Baseball Kicks off Seven Game Homestand, Set to Host Kent State May 12-14

Baseball vs. Kent State
Date	Friday-Sunday, May 12-14
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Oestrike Stadium
Preview Info	Game Notes \| Media Guide (PDF)
Live Stats	Live Stats
Watch	EMUEagles.com/watch
Listen	Varsity Network App

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team returns home to Oestrike Stadium for the remaining seven games of the 2023 regular season. First up for the Eagles, a three-game series versus the Mid-American Conference leading Kent State University Golden Flashes, Friday-Sunday, May 12-14.
    The Green and White (22-24, 8-16 MAC) are coming off a nail-biting, 11-10, loss to the Michigan State University Spartans, May 10, and aim to close conference play on a positive note it has just six MAC contests remaining on the schedule this season.
    For the Golden Flashes (35-13, 19-5), they look to continue their win streak after beating University of Akron, 7-2, in their previous matchup, extending their winning streak to four straight games. Moreover, Kent State has captured it's last seven straight conference games, aiming to make it eight versus the Eagles this Friday.

DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!: With just seven games remaining in the regular season, EMU will play all of those contests at home over the next two weeks. First, the Eagles will host Mid-American Conference front-runner Kent State University, May 12-14, before welcoming Oakland University, May 16, and Northern Illinois University, May 18-20. Since Oestrike Stadium opened in 1971, EMU has tallied just 12 losing seasons, while compiling over 500 home victories. The Eagles, 3-8 this season at home, are trying for their first winning home campaign since 2015.

ONE MORE TO HIT THE CENTURY MARK: Head Coach Eric Roof sits just one victory shy of 100 for his EMU career. Roof, who currently has 99, is looking to become the fifth EMU leader to hit the century mark in victories. He would join Ron Oestrike (658), Roger Coryell (544), Jay Alexander (159), and Bill Crouch (153) in the club. Coincidentally, the only two head coaches in EMU history to not reach 100 career wins will be in the opposing dugout Wednesday, May 10. Mark Van Ameyde collected 70 wins between 2015-17, while Jake Boss Jr. won 25 games during his lone season in 2008.

CAREER HIGH FOR HOPKINS: Graduate student Taylor Hopkins crushed a three-run shot to right center field in the top of the eighth, tying the game at 10 runs a piece at the time, versus Michigan State, May 10. The homer marked Hopkins' ninth of the season, a career high as the then senior tallied eight home runs in the 2021 season.

KROSS APPROACHING SINGLE-SEASON LEADERBOARDS: Sophomore first baseman Josh Kross continues to send EMU base runners home this season. The switch hitter currently has 59 RBIs on the season, ranking second in the Mid-American Conference, putting him just five away from tying former Eagle Matt Skirving, who drove in 64 runs in the 2009 season. With a hot finish to the season, Kross could potentially claim the single season record for Eastern, currently held by former Eagle Derrick Peterson, who recorded 71 RBIs in the 2004 season. The Brunswick, Ohio native would have to tally 12 RBIs the remainder of the season to tie that record, and 13 to break it.

HUGO NAMED MAC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Sophomore Logan Hugo spearheaded the Eastern Michigan offense this past week at Central Michigan, May 5-7. The sophomore outfielder batted .400, scoring four runs on four hits, tallied three doubles and one home run, drove in two runs, posted a slugging percentage of 1.000, recorded 10 total bases, walked once to his just two strikeouts, and notched an on-base percentage of .455. Additionally, three of the four of the Essexville, Mich., native's hits went for extra bases, setting a career-high for extra base hits in a single game for the sophomore, as all three came in the Eagles' loss to the Chippewas, May 6.
    Hugo's performance last week propelled him to being named MAC Scholar-Athlete of the week. The accolade marks the first of the sophomore center fielder's two-year collegiate baseball career.

ON A STREAK: Glenn Miller's third inning double at Michigan State, May 10, gives him a hit in eight straight games, the longest current streak on the team. Furthermore, the Pentwater, Mich. native has reached base safely in 20 consecutive appearances, the longest streak of the year by an EMU student-athlete.
    Miller will attempt to become the first Eagle to reach base in 21 consecutive games since Daniel Warkentin posted a 21-game streak during the 2022 season.

DOUBLES GALORE: Matt Kirk, Josh Kross, Taylor Hopkins, Cory Taylor, and Glenn Miller have all recorded 10 or more doubles this season, marking the first time the Eagles have had five players with 10 plus doubles since the 2013 season when former Eagles Sam Ott, Adam Sonabend, John Rubino, Lee Longo, and Jamie Simpson all notched 10 or more two-baggers in the 2013 campaign.

10 RUNS 10+ TIMES: Eastern Michigan has plated 10 plus runs 13 times this season, producing an 11-2 record in such games. This marks the most games with 10 plus runs since it accomplished the feat 16 times in the 2013 season, going 15-1. The Eagles have seven games remaining this season to match the 2013 team's mark.

DOLNEY NEARING DOUBLE-DIGITS: Senior catcher Aaron Dolney sent his ninth home run of the season over the right field wall of McLane Stadium and into the Red Cedar River in the fourth inning against Michigan State, May 10. The homer counts as his ninth of the season and brings his RBI total to 35. The Plymouth, Mich. native is now just one home run away from reaching double-digit homers for the first time in his Eastern Michigan career as he recorded seven long balls last season.

ALL-TIME AGAINST KENT STATE: EMU and KSU will meet for the 126th time Friday, May 12. The Golden Flashes lead the all-time series by a record of 79-47. Eastern will look to claim victory in consecutive games versus Kent State for the first time since the 2015 season, when it won it's second straight over Kent, March 28, 2015, after beating them the previous season, 2-1, March 30, 2014.

LAST TIME WE MET: The Golden Flashes took three out of four games from the Eagles last season, May 19-21, 2022. EMU claimed victory in the final game of the season and series, besting Kent State, 15-8.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan continues it's homestand to close this season and will next take on the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland in it's third stand-alone contest versus the in-state foe this season, Tuesday, May 16, at 6 p.m.

Baseball Kicks off Seven Game Homestand, Set to Host Kent State May 12-14

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Players Mentioned

Aaron Dolney

Taylor Hopkins

Logan Hugo

Matt Kirk

Josh Kross

Glenn Miller

Cory Taylor

Daniel Warkentin

Eastern Michigan Athletics