Baseball to Welcome Central Michigan to Oestrike for Three-Game Series

Baseball vs Central Michigan
Date	Thursday-Saturday, March 28-30
Venue	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Oestrike Stadium
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF)
Live Video	Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
Live Stats	Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
Social Media	@EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Winners in four of its last five games, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team is slated to welcome its rivals from the north, the Central Michigan University Chippewas to Oestrike Stadium for a three-game series Thursday-Saturday, March 28-30.
Thursday's game will begin at 3 p.m., while Friday and Saturday's will start at 1 p.m. Fans can follow along with the game via a live stream and live stats link, both of which can be accessed on the EMU baseball schedule page at EMUEagles.com/baseball/schedule. Also stay tuned to EMU baseball socials including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter), and emu.baseball on Instagram for live in-game updates.
Following the completion of the series with the Chippewas, EMU will make a short trip down the road to take on the University of Michigan Wolverines for the second time this season Tuesday, April 2, at 4 p.m.

FIRST PITCHES
» Senior Nick Chittum ranks second in the country with two complete games this season. He became the first EMU pitcher to toss a complete game shutout since the 2017 season when he did so against Western Michigan University, March 24 (G2).
» Nick Chittum and Kyle Schroedle were named MAC Pitcher and Player of the Week, the conference office announced, March 25.
» The Eagles and Chippewas will meet for the 180th time Thursday. Overall, Eastern holds a 96-83 record when facing its rivals from the north.
» Next, EMU will make a short trip down the road to take on the University of Michigan Wolverines for the second time this season Tuesday, April 2, at 4 p.m.

COMPLETE GAMES NATIONWIDE
Senior Nick Chittum is one of seven players in the nation to record two complete games this season, doing so against the University of Southern Indiana, Feb. 25, and most recently against Western Michigan University, March 24. One of 78 Division I pitchers to go the distance this season, Chittum held the Broncos scoreless in his last outing, the senior became the first EMU pitcher to toss a nine-inning shutout since former Eagle Brad Allen notched a 3-0 complete-game triumph over Bowling Green, March 25, 2017.

CHITTUM: MAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK
On the heels of his complete game shutout against the Broncos, Nick Chittum was named the MAC's Pitcher of the Week, marking the first time the Grosse Ile, Mich., native has garnered the award. The right-hander allowed three hits, two walks, and struck out a season-high six batters in the contest, and at one point retired 12 Broncos consecutively.

SCHROEDLE: MAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Graduate student Kyle Schroedle collected the second player of the week honors in his EMU career. In 15 at-bats throughout the week, the outfielder notched a .400 batting average, 1.067 slugging percentage, .471 on-base percentage, and a blistering 1.538 OPS. The graduate student knocked 6 hits, four of which went for extra bases (three home runs, one double), equaling out to 16 total bases on the week, while driving in seven runs, walking twice, and stealing one base in his lone attempt of the week. Schroedle also tabbed homers in consecutive games against Western Michigan, March 24 (DH), all while playing a perfect outfield with a 1.000 fielding percentage, seven putouts, and an assist as he caught a runner attempting to advance to third.

KYLE SCHROEDLE: MID-SEASON FORM
Kyle Schroedle has turned a corner in his second Division I season. The Redding, Calif., native has already matched his home run total from last season (seven), which stands as the second most in the MAC. The graduate student is just five RBI away from tying his total from 2023 (23). Additionally, Schroedle is over halfway to reaching his hit total from last season (41), and has made substantial improvements to his batting average (up .34 points from last season), slugging percentage (up over .100 points from last season), and OPS (up over .100 points from last season).

McRAE'S BREAKOUT SEASON
Also in his second Division I campaign, Blake McRae has grown leaps and bounds since last season, as the senior has already surpassed his 2023 season total in nearly every hitting statistic. Last season, the Armada, Mich., native batted .292 with 26 hits, 16 runs, two doubles, two home runs, 13 RBI, and 34 TB. This season, McRae is batting .342 with 27 hits, 20 runs, three doubles, four homers, 19 RBI, and 42 TB. McRae has also increased his OPS 190 points from .772 to .962.

BOB GETS THE NOD
Senior Bobby Jones started in Saturday's win over Western Michigan, March 23, marking his seventh start of the season. Jones' seven starts rank as the most in the conference thus far, and fourth most in the nation. The senior took the ball for Eastern Michigan to start the game against the Broncos. He struck out three batters and walked just one. Moreover, Jones had a career-long start against the Broncos, as he went eight innings before being relieved at the start of the ninth.

BOBBY JONES: NATIONALLY RANKED
Bobby Jones is nationally ranked in both strikeout-to-walk ratio and walks allowed per nine innings. Jones stands second in the conference in both categories, while ranking 14th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.25) and 16th in the country in walks allowed per nine innings (1.00).

MOVE EM' UP
Glenn Miller has excelled this season in advancing EMU baserunners via the sacrifice bunt. Miller has notched five sacrifice bunts on the season, ranking him at the top of the MAC and inside the top-15 in the country, at No. 15. The senior most recently executed two sacrifice bunts in the Eagles' victory over Michigan, March 19.

NATIONALLY RANKED IN HOMERS
EMU checks into the top-100 nationally in both home runs and home runs per game, totaling 31 this season (fourth in the MAC), ranking 66th in the country. Eastern averages 1.35 homers per game (third in the MAC), also slotting 66th nationally.

DANGEROUS ON THE BASE PATHS
Junior Logan Hugo ranks second in the MAC and stands 12th nationally with 14 stolen bases. He also stands 22nd in the country and second in the conference in stolen bases per game (0.61). Hugo leads an Eagles team that ranks 61st nationally in stolen bags, and third in the conference with 38, EMU also ranks high in stolen bases per game, averaging 1.65 swipes per contest (63rd nationally, third in MAC).

SCORING FIRST
When scoring first, Eastern posts a 7-4 record. The trend continues when Eastern Michigan scores in the first inning of the game, as the Eagles hold a 5-2 record in such occurrences. The Eagles scored first, and in the first inning, plating six runs in the first frame in its 11-4 win over the Broncos, March 23.

13 HITS = WINS
The Eagles have a 7-1 record when recording 13 or more hits in a single game this season. Most recently, EMU tabbed 13 hits in its 11-4 win over Western Michigan, March 23.

IMPORTANCE OF THE SIXTH
The Eagles post a 9-0 record when leading after six innings of play. Conversely, when trailing after six, EMU is 0-13. The trend continued in Eastern's latest win over Western Michigan, March 24 (G2), as the Eagles entered the seventh inning leading the Broncos, 3-0. The score remained unchanged for the rest of the game, resulting in an EMU win.

BACK-TO-BACK IN BACK-TO-BACK
Grabbing series wins in its first two MAC series this season (at Ball State, vs WMU), and last season (at Akron, at WMU), the Eagles have won their first two conference series for the second consecutive season, marking the first time the team has accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons since they did so in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Eastern swept BGSU, 3-0, prior to besting the University at Buffalo, 2-1, in the 2016 season. The 2017 season saw EMU open MAC play with series wins against Bowling Green, 2-1, and Miami University, 2-1.

SHUT OUT VS MAC FOE
The Eagles 3-0 blanking of the Broncos, March 24, marks the first time the Eagles shut out a MAC opponent since May 11, 2021. That day, EMU held the University of Toledo scoreless as four Eastern hurlers contributed to the shutout win. Furthermore, Eastern's shutout of the Broncos is the third shutout by a MAC team this season, as Kent State University and Northern Illinois University have also recorded one in the 2024 campaign.

SCOUTING CMU
The Chippewas were predicted to finish third in the conference's pre-season poll. Currently holding a 6-18 (3-6 MAC) record, Central enters Thursday's contest after winning its first MAC series of the season, besting the Ohio University Bobcats in a three-game series, 2-1.

IN THE SERIES: CENTRAL MICHIGAN
The Eagles and Chippewas will meet for the 180th time Thursday. Overall, Eastern holds a 96-83 record when facing its rivals from the north. Central has controlled the series as of late, winning nine of the last ten matchups. The Eagles defeated the Chippewas last season, capturing a win in the first game of a three-game set in Mount Pleasant by a score of 3-1, May 5.

ON THE HORIZON
Following the completion of the series with the Chippewas, EMU will make a short trip down the road to take on the University of Michigan Wolverines for the second time this season Tuesday, April 2, at 4 p.m.

FOLLOW US
For all things EMU Baseball, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter), emu.baseball on Instagram, and emu.baseball on TikTok.

Baseball to Welcome Central Michigan to Oestrike for Three-Game Series

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Players Mentioned

Nick Chittum

Logan Hugo

Bobby Jones

Blake McRae

Glenn Miller

Kyle Schroedle

Eastern Michigan Athletics