Eagles Head to Kalamazoo for Big MAC West Tilt

Baseball at Western Michigan (14-18, 4-8 MAC)
Date	Friday-Sunday, April 21-23
Venue	Kalamazoo, Mich. \| Robert J. Bobb Stadium
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	wmubroncos.com
Audio	N/A
Twitter	@EMUBaseball

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team hits the road for a weekend Mid-American Conference set versus in-state rival Western Michigan University, April 21-23. The three-game series from Robert J. Bobb Stadium begins Friday with a 3 p.m. first pitch, followed by back-to-back 1 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday. The action can be tracked live on Twitter by following @EMU_Baseball. Live stats will be available through wmubroncos.com.

ALL-TIME VS THE BRONCOS: The Eagles and Broncos have met 168 times in their respective histories, marking the second most common opponent for EMU all-time. The series is in a deadlock, with both teams owning 84 wins in the all-time set. When the two squads met last season, WMU took the season series by winning 2-of-3 against EMU in Kalamazoo.

BUCKING THE BRONCOS: Western Michigan, the defending Mid-American Conference tournament champions, enter the weekend with a 14-18 overall record, and are at the bottom of the West Division with a 4-8 conference mark. They own a series win over Miami, but have dropped series to Toldeo, Ball State, and Central Michigan, including a sweep at the hands of the Cardinals. In four home games this season, WMU is 1-3.
The offense is where WMU earns its keep, as the Broncos are second in the MAC and 29th in the nation with a .300 team batting average. While they are being out-hit by a 217-195 clip, they out-score opponents, 354-322. Five starters hold a batting average above .300, led by Tanner Allison, whose .385 average is second in the MAC and 51st in the country.
The pitching, on the other hand, is near the bottom of the MAC, ranking ninth with a 6.00 staff ERA. They allow opponents to hit at a .291 clip and have walked 139 walks to 219 strikeouts. The projected weekend rotation holds ERA's of 5.19, 5.86 and 3.72, respectively.

BIG SWEEP OF THE BOBCATS: EMU swept the weekend series over the Ohio Bobcats, winning 8-2, 12-9, and then 12-11 on Sunday. With the sweep, EMU is off to a 7-2 start in MAC play, its best start since 2008, which was the last time EMU won the MAC Championship.

EAGLES ARE HEATING UP: Eastern Michigan is 13-6 in its last 19 games after starting 3-15 on the year. Over that stretch, the offense has hit .260, while the pitching staff has thrown to a 4.15 ERA. EMU has also held opponents to six runs or less in 16 of the 19 games.

BREAKING OUT THE BIG BATS: In the last four games, EMU's offense has brought out the big guns, going for 43 runs on 50 hits, including nine home runs. This included a season-high 18 hits in the 12-9 win vs Ohio, April 15, as well as double digit outputs in its last three games. In terms of home runs, four of the round trippers have been of the three-run variety, while EMU has had three-home runs in a game for three-straight games. John Montgomery and Mike Mioduszewski have each recorded a two-home run game in this stretch as well.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING...: Entering the month of April EMU had just seven home runs in a 24-game span. In just 13 games in the month of April, EMU has brought the rain, clubbing 16 home runs, including nine in the last four. Leading the way has been John Montgomery, who has a team-high eight, including five in April. Montgomery ranks second in the MAC and 87th in the country. As a team, EMU's 23 dingers are third in the MAC.

TAKE YOUR BASE: Thus far on the season, EMU has taken what the opposing pitching staffs have offered them, drawing 151 walks as a team, which ranks third in the MAC and 91st in the country. They are on pace to shatter last years walk total, as 37 games into 2016, EMU had just 107 bases on balls.

COMPLETE GAMES ARE CONTAGIOUS: Senior Sam Delaplane had a career-outing in an 8-2 win over Ohio, April 14. The righty tossed the first complete game of his EMU career, striking out a career-high 12 Bobcats in the process, while not giving up a walk. It was the most K's recorded in a single-game by an EMU pitcher in the modern statistical era (since 1999). Overall, he gave up eight hits and just one earned run, after runs scored on a wild pitch and passed ball. It was the third complete game by an EMU hurler this season, as the other two weekend starters, Brad Allen and Brent Mattson, both tossed complete game shutouts earlier this season.

DELAPLANE NAMED MAC WEST PITCHER OF THE WEEK: For his efforts, Sam Delaplane was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Baseball Pitcher of the Week, April 17. It is the second weekly award of his career, and the third of the season for EMU, as Brad Allen and Brent Mattson have also earned the conference accolade in 2017.

WINNING IN DRAMATIC FASHION: In the 12-11 win in the series finale over Ohio, April 16, EMU won the game on a walk-off single from Brennan Williams. It marked the fifth lead change of that game, and sealed the second walk-off win of the season for EMU. Nick Jones delivered a game-winning hit against Bowling Green in the home opener, March 24.

DELAPLANE DELIVERING THE GOODS: Senior Sam Delaplane is putting together a fine final season in the Green and White. The closer turned Friday night starter leads EMU with a 2.86 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 13 appearances (five starts) and 44.0 innings. His ERA ranks fourth in the conference, while his strikeout total is third in the MAC. His 169 career strikeouts rank 12th in Eastern Michigan laurels. In his last three outings, Delaplane has recorded 30 K's, including a career-high 12 against Ohio, April 14. Delaplane is also ranked tied for fourth in all-time saves with 10.

MASHING MONTGOMERY: Senior John Montgomery has been the spark plug in the EMU offense in his final season, leading EMU in six offensive categories. He is also the team leader with 11 multi-hit games, and 10 multi-RBI games. He enters the weekend with a 15-game reached base streak. After his big weekend against Ohio University, Montgomery is second in the MAC with eight home runs, while also ranking third with 31 RBIs.

GOING STREAKING: Over the hot streak for EMU, a few players have gone on season-high streaks for the Eagles. Nick Jones is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak, which has upped his average from .217 to .268, as well as an 11-game reached base streak. Jeremy Stidham is on a 20-game reached base streak himself, and his OBP sits at .383. John Montgomery is also riding a 15-game reached base.

ALL-TIME IN THE MAC: 2017 marks the 45th season EMU has participated in the Mid-American Conference as a program. Eastern holds a 572-525-3 all-time record in conference play. The program owns five regular season championships, as well as four tournament championships, most recently in 2008.

IMPACT FRESHMEN IN THE INFIELD: So far this season, EMU has relied early and often on 'true' freshmen in starting roles. In 37 games, freshmen have combined to make 100 starts in the infield, led by Nick Jones, who has 27 starts at third base and catcher.

FIGHTING IRISH ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns to the diamond next Wednesday, April 26, for a midweek contest against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. First pitch from Notre Dame is set for 6:05 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Brad Allen

Sam Delaplane

Nick Jones

Brent Mattson

Mike Mioduszewski

John Montgomery

Jeremy Stidham

Brennan Williams

Eastern Michigan Athletics