Baseball Returns to Florida for the Cox Diamond Invitational

Baseball at Cox Diamond Invite
Date	Friday-Sunday, March 2-4
Location	Pensacola, Fla. \| Blue Wahoos Stadium
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	USM \| Nicholls \| OSU
Audio	USM IMG Sports Network (Fri. Only)
Video	ESPN3 (Sat. Only)
Twitter	@EMUBaseball

PENSACOLA, Fla. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team returns to the Sunshine State this weekend, March 2-4, for the Cox Diamond Invitational at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Fla. EMU will take on three opponents at the neutral site, starting with the No. 15 ranked University of Southern Mississippi on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by Nicholls State University at noon on Saturday, and concluding with Ohio State University on Sunday at 11 a.m.
   The action can be followed live on Twitter by following @EMU_Baseball. Fans can listen to Friday's contest on the Southern Miss. IMG Radio Network, while Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN3. All games can be tracked through live stats as well.

AMONG THE NCAA's BEST: Through the first eight games of the season, Max Schuemann has been one of the top players in the country offensively. The infielder ranks in the top-30 nationally with nine steals (1st), 18 hits (3rd), 30 total bases (6th), 12 runs (17th), and a .500 batting average (27th).

SCHUEMANN NAMED MAC SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: This past week in four games, Max Schuemann batted .412 (7-for-17) with three home runs, including one that was inside the park, for a slugging percentage of .941. He added five runs batted in and six runs scored, as well as six stolen bases. For his efforts, he was named the Mid-American Conference Male Scholar Athlete of the Week.

HISTORIC START FOR SCHUEMANN: Schuemann's eight-game opening stretch has been one of the best for an EMU player since 1998, and has been on par with one of the best players in program history. In 2004, Brian Bixler set the single-season batting average record with a .453 mark. In his first eight games of that season, he went 18-for-35 (.514).

ALL-TIME VS. THE OPPONENTS: EMU will be meeting a pair of opponents this weekend for the first time in program history, while the third has been a familiar foe. EMU has never faced USM or Nicholls St. in its 69-year history, while Sunday will be the 17th meeting between the Eagles and the Buckeyes. OSU leads the all-time series which dates back to 1992, 12-4. The Eagles claimed victory in their most recent meeting, a 3-1 decision in Columbus, April 12, 2017. It was Eastern's first win over Ohio State since 2009.

OFFENSE SHINING EARLY: Despite its record, the EMU offense has shined early on this season, batting .309 with 57 runs, 87 hits, as well as a whopping 27 stolen bases. The Eagles have tallied double-digit hits in five of the first eight contests.
   Compared to last season's eight-game start, they are hitting 39 points better (.270) with 14 more runs and 16 more hits, as well as 19 more steals. Eastern's offense ranks 29th nationally in hits, as well as 46th in runs scored and 56th in scoring with 7.1 runs per game.

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 27 bags in the first eight games, good for fourth in the country. Additionally, Max Schuemann and Zachary Owings are both in the top-10 nationally with nine and six, respectively.

PLAYING LIKE THE PROS: This weekends' games will be played at Blue Wahoos Stadium, the home of the Cincinnati Reds' Double-A affiliate the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. This continues a recent trend for EMU baseball to play where the professionals do, as each of the last three seasons, EMU has played games in minor and major league parks.
   In 2016, EMU played Florida at Joker Marchant Stadium, the home of Detroit Tigers spring training. Later that season they played Michigan State at the Tigers' home ballpark, Comerica Field in downtown Detroit, as they will again this season. Last season, the Eagles opened the year playing Missouri at City of Palms Park, the former spring training facility of the Boston Red Sox.

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 last year, as well as 44.1 percent of its innings.

ON THE HORIZON: EMU gets back on the diamond Tuesday, March 6, when it jets down the road for a midweek contest with the University of Dayton. First pitch against the Flyers is set for 3 p.m.

Baseball Returns to Florida for the Cox Diamond Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Zachary Owings

Max Schuemann

Eastern Michigan Athletics