Baseball Welcomes Oakland to Ypsilanti for Midweek Contest

Baseball vs. Oakland
Date	Tuesday, May 16
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 will play its final non-conference game of the season when it welcomes Oakland University to town for a midweek affair at Oestrike Stadium Tuesday, May 16. The game will get underway at 6 p.m. and will serve as the rubber match for the Eagles and Golden Grizzlies this season, as each team has won one game in this season's previous installments of the Mitten State rivalry.
   Eastern (23-26, 9-18) comes into the game after dropping two of three in their most recent series, against Kent State University, May 12-14. Despite the setbacks, EMU's pitching was outstanding, as it held the Mid-American Conference's best offense to just 11 runs on the weekend. Meanwhile, Oakland (25-27, 16-11) is playing its best baseball late this season. Winner of six in a row, OU is tied for the second-best record in the Horizon League and has the league's best current win streak.
   The game will be aired on Eagle All-Access and via the Varsity Network app. Greg Steiner will have the call, with the free coverage beginning at 5:45 p.m. from Ypsilanti. Fans can also follow @EMU_Baseball on Twitter for periodic in-game updates.

DOWN THE STRETCH THEY COME!: EMU has just four games remaining in its 2023 campaign. The Green and White will close its season with Tuesday's game against Oakland, before welcoming Northern Illinois University to town for a three-game set, Thursday-Saturday, May 18-20. While Mid-American Conference weekend series are traditionally played Friday-Sunday, it is a normal league practice to play the final series Thursday-Sunday. This accommodates the four teams who qualify for the league's annual tournament with one extra day of preparation and rest.

ROOFIE GETS HIS 100TH: Head Coach Eric Roof earned his 100th career victory Friday, May 12, with a 9-6 win over Kent State. Roof is the fifth EMU leader to hit the century mark in victories. He joins 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 were 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. Boss is the head coach at Michigan State University, where Van Ameyde is the pitching coach.

KROSS APPROACHING SINGLE-SEASON LEADERBOARDS: Sophomore first baseman Josh Kross continues to send EMU base runners home this season. The switch hitter currently has 62 RBIs on the season, ranking second in the Mid-American Conference, putting him just two away from tying former Eagle Matt Skirving for fifth in EMU single-season laurels. 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.

JOSH JAMS: Josh Kross delivered his team-leading 14th home run of the season in a 9-6 win over Kent State, May 12. That number ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference. Additionally, Kross is now three home runs away from tying his teammate Matt Kirk for fourth in Eastern Michigan baseball history with 17 homers in a single season. Kirk accomplished this last season, en route to capturing MAC Player of the Year honors.

RUSSO SHINES AGAIN: Senior right-hander Luke Russo was outstanding on the mound for Eastern Michigan against Kent State Saturday, May 13. The Howell, Mich. native went 7.0 innings, which ties his season-best effort. Additionally, he struck out eight while allowing just two runs on four hits. Russo's two seven inning outings are the most for an individual EMU pitcher since Adam Falinski tossed five in the 2022 season.
   Russo has tallied eight or more strikeouts in seven outings this season. That number is a career-best, topping his previous high mark of just one in 2022.

REED ROCKS IN SUNDAY START: Freshman pitcher Sam Reed was outstanding against the MAC's leading offense, Kent State, Sunday, May 14. The freshman hurler tossed a career-high 8.0 innings, surrendering just five hits and one run. The outing was also the season-long by any Eastern Michigan pitcher this year. Reed is the first Eastern Michigan pitcher to go eight innings into a start since former Eagles Justin Meis and Luke McGuire each accomplished the feat one time in the 2021 season, respectively. Meis tossed eight in a 4-1 loss to Mississippi State University, March 13, 2021, while McGuire did so versus Ohio University, April 10, 2021.
   After allowing one run in the first inning, Reed went on to blank Kent State for seven consecutive frames. It was the first time the Golden Flashes have failed to score in seven straight innings since March 26 at Central Michigan. Overall, Kent State did not score in the final eight innings for just the second time this season.
   Reed issued just two walks in the contest and struck out five KSU hitters.

ON A STREAK: Glenn Miller's career-best streak of 20 games reaching base, the longest streak of the year by an EMU student-athlete, came to an end Friday, May 12. All told, Miller put together just the sixth such streak for any member of the program since the 2018 season. (See PDF for full chart)

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 OAKLAND: EMU and Oakland will meet for the 68th time this Tuesday. Eastern leads the all-time series by a record of 47-20. Despite the series lead, the Eagles have lost four of its last five games against the Golden Grizzlies. This season, EMU claimed a 7-5 win, March 28, before falling to Oakland, 9-7, April 19. Both games were played in Rochester, Mich.

LOOK BACK AT 2019: Eastern and Oakland last played at Oestrike Stadium during the 2019 season. The Golden Grizzlies defeated the Eagles, 14-8. Eastern has not beaten Oakland at home since 2015. EMU has dropped four straight against the Golden Grizzlies at Oestrike.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE HORIZON LEAGUE: Eastern Michigan is 58-39 overall against the Horizon League. Outside of its earlier contests against OU, EMU's last meeting versus a Horizon League opponent came against Northern Kentucky University, Feb. 17-19, in the season opener in Hoover, Ala. NKU took the series 2-1, but EMU won the final by a 13-9 score.

ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan will close the 2023 campaign with a trio of games against Northern Illinois University, Thursday-Sunday, May 18-20.

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Players Mentioned

Aaron Dolney

Adam Falinski

Taylor Hopkins

Matt Kirk

Josh Kross

Glenn Miller

Sam Reed

Luke Russo

Cory Taylor

Eastern Michigan Athletics