Baseball Continues Busy Slate With Pair of Midweeks

Baseball at Oakland (14-28, 11-12 Horizon) & vs. Dayton (14-29, 6-12 A-10)
Date	Tuesday-Wednesday, May 8-9
Location	Rochester, Mich. \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Tuesday \| Wednesday
Stream	ESPN+ ($) (Tuesday Only)
Radio	Eagle All-Access (Wednesday Only)
Twitter	@EMUBaseball

ROCHESTER, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team continues its busy schedule with a pair of midweek games at Oakland University and at home vs. the University of Dayton, Tuesday-Wednesday, May 7-8. First pitch against the Golden Grizzlies on Tuesday is set for 3 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. start time against the Flyers on Wednesday.
   The action can be tracked live on Twitter by following @EMU_Baseball. Fans can also follow the game through live stats, as well as on ESPN+ on Tuesday, and through the airwaves of Eagle All-Access with Greg Steiner and Chad Bush on the call on Wednesday. As always, admission into Oestrike Stadium is free of charge.

ALL-TIME VS. THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES: The Eagles and Golden Grizzlies have met 61 times in their respective histories, with EMU holding the all-time advantage, 45-16. Eastern has not had much luck against the in-state rival of late, however, as OU has won the last three meetings. The two faced off earlier this season at Oestrike Stadium, a 4-2 win for Oakland, April 10.

ALL-TIME VS. THE FLYERS: Wednesday will mark the eighth 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, March 16, 2016, in a tight 7-6 decision. The two teams played earlier this season in Dayton, an 11-9 defeat for EMU, March 6. It will also mark the first time UD will play at EMU.

COMEBACK KIDS: In the 7-6 series opening win over Central Michigan, May 4, EMU trailed by five runs entering the eighth inning, before mounting an astounding comeback. The Eagles scored four in the eighth, followed by a run in the ninth to send it to extras, where the Eagles prevailed in the 12th. It was Eastern's fourth extra-inning affair of the season, moving to 3-2 on the year in such games. It was also EMU's third comeback win when trailing entering the eighth inning or later this season, moving to 3-21 in such games.

GOING STREAKING!: Entering the week, freshman Nate Jones is on a 19-game hitting streak, the longest this season for the Eagles. The streak is the longest for an EMU player since Brent Ohrman had a 23 game run in 2012. In addition, it's the longest hitting streak for an EMU true freshman in the modern statistical era (since 2000).
   Another player has an impressive streak going as well, as Zachary Owings has reached base in 22-straight games, the longest streak for an Eagle this season. Owings has also had two separate 10-game hitting streaks this year.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Going into the season, EMU already knew it would have to rely on a bevy of young talent to play a lot of crucial innings, as they started the year with more newcomers (15) than returners (13). The freshmen have shown out as Eastern is in the top ten in the country in starts by freshmen (true and redshirt) with 159 combined between eight players in both the field and on the mound.

PEEKING AT THE POST SEASON: With just two weekends left in the Mid-American Conference regular season, EMU currently sits in fifth place in the MAC with an 11-10 record. The standings are tight, however, as the Eagles sit five games out of first place, but are only a game above the sixth place teams, as well as just five games out last place.
   EMU's final two conference series will come against the top team in the MAC, Kent State (16-5), as well as the current ninth place team, Northern Illinois (6-15). The top-six teams will qualify for the 2018 MAC Tournament held at Sprenger Stadium in Avon, Ohio, May 23-27.

MR. DO IT ALL: Junior Max Schuemann has been a five-tool threat for the Eagles this season, showing production in all aspects of the game. He has started all 45 games for the Eagles, 44 at shortstop, and leads EMU in hits, runs, RBIs, doubles, total bases, and steals. He is also second in batting average, slugging, OBP, and home runs. His steals are second in the MAC, while his hits and doubles are fourth, total bases are sixth, runs eighth, and batting average 11th. He is also the second toughest player to strike out in the MAC.
   In the field, Schuemann has 143 assists, good for first in the MAC, while he has helped turn 25 double plays, placing him sixth in the conference.

EAGLES HEATING UP ON THE MOUND: Since entering conference play, EMU's pitching staff has been lights out against its competition. As a staff, EMU holds a 3.74 ERA in MAC-only games, which is second in the league. In addition, EMU starting pitcher Luke DeVenney has an ERA of 1.67 in his seven MAC starts, which ranks second in the conference.

DEVENNEY DOMINATING ON THE HILL: Despite being a senior, Luke DeVenney is in just his second season as a pitcher at EMU. After being a primary bullpen/midweek pitcher in 2017, DeVenney found his way into the weekend rotation in 2018. He has been fantastic this season, leading the team in ERA (2.61), IPs (72.1), strikeouts (46), and wins (6). His ERA ranks third in the conference, while his IPs are fourth. He has also not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his 12 starts.

OWINGS OWNING THE DISH: Sophomore Zachary Owings has been one of Eastern's top bats so far this season, as he leads the team with a .340 batting average, .431 on-base percentage, and a .511 slugging percentage. He has two separate 10-game hitting streaks this year, and has also recorded a hit in 29-of-37 games played. His batting average ranks seventh in the MAC, while his slugging is 10th.

FOR THE GREATER GOOD: When EMU gets runners on base, almost no other team is more unselfish when it comes to advancing them an extra base. Thus far this season, EMU is 20th in the nation and fourth in the MAC with 39 sacrifice bunts. In addition, sophomore Devin Hager is seventh in the country with 12 sac bunts.

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 near the top once again, as it has swiped 77 bags, good for 23rd in the country and first in the MAC.

ALL-TIME AT OESTRIKE: 2018 marks the 48th season at the friendly confines of Oestrike Stadium since its opening in 1971. In its long-standing history, EMU holds a 530-379-2 record at the stadium. Of the 47 previous seasons, 34 have resulted in winning home records for Eastern. This year, EMU holds a 6-8 home record with five games left to play.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern has its final road MAC series of the season when it heads down to Ohio to face conference-leading Kent State University, May 11-13. The weekend against the Golden Flashes will begin with a 6 p.m. first pitch, Friday, May 11.

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Players Mentioned

Luke DeVenney

Devin Hager

Nate Jones

Zachary Owings

Max Schuemann

Eastern Michigan Athletics