Baseball Dips Down to Dayton for Midweek Versus the Flyers

Baseball at Dayton (1-7, 0-0 A-10)
Date	Tuesday, March 6 \| 3 p.m.
Venue	Dayton, Ohio \| Woerner Field
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Twitter	@EMUBaseball

DAYTON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team, on the heels of a 2-1 weekend at the Cox Diamond Invitational, sets its sights on a midweek game with the University of Dayton, Tuesday, March 6. The contest between the Eagles and Flyers from Woerner Field in the Gem City is set for 3 p.m.
   The action can be followed live on Twitter by following @EMU_Baseball. Fans can also follow the game through live stats on StatBroadcast. Links can be found on the schedule page of EMUEagles.com.

COX DIAMOND INVITE RECAP: EMU had a 2-1 weekend at the Cox Diamond Invitational held at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Fla., March 2-4. After a tough opening game loss to No. 15 Southern Mississippi, the Eagles knocked off Nicholls State in a comeback, extra inning affair, 11-5, and followed that up with a dominating, 6-1, win over Ohio State.
   Against the Colonels, EMU trailed by two in the ninth, but tied it up at five to send it to extras. In the 10th, EMU used four hits and four Nicholls' errors to score six runs and escape with the win. Meanwhile, versus the Buckeyes, EMU led from beginning to end, aided by a seven-inning start from Luke DeVenney where he only gave up one run.

TREMENDOUS GAME FOR TIMKO: In the 11-5 win over Nicholls State, March 3, Jeff Timko had the best game of his young career, as he tallied a five-hit, five-RBI game. It was the first five-hit game for an Eagle since John Rubino had one versus Michigan, April 15, 2015. In the first nine innings, Timko had four hits and three RBIs. In the 10th, the redshirt freshman blasted a two-RBI ground-rule double to break the game open in what ended up being a decisive six-run frame.

GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO THOSE WHO WAIT: After not seeing time in the first nine games of the season, freshman Jared Kauffman made the most of his collegiate debut against Nicholls State, March 3. The infielder pinch hit in the ninth and reached on an error, eventually scoring one of the two runs that tied the game and sent it to extras. In the 10th, he notched his first career hit, knocking in what wound up being the game-winning run.
   He was not done, however, as the next day he made his first career start as designated hitter vs. Ohio State. The Springboro, Ohio native proceeded to go 3-for-4 with a double, RBI, and two runs scored, while also swiping a base in the 6-1 win.

ALL-TIME VS. DAYTON: Tuesday will mark the seventh all-time meeting between the Eagles and the Flyers in their respective histories. The series began in 1999, with Dayton winning the first five contests. EMU picked up its first win over UD in their last meeting, March 16, 2016, a tight 7-6 decision.

AMONG THE NCAA's BEST: Through the first 11 games of the season, Max Schuemann has been one of the top players in the country offensively. The infielder ranks first in the country in steals (12), 17th in runs (12), 39th in hits (21), 40th in total bases (33), and 65th in batting average (.438)

OFFENSE SHINING EARLY: Despite its record, the EMU offense has shined early on this season, batting .306 with 78 runs, 120 hits, as well as a whopping 37 stolen bases, while scoring 7.1 runs-per-game. The Eagles have tallied double-digit hits in seven of the first 11 contests. Nationally, the team batting average ranks 29th, hits are 30th, and scoring is 50th.

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 37 bags in the first 11 games, good for third in the country behind UCF (39) and Southeastern Louisiana (45). Additionally, Max Schuemann's 12 steals are top in the nation, two ahead of the next player.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns to the southern part of the country when it heads down to Oklahoma for a three-game weekend series with Oklahoma State University, March 9-11. Action against the Cowboys begins Friday with a 5 p.m. first pitch.

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Players Mentioned

Luke DeVenney

Jared Kauffman

Max Schuemann

Jeff Timko

Eastern Michigan Athletics