Baseball Set to Open Home Slate Against Miami

Baseball vs. Miami
Date	Friday-Sunday, April 2-4
Venue	Oestrike Stadium \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Gameday Program	Miami Game Program
Broadcast	Eagles All-Access
Live Stats	EMUEagles.com
Twitter	@EMU_Baseball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - For the first time since closing out the 2019, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team returns to Oestrike Stadium as it hosts Miami University for an Easter weekend, Mid-American Conference matchup, Friday-Sunday, April 2-4, in Ypsilanti.
   Fans can listen to the action on Eagles All-Access, or follow the action via live stats. Links for both can be found on the baseball schedule page of EMUEagles.com. In addition, updates will be posted on the team's Twitter account, @EMU_Baseball.

FELDMAN AUTO(MATIC): Senior pitcher Davis Feldman continued to demonstrate his dominance in yet another winning performance Saturday, March 28 at Western Michigan. Aiding the Eagles to 9-4 series-opening victory, the Warren, Mich. native threw 5.0 innings, allowing no runs, giving up five hits, and striking out seven in his outing.
   His appearance was the third of the season going 5.0 innings-or-longer without allowing a run, and first of the type in MAC play this season. He has also gone at least 5.0 innings in four of his five starts in 2021. In addition, it marks the first time the veteran held a conference opponent scoreless during his time on the bump since he kept Toledo off the board in 3.0 innings of work, May 18, 2017.
   Feldman, who is 4-1 on the season, has already marked a new career-high in total wins after previously notching two victories in both 2016 and 2017, respectively. His 2.28 ERA is the best of any starting pitcher for the Green and White this season. He also leads the team in innings pitched (27.2), and strikeouts (27). His four wins tie for 11th in the NCAA, and first in the MAC.

50 SEASONS AT OESTRIKE: Opening in 1971, Oestrike Stadium will hold its 50th season of baseball inside the park in 2021, after not hosting a game in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. EMU holds a 537-394-2 all-time record at the venue, and has compiled just 11 losing seasons at Oestrike since its opening.
   The home of EMU baseball is named after legendary EMU baseball head coach Ron Oestrike, who led the Green and White from 1965-87, winning an NAIA national championship and four Mid-American Conference titles during his tenure leading the Green and White.

HOME OPENERS: In its last 10 debuts at home, Eastern has been successful in its home-openers, compiling a 7-3 record during the span. In their best stretch, the Eagles took four-consecutive home openers, winning their first game at Oestrike in each season from 2011-14.
Most recently, EMU was victorious during its home opener in 2019, when it defeated Northwestern Ohio, 13-3, March 26.

SCOTTY G WITH THE DUB: Senior righty Scott Granzotto picked up his first win of the season against Western Michigan, March 29, in the first game of the doubleheader between the two sides. In his 4.0 innings, the Northville, Mich. tied his season-high with two strikeouts, while walking a season-low single batter to aid the Eagles to the series finale win.

KEEPING UP WITH KAUFFMAN: EMU infielder Jared Kauffman led the offensive effort for the Eagles in its series at Western Michigan, March 27-29. The Springboro, Ohio native finished with a team-leading .400 batting average, tied for the team-high with four hits, drew a team-high four walks over the series, and tallied an RBI. The senior's series hits and batting average are both season-bests.

IS IT A CHIP? NO IT'S A DENT(ON): EMU transfer Gabe Denton made the most of his three games on the field at Western Michigan, March 27-29. Averaging .300 at the plate, the junior notched three hits, one of which was a double, and led the team with three RBIs for the weekend. The Clare, Mich. native's double was one of four extra-base hits by the Eagles over the series.

CAPTAIN CASHES IN: Senior captain Nick Jones had one of his best offensive outings of the season, tying for the team lead with four hits, posting a second-best .333 batting average, crossing the plate a team-high three times, and driving in two runs at Western Michigan, March 27-29.
   In addition, the Battle Creek, Mich. native is on a team-high nine game reached base streak, dating back to the final contest against Mississippi State, March 14. The previous team-high was six games.

HEY HELGESON: EMU sophomore Tyler Helgeson was perfect in his outing for the Green and White at Western Michigan, March 28. The Portage, Mich. native tossed 1.1 innings of no run, not hit, and no walk baseball, tying his season-high with two strikeouts over his outing. The appearance marked his third of the season without allowing a hit, and has not allowed a walk in all four of his outings in 2021.

EASTER SUNDAY: Entering in the sixth inning at Western Michigan, March 28, junior Shane Easter put together the best defensive inning for the Eagles to that point. Facing four, Easter allowed no walks or hits, instead forcing two flyouts and a groundout to keep the Broncos off the board.

MORE THAN ONE: In its series opener at Western Michigan, March 27, the 9-4 win was in part accomplished by three Eagles recording multiple hits during the contest. Nick Jones, Gabe Denton, and Jared Kauffman each knocked a pair, marking the third time this season multiple players donning the Green and White have been recorded multiple hits in the same game.
   The series also marked the first of the season in which at least one Eagle tallied multiple hits in each of the games during the series (Jones, Denton, and Kauffman - March 27, Jeff Timko - March 28, Christian Bault - March 29, Taylor Hopkins - March 29).

K'S TO THE HOME SQUAD: In its series opener at Western Michigan, March 27, the Eastern Michigan pitching staff set a season-high for strikeouts in the 9-4 win, with 12. Veteran ace Davis Feldman struck out seven, while sophomore Cameron Wagoner K'd three. Seniors Justin Reinkall and John Holt each added one apiece in the victory.

FIRST INNING SCORES: Entering its games at Western Michigan, March 27-29, Eastern Michigan had scored just one total run in the first inning through its first 13 games. The Eagles quadrupled that figure in its first game of the series, March 27. Seeing the entire batting order make an appearance at the plate to start the game, the Eagles strung together five hits, aided by two walks, to put up four runs en route to a 9-4 victory.
   In the series finale, March 29, the Green and White were able to put runs on the board once again in the first, loading the bases to start the game with three straight walks, scoring on a sacrifice fly from Nick Jones, and plating two on a passed ball.

MADE FOR MACTION: Eastern Michigan senior captain Nick Jones has had an impressive start to the conference slate. After tallying just three hits through the first 11 games of the season in non-conference action, the Battle Creek, Mich. native leads the team in MAC play with 10 hits, two of which were extra-base, and has driven in a second-best four runs through the first eight games of league play.

WHAT'S MIAMI BEEN UP TO?: The RedHawks come to Ypsilanti with two Mid-American Conference series win under its belt, taking three-of-four games from both Toledo and Northern Illinois in its first two conference series of the season.
   Prior to league play, Miami opened its season with a sweep of Jacksonville, split a four-game series with Florida International, and picked up a win over Memphis and Davidson. The RedHawks were handed losses by Kentucky, UConn, Coastal Carolina, and Memphis.

LAST MEETING: Eastern and Miami last met March 29-31,2019, in Oxford, Ohio. Miami swept the series, taking game one, 7-6, game two, 13-3, and game three, 7-6. Miami walked off Eastern in both game one and three to take the wins.

SERIES HISTORY: Heading into the weekend with an even all-time series, the Eagles and RedHawks have compiled a 60-60 record in program histories. Miami has won two of the last three series, sweeping EMU in Oxford in 2019 and taking two-of-three from the home squad in 2018.

#MACTION MATTERS: The Mid-American Conference announced that, due to circumstances onset by the COVID-19 pandemic, it would be eliminating conference tournaments for eight sports, with baseball being one of them. The result? The MAC regular season champion will receive the conference's automatic bid to a NCAA Regional. With the conference also adapting a 40-game schedule consisting of four-game series, every contest proves critical to staying in the hunt for the league crown.

MAC PRESEASON POLL: Eastern was selected to finish ninth overall in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll, as announced by the league office, Feb. 17. EMU finished with 36 points, while Central Michigan finished in the top spot for the second consecutive season with 111 points and four first-place votes. Kent State garnered five first-place votes and finished just shy of CMU with 110 points.

MAC Baseball Preseason Poll
1. Central Michigan (4) – 111 points
2. Kent State (5) – 110 points
T3. Miami (1) -- 96 points
T3. Ball State – 96 points
5. Northern Illinois (1) – 72 points
6. Western Michigan - 63 points
7. Ohio - 56 points
8. Toledo - 45 points
9. Eastern Michigan – 36 points
10. Bowling Green – 28 points
11. Akron – 13 points

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan heads to the Buckeye State for a matchup with Ohio University, Friday-Sunday, April 9-11. Game times from Athens are set for 6 p.m. Friday, 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Christian Bault

Gabe Denton

Shane Easter

Davis Feldman

Scott Granzotto

Tyler Helgeson

John Holt

Taylor Hopkins

Nick Jones

Jared Kauffman

Justin Reinkall

Jeff Timko

Cameron Wagoner

Eastern Michigan Athletics