Baseball Concludes Spring Break Swing at Jackson State

Baseball at Jackson State (1-1, 0-0 SWAC)
Date	Friday-Sunday, Feb. 23-25
Venue	Jackson, Miss. \| Braddy Field
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	N/A
Video	Livestream
Twitter	@EMUBaseball

JACKSON, Miss. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team concludes its spring break trip in Jackson, Miss. when it takes on Jackson State University in a four-game weekend series, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 23-25. The set begins at 4 p.m. Friday, followed by a twin bill starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, and concludes with a 1 p.m. Sunday contest.
The action can be followed live on Twitter by following @EMU_Baseball. There will also be a live video stream provided by JSU.

HISTORIC START FOR SCHUEMANN: Junior Max Schuemann has had an electric start in the first five games of the season, getting it done in all areas. The infielder has gone 13-for-22 (.591) including three doubles, a home run, eight runs scored, four RBIs, six steals, and no strikeouts.
Schuemann's five-game opening stretch is by far the best for an EMU player since 1998, as the next highest average through the first five games was .524 (11-for-21) by Lee Longo to start the 2014 campaign. In addition, when Brian Bixler set the single-season batting average record in 2004 (.453), in his first five games he went 10-for-21 (.476).

AMONG THE NCAA's BEST: Max Schuemann's hot start has him at the top of the national statistical categories early in the season, as his 13 hits are tied for the most of any Division I player through five games, while his 2.60 hits per game are third and his .591 batting average is 24th. He is also one of 124 players without a strikeout so far this season.

ALL-TIME VS. JACKSON STATE: This weekend marks the first ever meeting between EMU and JSU in their respective histories. In fact, this marks the first time EMU has played a school from the state of Mississippi in its 69-year history. EMU will play two schools from the Magnolia State this season in Jackson State and Southern Mississippi.

ALL-TIME VS. THE SWAC: EMU has faced a team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference just once in its history, as they took on Alabama A&M, March 6, 2011, a 13-1 win for EMU. This weekend will mark the first series against a team from the New Orleans-based conference for Eastern.

OFFENSE SHINING EARLY: Despite its record, the EMU offense has shined early on this season, batting .298 with 39 runs, 54 hits, as well as a whopping 19 stolen bases. Compared to last season's five-game start, they are hitting 45 points better (.253) with 12 more runs and 11 more hits, as well as 13 more steals.

ZOOM ZOOM: In each of the last three seasons, EMU has finished in the top-60 nationally in stolen bases, including third in the NCAA in 2016 and 11th in 2015. This season, Eastern is off to a fast start on the base paths, as they have swiped 19 bags in the first five games, good for second in the country. Additionally, Max Schuemann and Zachary Owings' six steals each are the most in the nation by any player.

RACKING UP THE FLYER MILES: As with most northern based teams, EMU is forced to play its early season games in warmer climates before it can play games at home. The Eagles will play their first 20 games away from Ypsilanti this season.

HELLO MY NAME IS: With a senior-laden squad last season, EMU saw its fair share of turnover this offseason. Entering 2018, EMU has more newcomers (15) than returning letterwinners (13), having lost 14 lettermen from a season ago.

RETURNING PRODUCTION: The newcomers will be expected to fill big roles in a hurry, as EMU lost six primary position starters from a season ago, as well as six go-to pitchers. In total, EMU returns just 37.5 percent of its at-bats from a season ago, as well as 44.1 percent of its innings.

ON THE HORIZON: EMU has the midweek off before heading back down to the Sunshine State for a weekend at the Cox Diamond Invitational, held at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Fla., the home of the Cincinnati Reds' Double-A affiliate. The Eagles have three games total, beginning with Southern Mississippi, Friday, March 2, followed by Nicholls State, Saturday, March 3, and concluding with Ohio State, Sunday, March 4.

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Players Mentioned

Zachary Owings

Max Schuemann

Eastern Michigan Athletics