Baseball Heads East To Battle the Bulls

Baseball at Buffalo (12-25, 4-8 MAC)
Date	Friday-Sunday, April 28-30
Venue	Buffalo, N.Y. \| Audubon Field
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	(Game 1) \| (Game 2) \| (Game 3)
Audio	N/A
Twitter	@EMUBaseball

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, April 28-30, in Buffalo, N.Y. The series from Audubon Field will begin with a 3 p.m. first pitch on Friday, followed by 1 p.m. start times on Saturday and Sunday.
   The action can be tracked live on Twitter by following @EMU_Baseball. Live stats will be available through UBBulls.com.

ALL-TIME VS THE BULLS: The Eagles and Bulls have met just 21 times in their respective histories, with EMU leading the all-time series, 15-6. The first ever meeting between EMU and UB came back in 2006, ending in a 3-0 sweep for Eastern. The two teams met last season in a series moved to Olean, N.Y., where EMU took two of three from UB in a weekend series, April 1-2.

BREAKING DOWN THE BULLS: Buffalo enters the weekend with a 12-25 overall record and a 4-8 mark in Mid-American Conference play. The Bulls are an even 3-3 at home in 2017. In MAC series play, UB has won just one series, taking two of three from Northern Illinois, while dropping series to Kent State, Toledo, and Ball State, with the set against the Rockets ending in a sweep.
   The Bulls have a potent offense, hitting .265 as a team which ranks in the middle of the MAC. They are being out-hit, 384-334, and out-scored, 270-198. They have five starters hitting .299 or better, led by Chris Kwitzer, who bats .356.
   The pitching staff, meanwhile, ranks last in the MAC with a 6.99 team ERA. UB allows opponents to hit at a .310 clip, while walking 199 batters to 239 strikeouts. The projected weekend rotation hold ERAs of 5.70, 5.45, and 6.51, respectively.

EAGLES ARE HEATING UP: Eastern Michigan is 14-9 in its last 23 games after starting 3-15 on the year. EMU is also 8-4 to start Mid-American Conference play, winning three of the first four series. The 8-4 start is EMU's best 12 games into the MAC slate since 2012.

TAKE YOUR BASE: Thus far on the season, EMU has taken what the opposing pitching staffs have offered it, drawing 167 walks as a team, which ranks fourth in the MAC and 87th in the country. They are on pace to shatter last year's walk total, as 41 games into 2016, EMU had just 117 bases on balls. Leading the on-base movement has been Jeremy Stidham, who leads EMU with 22 walks and is second with a .378 OBP. He is currently on a 24-game reached base streak, which is the second-best streak for EMU since 2013.

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 2.90 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 14 appearances (six starts) and 49.2 innings. His ERA ranks seventh in the conference, while his strikeout total is second in the MAC. His 175 career strikeouts rank 12th in Eastern Michigan laurels. In his last four outings, Delaplane has recorded 36 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-RBI games and five three-hit contests. He enters the weekend with a 19-game reached base streak. Montgomery is second in the MAC with nine home runs, while he is also fifth with 33 RBIs.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING...:Entering the month of April, EMU had just seven home runs in a 24-game span. In just 17 games in the month of April, EMU has brought the rain, clubbing 17 home runs. Leading the way has been John Montgomery, who has a team-high nine, including six in April. Montgomery ranks second in the MAC and 82nd in the country. As a team, EMU's 24 dingers are fourth in the MAC.

ALL-TIME IN THE MAC: 2017 marks the 45th season EMU has participated in the Mid-American Conference as a program. Eastern holds a 573-527-3 all-time record in conference play. The program owns five regular season championships, as well as four tournament championships, most recently in 2008.

GOTTA EARN THOSE RUNS: Since entering MAC play, Matthew Beaton has been almost unhittable. The senior relief pitcher has not allowed an earned run in 9.1 MAC innings, the second highest inning total without yielding an earned run in conference this season. For his career, Beaton holds a 3.40 ERA in 100.2 innings pitched.

IMPACT FRESHMEN IN THE INFIELD: So far this season, EMU has relied early and often on 'true' freshmen in starting roles. In 41 games, freshmen have combined to make 109 starts in the infield, led by Nick Jones, who has 30 starts at third base and catcher.

MOUNTAINEERS ON THE HORIZON: EMU will complete its nine-game road trip next Tuesday, May 2, when it treks south to West Virginia for a midweek contest against the Mountaineers. First pitch from Morgantown is set for 6:30 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Matthew Beaton

Sam Delaplane

Nick Jones

John Montgomery

Jeremy Stidham

Eastern Michigan Athletics