Eagles Hit the Road for Weekend Series at Bowling Green

Baseball at Bowling Green (7-17, 2-1 MAC)
Date	Friday-Sunday, March 30-April 1
Venue	Bowling Green, Ohio \| Steller Field
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	BGSUFalcons.com
Audio	WFAL
Twitter	@EMUBaseball

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team hits the road for its first Mid-American Conference road series down in Ohio against Bowling Green State University, Friday-Sunday, March 30-April 1. The weekend at Steller Field begins with a 3:05 first pitch on Friday, followed by consecutive 1:05 start times on both Saturday and Sunday.
The action can be followed live on Twitter by following @EMU_Baseball. Fans can also track the game through live stats, while a radio stream will be provided by BGSU radio, WFAL. Links can be found on the schedule page of EMUEagles.com.

ALL-TIME VS. THE FALCONS: The Eagles and Falcons have met a total of 171 times on the diamond in their respective histories, with EMU leading the series, 99-72. That marks the most times EMU has played an opponent outside of the state of Michigan. Since 2005, EMU holds a 21-8 mark against the Falcons, and have won every three-game series in that span, a total of eight straight series wins.

DEVENNEY HEATING UP ON THE MOUND: Despite being a senior, Luke DeVenney is in just his second season as a pitcher at EMU. After being a primary bullpen/midweek arm in 2017, DeVenney has found his way into the weekend rotation in 2018 as the Sunday starter. He has been lights out in his last four outings, pitching to a 2-0 record and 2.30 ERA in 27.1 innings, including 17 strikeouts to eight walks.

GET YOU A PLAYER WHO CAN DO BOTH: Luke DeVenney enters the weekend as the top statistical pitcher and hitter on EMU's roster, as he leads the Eagles in batting average (.387), as well as ERA (3.22), IPs (36.1), and strikeouts (22).

FATHER/SON CONNECTION: The Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green coaching staffs have a special connection as BGSU Head Coach Danny Schmitz ('79) is the father of fourth-year Eastern Michigan assistant coach, Spencer Schmitz. Danny is a former EMU baseball student-athlete and E-Club Hall of Famer. Spencer played for his father at BGSU before beginning his coaching career. He was an assistant coach under the elder Schmitz for six years (2008-2013) at BGSU.
When the two face off this weekend, they will be one of three father/son duos to match-up, joining Chris Finwood (Old Dominion) and Grey Finwood (VMI), as well as Tom Riginos (Winthrop) and Ben Paulsen (Clemson).

BLISTERING OFFENSIVE NUMBERS: After the first weekend of conference play, the EMU offense is at or near the top in the MAC in the biggest offensive categories, including first in batting average (.288), hits (223), steals (51), and on-base percentage (.372), second in scoring (5.9) and slugging percentage (.397), and third in runs scored (130).

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 it has swiped 51 bags in the first 22 games, good for eighth in the country. Additionally, Max Schuemann's 15 steals are eighth in the nation and first in the MAC.

BLANKING THE REDHAWKS: EMU's 4-0 win over Miami in the series finale, March 25, was the Eagles' first shutout since blanking Buffalo, 4-0, on April 30 of last season. Against the RedHawks, Luke DeVenney started the game and went the first seven, striking out a career-high tying five batters. In relief, Thomas House and Caleb Hester combined to finish the game, each pitching a scoreless frame without giving up a hit.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE: The 4-0 win over Miami, March 25, marked the first victory for Eastern Michigan over the RedHawks at Oestrike Stadium in exactly six years. Due to inconsistent scheduling, EMU won for the first time over Miami at home since a 4-2 decision March 25, 2012. The Eagles had just five chances since then, a home series in 2014, which Miami swept, and the series this season.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles return to the diamond Wednesday, April 4, for a midweek contest against Michigan State University. First pitch against the Spartans in East Lansing is set for 3:05 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Luke DeVenney

Caleb Hester

Thomas House

Max Schuemann

Eastern Michigan Athletics