Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Tennessee Tech
Baseball Battles Tennessee Tech in Three-Game Series
2/23/2022 1:02:00 PM | Baseball
The Eagles start the road series Friday, Feb. 25, in Cookeville, Tenn.
| Baseball at Tennessee Tech | |
| Date | Friday-Sunday, Feb. 25-27 |
| Venue | Bush Stadium | Cookeville, Tenn. |
| Preview Info | EMU Notes |
| Live Stats | Game 1. Game 2. Game 3. |
| @EMU_Baseball | @EMUAthletics | |
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team returns to the diamond this weekend, heading south yet again to battle Tennessee Tech in a three-game series starting Friday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. Games two and three will follow, Saturday, Feb. 26, and Sunday, Feb. 27, with both beginning at 1 p.m. inside Bush Stadium.
Fans can follow the action through live stats, which can be found at EMUEagles.com/livestats. The team's Twitter account, @EMU_Baseball, will also provide inning-by-inning updates throughout the games.
Eastern (1-2) finished its first series of the 2022 season winning one of three against Winthrop, Feb. 18-20. Tennessee Tech (3-0) earned three wins in that same weekend, defeating Oral Roberts (5-2), Radford (10-5), and South Alabama (11-7). The Golden Eagles' most recent clash came against No. 18 Tennessee, Feb. 22. Tennessee held a 5-4 lead over TTU in the top of the fifth inning before the contest was suspended due to rain.
ALL HANDS ON DECK: EMU's pitching staff of freshman Adam Falinski, classmate Dom Anderson, and junior Trevor House combined to throw a three-hit shutout for the Green and White against Winthrop, Feb. 20. It is the first shutout victory for Eastern since it blanked Toledo, 6-0, May 11, 2021. Additionally, it took the Green and White 33 games to record its first shutout of the season in 2021. This year's staff needed just three. Three games is the earliest an EMU team has shut out an opposing team under Head Coach Eric Roof (2018-Pres.), and the earliest it has held an opponent scoreless to start a season since 2016, when the Eagles blanked NJIT, 8-0, in the third game of that season.
DEALING IN DEBUT: Freshman hurler Adam Falinksi earned his first collegiate victory on Sunday over Winthrop, Feb. 20, in his collegiate debut, allowing no earned runs on just two hits, fanning six batters in 7.0 innings of work. Falinski helped his pitching staff record its first shutout victory of the season. The pitcher currently leads the league in ERA (0.00), opponent batting average (.091), innings pitched (7.0), wins (1), and is fourth in strikeouts (6).
The right-hander's performance earned recognition by the Mid-American Conference, tabbing the Co-Pitcher of the Week honor the league announced, Feb. 21. The selection was the first of his collegiate career.
MATT'S BAT: Junior Matt Kirk began his EMU career on fire at the plate. The outfielder earned two hits, an RBI, and a run scored in the final game versus Winthrop, Feb. 20. Kirk finished the series 8-for-13 with two RBIs, four runs scored, and two extra base hits. The eight knocks currently lead the team.
Kirk's .615 batting average (8-for-13) and eight hits currently tops the Mid-American Conference. The Milford, Ohio native's .615 on-base percentage ranks him second in the league as well.
RED-HOT STICKS: EMU tabbed 21 runs in its three-game series at Winthrop, Feb. 18-20. The 21 runs scored is the most tallied in a series since the Eagles recorded 21 in a four-game series versus Northern Illinois, May 14-16, 2021. Additionally, it is the most runs scored for the Green and White in a three-game series since earning 28 runs at Austin Peay, Feb. 15-16, 2020.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Captain Shane Easter finished the season-opening series 6-for-12 with a team-leading four RBIs, including a triple and two runs scored. The senior currently rides a three-game hitting streak.
Easter's six hits ranks him fifth in the Mid-American Conference and his four RBIs put him sixth in the league.
DROPPIN' TANKS: Senior Gabe Denton and sophomore Cory Taylor each belted a homer in the Eagles' season-opening series versus Winthrop, Feb. 18-20. Denton's round-tripper came in game two, Feb. 19, while Taylor's home run came in the final contest of the series, Feb. 20.
Denton hit the first home run of the season for the Green and White after blasting a team-high 10 long balls a season ago. It was his first home run since May 14, 2021, when he hit a shot against Northern Illinois.
The homer for Taylor was the first of his career. The sophomore coupled the home run with two RBIs, a walk, and a run scored in EMU's first win of the season.
WINDOW SHOPPIN': EMU drew four walks on Sunday versus Winthrop, Feb. 20. In total, the Eagles earned 16 free passes in the three-game series against the Golden Eagles. That is the most walks awarded since the team totaled 18 in a four-game series versus Ball State, April 16-18, 2021. Furthermore, it is the most walks in a three-game series since the Eagles recorded 18 free passes at Toledo, April 20-22, 2018.
Additionally, the Eagles have been disciplined at the plate as the Green and White currently lead the Mid-American Conference in fewest strikeouts (21) after the first weekend of the season.
FANTASTIC FOUR: Junior Matt Kirk has averaged 2.67 hits per game through the first three games of the season. That number ranks fourth in the nation and is tied for the best mark in the MAC. Seattle University's Derek Gellos leads the nation with 3.0 hits per game average this season.
EMU IN SEASON OPENERS: Eastern Michigan is entering its 74th season in 2022, with its start dating back to 1949. In its 73 previous seasons, Eastern is 36-37 in season openers. The Eagles are looking for three straight opening day wins after defeating Austin Peay, 16-8, to open the 2020 season, Feb. 14, and defeating Alabama State, 2-1, to begin the 2021 season, Feb. 27. Eastern has not won three consecutive lid-lifters since it did so between 2004-06.
NEW YEAR, NEW FACES: With every year, a crop of new talent arrives in Ypsilanti. There are 17 newcomers on this season's roster, nine of which are "true" freshmen. Another eight Eagles have joined by way of transfer, with a trio of players (Grant Reising - Missouri, Aaron Dolney-Nebraska, and Jarett Bach - Pittsburgh) coming to EMU after stops at the 'Power Five' level.
KEEPING THEM IN THE MITTEN: Nearly half of the Eastern Michigan roster consists of Michigan-born players in 2022. A total of 17 of the team's 38 players are from the Great Lakes State, while the next largest represented group comes from neighboring Ohio, with eight.
THE SEASON AHEAD: The Eagles are scheduled to play 57 contests in 2022, with 22 games at Oestrike Stadium. EMU begins the season with a nine-game non-conference slate, visiting Winthrop, Tennessee Tech., and Morehead State, before beginning Mid-American Conference play at Ball State, March 11. EMU's 22 scheduled home games are the most since the 2007 season, when EMU hosted 25 games at Oestrike Stadium.
THIS YEAR'S ROSTER BREAKDOWN: EMU features a mix of upperclassmen and fresh faces this season. Of the 38 roster spots for the Eagles, 10 are occupied by freshmen, seven are sophomores, 10 are juniors, and 11 are seniors.
THE LEAGUES EMU WILL FACE: EMU will face teams from five different Division I conferences in 2022. In addition to its MAC slate, the Green and White will face opponents from the Big South (Winthrop), Ohio Valley Conference (Tennessee Tech, Morehead State), Big East Conference (Butler), and Big Ten Conference (Michigan State).
Eastern will also play a trio of games against non-Division I teams. The Eagles are set to host Concordia University-Ann Arbor, March 22, and Siena Heights, April 19, before taking on Alma College, April 27, at Comerica Park in downtown Detroit.
RETURNING PRODUCTION: The Eagles have tremendous returning production at the plate this season, as 71 percent of the team's overall hitting is back from a season ago. A total of 287 of EMU's 407 total knocks came from players that return in 2022, while a whopping 73 percent (160-of-219) of the squad's overall RBIs were produced by players that are on this year's team. EMU hit 38 long balls during the 2021 campaign, 33 of which (87%) were hit by returning players in 2022.
Senior Gabe Denton is poised for a big season after leading the team in batting average (.318), slugging percentage (.606), RBIs (35), and home runs (10) in 2021. EMU also returns senior Taylor Hopkins, the team's 2021 leader in hits (56), runs (38), stolen bases (9), doubles (9), and at-bats (183).
Defensively, EMU returns all but two everyday starters in the field. On the mound, the Eagles have lost four starting pitchers (Davis Feldman, Justin Meis, Luke McGuire, Scott Granzotto), but welcome back players who combined to toss 154.1 innings last season (38% of EMU's total innings pitched). Senior Thomas House is set to return to the bump after being sidelined due to injury last season. He enters the 2022 season with 91.2 innings of experience in 52 outings for the Green and White. House has racked up 86 strikeouts in his career and has issues just 53 free passes. Junior Cameron Wagoner returns with the most innings of any player who threw last year for the Eagles. He tossed 49 innings over 18 appearances, allowing just 19 earned runs and holding batters to a .285 average. He fanned 56 opposing hitters while allowing just 22 walks, and was second on the team with a 3.49 ERA.
KENDALL'S TOP PROSPECTS: Kendall Rogers, Co-Managing Editor for the highly-touted baseball publication, DIBaseball, announced his top Mid-American Conference draft prospects for the 2022 season Feb. 10. Two Eagles cracked the list, as junior Cameron Wagoner and senior Zach Fruit are named as the number three and five top draft-eligible prospects in the league, respectively, by Rogers.
WELCOME HOME, HILT: Eastern Michigan welcomed a new pitching coach during the offseason, as Aaron Hilt assumed the position. A former standout college baseball player at NCAA Division II Ashland University, Hilt spent nearly a decade climbing the coaching ranks and adding responsibilities with Ashland. After returning to his alma mater in 2014, he was promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2018.
The Eagles reached the NCAA Division II postseason four times in Hilt's seven seasons, and made a run to the College World Series in 2019. Hilt has been part of two College World Series teams, also reaching the final stage as a player in 2008. Ashland posted a 230-149 (.607) record during Hilt's run with AU.
The 2019 season was a record-setting year for Ashland's hurlers. Eagle pitchers combined for a program-record-tying 48 wins, and set a program and GLIAC standard for team strikeouts in a season with 537. Hilt was directly responsible for the mentorship of numerous award-winning and now-professional pitchers while at Ashland. A pair of his players, Art Warren and Brandyn Sittinger, were selected in the MLB Draft in 2015 and 2016, respectively. A 2015 All-GLIAC selection, Warren is with the Seattle Mariners. Sittinger, a former GLIAC Pitcher of the Year, Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year, and First Team All-American while at Ashland, plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
RETURNING ALL-MAC SELECTION: EMU is set to return senior Taylor Hopkins to the roster this season, the lone First Team All-MAC selection back from last year's lineup. Hopkins' selection made him the first Eagle to appear on the league's first team since Zachary Owings in 2018.
HOPKINS THE IRONMAN: Eastern Michigan shortstop Taylor Hopkins was the only Eagle to play in, and start, all 51 games in the Green and White in 2021. Over his 51 games, the Mason, Ohio native recorded a .306 batting average, team-leading 56 hits, eight home runs, 20 RBIs, and a .486 slugging percentage.
PERFECT GAME PICKS TAYLOR: Perfect Game, a leading baseball-focused publication, released its 2022 Preseason All-MAC team Feb. 3. EMU senior shortstop Taylor Hopkins made the list in one of two "middle infielder" positions on the poll.
MAC PRESEASON POLL: Eastern was selected to finish eighth overall in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll, as announced by the league office, Feb. 15.
MAC Baseball Preseason Poll
1. Central Michigan — 115 points (6 first place votes)
2. Ball State — 103 points (1)
3. Kent State — 102 points (2)
4. Western Michigan - 75 points
5. Toledo — 73 points (1)
6. Miami — 68 points (1)
7. Ohio — 58 points
8. Eastern Michigan - 45 points
9. Bowling Green — 40 points
10. Northern Illinois — 36 points
11. Akron — 11 points
Tournament Champions: Central Michigan (4), Kent State (3), Ball State (2), Miami (1), Toledo (1)
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE: Eastern Michigan is 36-55 overall against the Ohio Valley Conference. Of the nine programs in the OVC, the Eagles have competed against Southern Illinois (30 games) the most. EMU has a winning record against four of the nine OVC programs.
ALL-TIME AGAINST TENNESSEE TECH: EMU and Tennessee Tech will meet for just the the sixth time Friday, Feb. 25. Eastern leads the all-time series over the Golden Eagles, 3-2.
LAST GAMES AT TENNESSEE TECH: EMU last met Tennessee Tech during the 2011 campaign, playing a three-game series, Feb. 25-27. Eastern would win the series, with the rubber match heading into extra innings where the Eagles would ultimately win 9-8 (11 innings).
Game 1 - EMU 1, TTU 7: Eastern Michigan starting pitcher Robert Wendzicki held TTU without a hit through the first three innings until a Zach Stephens' fourth-inning home run broke up the no-hit bid and gave the Golden Eagles a lead they would never relinquish. TTU starter Tristan Archer went eight innings, giving up a run (unearned) on eight hits while striking out nine batters and walking none en route to his first victory and TTU's first win of the season.
Game 2 - EMU 5, TTU 1: The right-hander Weber (1-1) turned in one of the best performances of his career, going eight innings and allowing just a run on five hits while striking out seven and walking just three. Meanwhile, the Eagle offense tallied nine hits and scored five runs on TTU starter Matthew Shepherd (0-1) en route to the win. With its victory, the Eagles improve to 2-4 on the season while TTU falls to 1-5.
Game 3 - EMU 9, TTU 8: The Eagles overcame an early four-run deficit and staved off a pair of late rallies before Brent Ohrman's (Adrian, Mich.-Adrian) RBI single in the 11th inning proved to be the game-winner for the Eagles, who defeated Tennessee Tech, 9-8, en route to the series win at Bush Stadium, Sunday, Feb. 27. Ohrman went 3-for-5 on the afternoon with three RBI and a run scored as the Eagles improved to 3-4 on the season with the win and Tennessee Tech fell to 1-6 with the loss.
TONS AGAINST TENNESSEE: EMU is no stranger to competition from the Volunteer State, in fact, the Green and White have played multiple games against eight of the nine Division I teams that reside in Tennessee (yet to play Tennessee State). EMU has not fared well against Tennessee-based institutions historically, holding a 25-40 all-time record in 65 games.
EMU has played the University of Tennessee more than any other foe from the state (25 games) and has a 7-18 record against the Volunteers. The Eagles do hold winning records against Tennessee-Martin (2-1), and Tennessee Tech. (3-2).
Division I teams in Tennesse: Austin Peay (6-8), Belmont (1-2), Lipscomb (1-2), Memphis (2-2), Middle Tennessee (2-3), Tennessee (7-18), Tennessee Technological (3-2), Tennessee-Martin (2-1), and Vanderbilt (1-2).
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan remains on the road to battle Morehead State in Morehead, Ky. First pitch in the series-opening game is set for 3 p.m. Friday, March 4, with games two and three to follow Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26-27, at 1 p.m.
