, UM won all three contests between the two schools.

ALL-TIME VS OHIO STATE: Eastern and OSU have combined to meet 15 times on the diamond in their respective histories. The two teams first met in 1992, and the Buckeyes lead the all-time series 12-3. The two clubs met last season in Columbus, with the Buckeyes winning, 2-0. EMU last claimed victory in 2009 with a 9-5 win.

BATTLE FOR WASHTENAW: The Wolverines are in the midst of another great season, coming into the week ranked No. 13 by D1Baseball.com with a record of 25-7, including 6-3 in conference play. Michigan is also 12-2 at Ray Fisher Stadium this season. Versus common opponents, UM took three out of four against Northern Illinois, while also owning wins over Western Michigan and Toledo.
   The offense hits at a .293 clip on the season, out-scoring opponents 229-117, and out-hitting them, 318-238. The Wolverines are patient at the plate, drawing the 16th-most walks in the nation (169). They are also active on the base paths, stealing the fourth most bags (73).
   Defensively, the Michigan staff holds a 3.19 ERA, the 25th best in the country. UM holds opponents to a .227 batting average, while striking out 284 batters compared to just 112 walks. Tuesday's starter, Jayce Vancena, holds a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings, including two starts.

BATTLING THE BUCKEYES: Ohio State enters the week with a 14-17 ledger, with a game against Cincinnati on Tuesday. OSU is 3-6 in the Big Ten, as well as just 4-6 at Bill Davis Stadium. They faced common opponent, Florida Golf Coast, dropping two of three. OSU also played MAC foes Ohio and Kent State, claiming victories in both contests.
   The OSU offense only hits at a .238 clip, being out-hit 301-240, and out scored by 10, 169-159. They are led by Dominic Canzone, who is hitting .309 in 68 plate appearances.
   The pitching staff is in the middle of the Big Ten, tossing to a 4.84 team ERA. They allow opponents to hit at a .281 mark. Wednesday's starter, Austin Woodby, has a 5.52 ERA in 14.2 innings, including two starts.

EAGLES ARE HEATING UP: Eastern Michigan has won nine of its last 13 games after starting 3-15 on the year. This includes series wins in its first two weekends of MAC play, taking two of three from both Bowling Green, as well as Miami. In the 13 game stretch, the pitching staff has led the way, throwing to a 3.31 ERA while holding opponents to a .246 batting average and striking out 84. The defense has also seen an uptick in that timeframe, fielding to a .972 percentge with just 14 errors. In the 13 game stretch, EMU has reduced its staff ERA from a 7.29 to a season-low 5.71.

EXTRA INNING MAGIC: The Eagles needed extra innings to defeat Miami, 7-5, in the series opener, April 7. The lead came on a two-run home run from John Montgomery, who has a team-best five on the season. It was the second extra inning affair of the season for EMU, and the first time the Eagles came out on top.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION: In the 10-6 series finale win over Miami, April 9, the recently stagnant EMU offense came alive. The 10 runs was EMU's second double-digit performance since March 10, when EMU defeated Fresno State, 15-11. The 15 hits were also the most since the season-high 17 in that same game against the Bulldogs.

GOING BACK-TO-BACK: In the 10-6 win over Miami, April 9, the Eagles got the scoring started wth back-to-back home runs from Mike Mioduszewski and John Montgomery. It was the first time EMU went for back-to-back jacks since almost a year ago when Brennan Williams and Mitch McGeein did so against Western Michigan, April 24.

A WINNING ROTATION: After some shifting in the Eagles' weekend starting rotation, Head Coach and pitching coach Mark Van Ameyde has found the right combination midway through the season. EMU's Friday-Sunday starters, Sam Delaplane, Brad Allen, and Brent Mattson, have combined for some impressive accomplishments. Delaplane and Allen are currently eighth and ninth in the MAC with 3.34 and 3.45 respective ERA's. Allen's 0.67 ERA in conference games is also tops in the MAC. Meanwhile, Mattson leads EMU with a 3-2 record, and Eastern holds a 6-2 mark in his eight starts this season.

RACKING UP THE K's: Now in his fourth season in the EMU pitching staff, senior Sam Delaplane's high strikeout numbers have placed him among EMU's elite in the category. His 157 career strikeouts rank 14th in Eastern Michigan laurels. In his start against Chicago State, March 31, he set his career mark for strikeouts in a game with 10 punch outs. Delaplane is also ranked tied for fourth in all-time saves with 10.

GEARING UP ON THE BASEPATHS: Just a year removed from finishing in the top-10 in the nation in steals, EMU has not been able to match that pace this season, but are beginning to ramp up the action. In its last nine games, EMU has stolen 16 bags, including a season-best five vs Butler, April 2. EMU now has 37 steals as a team, which is second in the MAC and 70th in the country.

IMPACT FRESHMEN IN THE INFIELD: So far this season, EMU has relied early and often on 'true' freshmen in starting roles. In 31 games, freshmen have combined to make 88 starts in the infield, led by Devin Hager who has 23 starts at 2B, 3B, and SS.

BOBCATS ON THE HORIZON: Following midweek play, EMU returns to MAC play this weekend when it welcomes MAC East foe Ohio University for a three-game set at Oestrike Stadium. The series against the Bobcats will begin with a 6 p.m. first pitch, Friday, April 14.

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Players Mentioned

Brad Allen

Sam Delaplane

Devin Hager

Brent Mattson

Mike Mioduszewski

John Montgomery

Brennan Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics