Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Bowling Green
Baseball Preps for Crucial Weekend Versus Bowling Green
4/28/2022 5:25:00 PM | Baseball
Series 11 • April 29 - May 1 • Ypsilanti, Mich. • Oestrike Stadium (2,500)
| Baseball vs. Bowling Green | |
| Date | Friday-Sunday, April 29 - May 1 | Game 1 - 4 p.m.; Games 2/3 (DH) - 2 p.m.; Game 4 - 1 p.m. |
| Venue | Oestrike Stadium | Ypsilanti, Mich. |
| Preview Info | EMU Game Notes |
| Watch | Eagle All-Access |
| Live Stats | EMUEagles.com |
| @EMU_Baseball | @EMUAthletics | |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team will take part in a critical Mid-American Conference series when it welcomes Bowling Green State University to town for a four-game set, Friday-Sunday, April 29-May 1. Friday's first pitch is slated for 4 p.m. before a Saturday doubleheader and Sunday matinee to close the weekend series.
Eastern defeated Alma College, April 27, 5-1 inside Comerica Park in its most recent meeting. The Falcons are coming off a MAC series victory over Western Michigan, April 22-24, taking three-of-four from the Broncos.
All contests will be broadcast via Eagle All-Access where Greg Steiner will have the call. Fans can follow the action via live stats by visiting EMUEagles.com/livestats. The team's official Twitter account, @EMU_Baseball, will also provide inning-by-inning updates.
KING OF COMERICA: With a pair of homers on Wednesday night, April 27, senior Taylor Hopkins is the only player this baseball season to earn a multi-homer game inside Comerica Park. Including all Detroit Tiger home games and the recent NCAA matchup between Michigan State and Notre Dame (April 26), no player has notched two dingers in a game in the stadium besides Hopkins.
The homers give Hopkins five on the year, and 17 in his collegiate career.
MATT'S BAT: Junior Matt Kirk has some of the best numbers in the Mid-American Conference this season. The Milford, Ohio native is first in the league in home runs (tied - 11), doubles (18), and slugging percentage (.658), and ranks inside the league's top-10 in hits (3rd - 55), OBP + slugging (3rd - 1.059), and RBIs (6th - 36).
Kirk registered an RBI single against Alma, April 27, his team-leading 36th RBI of the season. Additionally, the junior has recorded a hit in 10 of the last 11 games, totaling 16, three home runs and 17 RBIs in that span.
The outfielder finished with an RBI on a double in the fifth inning on Sunday, April 24, versus Toledo. The extra-base hit is Kirk's team-leading 29th of the season.
DINGERS FOR DAYS: Eastern Michigan launched two dingers on Wednesday night versus Alma, April 27, courtesty of senior Taylor Hopkins. Hopkins' performance marks the third Eagle this season to belt multiple homers in a contest. Senior Brady Huebbe accomplished the feat last weekend, April 24, notching a pair of home runs versus Toledo. Teammate Daniel Warkentin also tallied a pair of round-trippers in his historic series versus Akron, March 26.
HUEBBE IS HOT: Eastern Michigan got a two-homer day from senior Brady Huebbe in the series finale against Toledo, April 24. The pair of dingers were Huebbe's fifth and sixth, respectively, of the 2022 campaign. The outfielder now has 11 career home runs.
Additionally, it was Huebbe's first career multi-homer game and his seventh multi-RBI game of the season.
CHITTUM GETS HIS FIRST: Sophomore Nick Chittum earned his first career win while donning the Green and White. The right-hander pitched five shutout innings while giving up three hits, allowing three walks and striking out five. Chittum's five K's is a career-high, surpassing his game against Ohio, April 17, when he fanned four batters, in his first collegiate win.
DROPPIN' TANKS: EMU hit two more home runs in its midweek game against Alma, April 27. Eastern Michigan has hit 55 home runs in 40 games this season. That number equates to a 1.38 home runs per game average. Eastern has not had a season with a home runs per game average better than 1.0 since 2009, when the Eagles belted 100 total homers, a 1.67 per game average.
EMU leads the MAC in total home runs (55). Moreover, the Eagles rank 41st in the nation in dingers and 49th in home runs per game. Junior Matt Kirk and senior Daniel Warkentin pace the Mid-American Conference with 11 homers apiece (four-way tie). Senior Gabe Denton ranks fifth in the conference with 10 round-trippers.
HITTING THE 100-MARK: With a base hit on Sunday, April 17, senior captain Shane Easter tabbed his 100th career hit donning the Green and White. He now has 39 hits on the season for Eastern Michigan, which is the third-highest mark on the team.
Classmate Brady Huebbe is also closing in on 100 career hits, as the outfielder is sitting at 94 following the series at Toledo, April 22-24. Junior Matt Kirk sits at 76 career hits with 55 of those base knocks coming this season.
DANNY DEEPSHOTS: Senior Daniel Warkentin blasted three home runs in the four-game series versus Miami, April 9-11. The weekend performance included a homer in three consecutive games for the second baseman. Warkentin is tied for the team lead and conference lead in total home runs (11) this season.
Warkentin blasted five home runs in the four-game series versus Akron, March 25-26. The weekend performance earned Warkentin his first career Mid-American Conference Player of the Week honor, March 29.
He is the first Eastern Michigan player to hit five deep shots in a four-game stretch since the 2009 season, when Jim Gulliver did it between May 8-12. The senior finished the weekend 7-for-17 with 10 RBIs on five homers, including 10 runs scored and three walks. Warkentin has recorded two multi-home run games this season.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Captain Shane Easter is third on the team with 39 hits this season. Additionally, Easter is fourth on the team in RBIs (27) and third in doubles (8). Furthermore, the captain has started all 39 games this season and has a fielding percentage of .993.
In the series finale against Miami, April 11, Easter drove in four runs for Eastern Michigan. The four RBIs tie a career-high for the captain (4 at Austin Peay, Feb. 15, 2020). It was Easter's fourth multi-RBI game of the 2022 season.
NABBING BASES: On the basepaths, sophomore Cory Taylor stole two bases in Sunday's game at Toledo, April 24. The two stolen bases were the first of the season for Taylor. Additionally, the two stolen bags is just the second time this season an Eagle has tabbed multiple steals in a game this season (Brady Huebbe - 3 vs. Akron, March 26).
GOOD EYE!: The Eagles have been disciplined at the plate as the Green and White are second in the Mid-American Conference in fewest strikeouts (271). Additionally, EMU owns the league lead in home runs (55) and home runs per game (1.38).
SCORING IN BUNCHES: EMU scored four runs in the fifth inning of its game at Toledo, April 24. The Eagles have scored four-or-more runs in a single inning 18 times this season.
EMU BATS TOP THE MAC: Two Eagles lead the team and the league with 11 homers as senior Daniel Warkentin and junior Matt Kirk pace Eastern. Additionally, only five student-athletes in the Mid-American Conference have totaled double-digit homers thus far, three of which reside on Eastern's roster (Gabe Denton - 10).
Additionally, Kirk (1st - .658) and Warkentin (3rd - .627) top the MAC in slugging percentage.
HISTORY AT COMERICA PARK: EMU earned its first victory in Comerica Park after deafting Alma 5-1, April 27. Eastern is now 1-1 at Comerica Park. The Eagles fell to Michigan State University, 3-2, May 11, 2016.
Comerica Park is not the only MLB ballpark the Eagles have won inside of. Eastern split a doubleheader against No. 25 Kansas, Feb. 22, 2010, inside the Metrodome in Minneapolis. The Eagles took the first game, 3-1, while Jayhawks prevailed in the final game, 9-5.
TIGER TIES: An 18th round draft selection in the 2009 MLB Draft, Head Coach Eric Roof has ties in the Detroit Tigers organization. Roof played three seasons in the minor leagues (2009-11) for the Tigers organization. He began his professional career in 2009 with the Oneonta Tigers in the Class A New York-Penn League before playing in the New York-Penn League for the Connecticut Tigers in 2010 as well as the West Michigan Whitecaps in the Class A Midwest League. Wrapping up his playing career in 2011, Roof appeared in 40 games with the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the Class A Advanced Florida State League.
EMU's Director of Player Personnel Gene Roof also has ties to the Tigers ballclub. Gene was the first base coach for the Tigers from 1992-95 and then spent 20 seasons as Detroit's outfield and base running coordinator (2001-20).
HISTORY AT OESTRIKE: Opening in 1971, Oestrike Stadium will hold its 51st season of baseball inside the park in 2022. EMU holds a 550-414-2 all-time record at the venue, and has compiled just 12 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.
HISTORY VERSUS BOWLING GREEN: Eastern Michigan holds a 107-74 advantage over Bolwing Green in the all-time series. Eastern holds a five-game winning streak over Bowling Green, outscoring the Falcons 31-13 in that span. Additionally, the Eagles have won 10 straight series over the Falcons, dating back to 2005.
The last time the two programs met, EMU defeated BGSU 3-0, May 8, 2021. Then-junior Tayor Hopkins tallied an RBI, along with former Eagle Mike Monahan. EMU hurler Scott Granzotto earned the win, while then-junior Zach Fruit earned the save.
The Eagles have battled the Falcons the second most of any Mid-American Conference team in its history (Western Michigan - 183 games, BGSU - 181 games). Additionally, EMU has faced BGSU the third most of any opponent in its history. Eastern has played the University of Michigan the most of any school (188 games).
LAST TIME IN YPSILANTI: The last time the two teams met at Oestrike, Eastern defeated Bowling Green 4-0, April 7, 2019.
On the mound, then-freshman Justin Meis stole the show with a commanding performance. In his series-clinching victory over Bowling Green, the talented right-hander went seven, holding an opponent scoreless for the first time in his collegiate career.
EMU would go on to win the three-game series, April 5-7, 2019.
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan travels to DeKalb, Ill. to begin a four-game set at Northern Illinois, May 6-8, inside Ralph McKinzie Field.
