Baseball Set For Three-Game Weekend Series Versus Miami

Baseball vs Miami
Date	Friday-Sunday, April 7-9
Venue	Oestrike Stadium \| Ypsilanti, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF)
Live Stats	Live Stats
Watch	Eagle All-Access

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team is set for a weekend Mid-American Conference series versus the Miami University RedHawks. The series will be three games, Friday-Saturday, April 7-9. This will be the first meeting between the Eagles and RedHawks of the 2023 season. The last time the Eagles faced the RedHawks was in the 2022 season where EMU took 3-of-4 games on the road in Oxford, Ohio. Eastern Michigan outscored Miami, 33-29, in the series.
   Eastern (12-13, 4-8 MAC) is coming off a win at the University of Akron, where they bested the Zips in a non-conference matchup, 9-2, April 4. On the other hand, the RedHawks are coming off a 16-2 loss to Xavier University. Miami's last conference series came against Western Michigan, where the Broncos took 2-of-3 from the RedHawks in Kalamazoo, Mich., bringing Miami to their current 4-8 MAC record, just one spot from the bottom of the conference, where Northern Illinois currently sits with a 2-7 conference record, 5-22 overall.
   The game can be streamed live via EMU Eagles All-Access with Greg Steiner and Alex Jewell on the call. You can also follow along via livestats at EMUEagles.com/livestats. Stay tuned to @EMU_Baseball for live in-game updates.

BACK TO BACK WITH BACK TO BACK: The Green and White hit home runs in consecutive at-bats twice in its three-game series at Ohio. Kyle Schroedle and Aaron Dolney went back-to-back in the fourth inning of game one, April 1, before Josh Kross and Taylor Hopkins accomplished the feat in the first inning of game two, April 2. Prior to its series against the Bobcats, EMU had not had players go back-to-back with long balls since May 15, 2022, when Matt Kirk and Dolney did it against Central Michigan University. Moreover, this marks the first time the Eagles have hit back-to-back home runs in consecutive games since modern day statistical record began being kept for EMU baseball in 2012.

KRAFT'S CAREER DAY: Junior Darren Kraft had a career day during Eastern's 9-2 win over Akron, April 4. The 6-foot-1 infielder sent the first home run of his career over the fences of Skeeles Field in the top of the eighth inning, putting the Green and White up, 7-2. Kraft finished the day batting a clean 3-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored, to mark the first three-hit day of the junior's career. Lastly, with three hits the Mount Pleasant, S.C., native extended his career-long hit streak to three games.

STAMINA SAM: Freshman pitcher Sam Reed had a career and season long stint on the hill both for himself and Eastern Michigan as a team, April 4 in a 9-2 win against Akron. The left-hander pitched 7.2 innings, giving up just two runs on six hits while striking out three Akron batters. 7.2 innings is the longest an EMU starter has gone in a game since former Eagle Luke McGuire gave up just one run on three hits in 8.0 innings of work in a 2-1 loss to Ohio, April 10, 2021.

SWEET SWINGIN' SCHROEDLE: Graduate student Kyle Schroedle paced the Eagles offensively April 4, versus the Zips of Akron. The EMU newcomer batted 3-for-4 at the plate, including two doubles, and scoring two runs. Schroedle now joins Matt Kirk and Logan Milene as the only Eagles to knock two doubles in a single game this season. Milene drilled two doubles in the Eagles' 9-0 shutout win over Towson, March 4, while Kirk has accomplished the feat twice. Once versus Western Michigan, March 19, and again at home versus Ball State, March 25. With his hits today, the Redding, Calif. native now claims the longest current hitting streak of his EMU career with a hit in five straight. Moreover, the 6-foot-3 outfielder has notched a double in consecutive games for the first time in his EMU career and has three two-baggers over his last two games.

HOME RUN FUN: Eastern Michigan tabbed two home runs in their contest versus Akron, April 4 . The Green and White now have 32 home runs on the season, which ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles have hit multiple home runs in 10 contests this season, including in four of the team's last five games. Eastern's eight home runs in its last five games is a season-best stretch for the squad.
   Eastern Michigan's five home runs in their series versus Ohio, April 1-2 ties for the team's single-series high this season. The Green and White also hit five homers against Akron, March 10-12, and Western Michigan, March 18-19.

DOLNEY DINGERS: Aaron Dolney homered twice in game one against Ohio, April 1, marking his third multi-hit performance of the season and first career multi-home run game. His multi-homer game was the third of the season for EMU after Matt Kirk did it at Akron, March 11, and Taylor Hopkins accomplished the feat at Oakland, March 28. Additionally, with another homer in the Eagles' previous game, a 9-2 decision at Akron, April 4, Dolney now has a home run in his last 3-of-4 games.

KROSS IT OFF THE LIST: First-year Eagle Josh Kross continued his impressive play at the dish against Ohio, going 2-for-3 in game two of the series against the Bobcats. That performance, which featured a home run and two RBIs, was his team-leading 12th multi-hit game of the season and third in a row. He made it four in a row and 13 overall with a 3-for-5 series finale against the Bobcats, April 2.

EIGHT MORE FOR RUSSO: Senior pitcher Luke Russo tallied a season-high-tying eight strikeouts in his start against Ohio, April 2. Moreover, he has hit that total, which ties an EMU single-game high this season, in two of his last three outings. He is the only EMU pitcher to record that total twice this season, and currently ranks fourth in the MAC with 49 strikeouts this season.

KRAFT(Y) PERFORMANCE: Junior Darren Kraft had a good day at the dish in a doubleheader of games against Ohio, April 2. The Mount Pleasant, S.C. native notched three total hits (two in game one, one in game two), marking the first time in his career he has recorded hits in multiple games. Kraft has a career-high six hits thus far in 2023.

SCHROEDLE LOOKING STRONG: After recording just 12 hits and hitting .240 overall in his first 15 games as an Eagle, Kyle Schroedle has found a groove in EMU's last four outings. The Redding, Calif. native is 6-for-15 (.400) over that stretch, with three extra-base hits, two home runs, seven RBIs, and a .867 slugging percentage. In his first 15 games, he notched just two extra-base hits, with no home runs, three RBIs, and a .280 slugging percentage.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Eastern Michigan has had no problem finding second base this year. The Green and White average 2.25 doubles per contest in 2023, which ranks 42nd in the nation. Eastern averaged just 1.8 doubles per game a season ago.

MORE DOUBLE TROUBLE: One season after leading the nation in doubles (25), Matt Kirk is pacing towards similar numbers in 2023. The Milford, Ohio native ranks seventh in the nation and first in the MAC with 14 doubles this season. He ranks third in the nation with a doubles per game average of 0.56.

NINE FOR ERIC: Eastern Michigan had nine wins in March, the most in the month for Head Coach Eric Roof, in his fifth season at the helm of the program (2018-Pres.). Prior to 2023, Roof's best month-of-March total was seven, which came in 2022. EMU has not had nine wins in March since the 2013 season, when the team recorded 11 wins en route to a 26-28 season.

FUN RUN: Eastern Michigan is one of the most aggressive base running teams in the nation, ranking 20th nationally and second in the Mid-American Conference with 50 stolen bases this season. EMU is 20th nationally with a 2.08 steals per game average. Last season, EMU was 157th in the country with just 52 stolen bags for the season, a 0.96 steals per game average.

PICK YOUR POISON: The Green and White have displayed the ability to score in bunches in a single inning this season. EMU has scored four runs or more in a single inning 12 times this season. Eastern's best single inning of the season came in its series against Western Michigan, where it pushed across seven runs in the third inning of the series finale, March 19.

COMEBACK KIDS: EMU has come back to win four games when trailing by four or more runs this season. The most recent came against WMU, March 18, when the Eagles erased a five-run deficit to secure a 12-11 victory. Last season, EMU did not come back from any such deficits, and only came back from a deficit (one run or more) to win in six total games.

GOOD EYE JOSH: Josh Kross is one of the hardest players in the nation to strike out in 2023. The first-year Eagle has fanned just once every 13.9 at bats this season, the 22nd-best figure in the nation.

EASTERN ON EASTER: The Eagles currently hold a 2-3 record when playing on Easter Sunday under Head Coach, Eric Roof. Last season, EMU bested Ohio in a 3-1 decision at Oestrike Stadium where Gabe Denton sent a two-run homer to left-center to secure the win for the Green and White.

ALL-TIME AGAINST MIAMI: EMU and Miami will meet for the 50th time Friday, April 7. Miami leads the all-time series by a record of 33-16. However, the Eagles have had the upper hand as of late as they took 3-of-4 versus the RedHawks last season, April 9-11, 2022, and will be riding a three-game win streak versus Miami heading into the start of the series. The last time the series took place at Oestrike Stadium, the Eagles were swept in a four-game set versus Miami, April 2-4, 2021.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will head west to Kalamazoo, Mich. for a two game mid-week series versus Western Michigan University. The first game of the series is set to beginning in Kalamazoo Tuesday, April 11, at 3:05 p.m. with the second game kicking off the following day at 6 p.m. in Ypsilanti, Mich.

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Players Mentioned

Gabe Denton

Aaron Dolney

Taylor Hopkins

Matt Kirk

Darren Kraft

Josh Kross

Logan Milene

Sam Reed

Luke Russo

Kyle Schroedle

Eastern Michigan Athletics