Baseball To Complete Second Half of Home and Home Series at Oakland Tuesday

Baseball at Oakland
Date	Tuesday, April 23
Venue	Rochester, Mich. \| Oakland Baseball Field
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF)
Live Stats	Live Stats
Live Video	Watch Live
Social Media	@EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team will play the second half of a home and home series against the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies Tuesday, April 23, at 3:30 p.m., at the Oakland Baseball Field in Rochester, Mich.
   Fans can follow the game via a live stats and watch link that 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 game, the Eagles will resume Mid-American Conference play with a three-game series against Miami University Friday-Sunday, April 26-28.

FIRST PITCHES
» Logan Hugo reached the 100-hit mark in his collegiate baseball career Friday, April 19. Cory Taylor and Glenn Miller are also approaching the century mark in hits. Taylor currently has 97 in his career, while Miller has 95.
» Former Eagle Max Schuemann recently became Eastern baseball's 18th alumni to see time in the major leagues, as he made his MLB debut with the Oakland Athletics, April 12.
» Cory Taylor had five hits in Eastern's game against Oakland University, April 9. He became the first Eagle to have five hits in a game since former Eagle Jeff Timko did so in the 2018 season.
» With series wins over rivals Western Michigan (March 23-24) and Central Michigan (March 28-30), Eastern has beaten both its Michigan MAC foes in a series in the same season for the first time since 2012.
» After losing its first three one-run affairs to start the season, EMU has prevailed to win in each of its last five one-run games.
» The Eagles and Golden Grizzlies will do battle for the 69th time. Eastern holds a 48-21 record when facing Oakland, and an 11-6 record when facing the Golden Grizzlies on the road.
» Following the game against Oakland, the Eagles will resume Mid-American Conference play with a three-game series against Miami University Friday-Sunday, April 26-28.
» 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.

APPROACHING THE CENTURY MARK
Logan Hugo reach the 100-hit mark in his collegiate career with his first inning homer against Akron, April 19. Cory Taylor and Glenn Miller are also approaching the century mark in hits. Taylor currently has 97 in his career, while Miller has 95.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Former Eagle Max Schuemann became Eastern baseball's 18th alumni to record playing time in the major leagues. Schuemann donned the Script E for three seasons (2016-18), and collected an All-MAC Second Team honor in the 2018 season, while making the MAC All-Tournament team in the 2017 campaign. A 20th round selection by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 draft, Schuemann made his MLB debut with the A's, April 12. Entering game as the extra-innings runner on second base in the bottom of the 10th inning, Schuemann was driven in to secure the walk-off win over the Washington Nationals, marking his first MLB run. Schuemann recently recorded his first MLB hit and home run with one swing of the bat, as he homered against the Cleveland Guardians, April 20. He became the first EMU baseball alum to homer in the majors since Brian Bixler left the playing field for the Houston Astros June 25, 2012.

DOUBLE DOWN
Eastern currently leads the MAC in doubles (75), and doubles per game (1.97), figures that rank EMU 89th and 93rd in the nation, respectively. The Eagles also hold the highest single-game total in doubles, as they have barreled seven twice this season, first against Belmont University, Feb. 18, and most recently against Morehead State University, March 17. Furthermore, Eastern posts a .477 slugging percentage, ranking fourth in the MAC and 83rd in the country.

CORY TAYLOR: NATIONALLY RANKED IN TRIPLES
Cory Taylor recorded his third triple of the season when he smoked a ball off the right-field wall of Oestrike Stadium in the series opening game against Ohio, April 13. Taylor's three three-baggers rank as the most on the team, the third-most in the MAC and slot him 55th nationally.

CORY TAYLOR: FIRST FIVE-HIT DAY SINCE 2018
Senior Cory Taylor swung a blazing-hot bat against Oakland, April 9. The second baseman went 5-for-7 from the dish, marking the first five-hit day from the Eagles since former Eagle Jeff Timko did so in an 11-5 win over Nicholls State, March 3, 2018. The Shelbyville, Ind., native, homered twice in the game, for the first multi-homer game of his career, tying for the team-lead (seven). Additionally, both Taylor's hits (five) and RBI count (four) went down as career-highs.

HOT BATS
The Eastern offense erupted for a 17-run, 24-hit, 15-RBI performance from the dish in its mid-week game against Oakland, April 9. The runs, hits, and RBI totals each mark season-highs for the Eagles, while the hits are the most from the program since they knocked 28 in a 27-7 win over Bowling Green State University, April 8, 2009. The 17 runs went down as the second time this season the Eagles have eclipsed the 15-run mark, previously doing so in their 16-6 thumping of the Belmont University Bruins, Feb. 18.

KLEIMAN THE LADDER
After tallying three hits in his first seven games played, first year transfer student-athlete Brendan Kleiman has fully adjusted to the Division I level. Kleiman went on a team-high 10 game hit-streak, the longest from the Eagles so far this season, recording at least one knock in every game he played from March 16-April 6. Additionally, the junior tallied multi-hit games in five contests during his 10-game streak. Kleiman most recently tallied the first long ball of his Eastern career, sending one over the left field wall of Oestrike Stadium in the seventh inning against Oakland, April 9. Altogether, the catcher has quickly risen to the top of the EMU leaderboards in batting average, as he is batting at a .388 clip this season, the fourth best figure in the MAC.

TOUGH TO SHAKE
Eastern showed its resilience in its series against Central Michigan, March 28-30. In both of EMU's wins in the three-game set, the Eagles walked-off the Chippewas in the ninth inning, coming back from down four runs in the first game (March 28), and three runs in the series finale (March 30). In total, EMU scored 10 runs in the final two innings in both of its walk-off triumphs over the Chippewas. Furthermore, the wins marked the Eagles first time coming back from down three runs or more to win a game this season.

THE MORE THE MERRIER
Eastern won its first extra-innings contest of the season with a 13-12 win over the Golden Flashes in 11 innings, April 6. The win marked the first extra-innings win of the Head Coach Robbie Britt era. The Eagles are now 1-0 in extra-inning contests under Britt.

COMPLETE GAMES NATIONWIDE
Senior Nick Chittum is one of 21 players in the nation to record multiple 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 145 Division I pitchers to go the distance this season, Chittum held the Broncos scoreless in his most recent CG, 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.

KYLE SCHROEDLE: MID-SEASON FORM
Kyle Schroedle has turned a corner in his second Division I season. The Redding, Calif., native has already surpassed his home run total from last season (seven), with nine jacks this season (seventh-most in the MAC). The graduate student has also eclipsed his RBI total from last season (23), as he has currently driven-in 29. Additionally, Schroedle surpassed his hit total from last season (41), as he has knocked 42 thus far this season, and has made improvements to his slugging percentage (up from .533 to .638), OPS (up from .903 to 1.039), and batting average (up from .299 to .331).

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 .333 with 46 hits, 36 runs, seven doubles, one triple, five homers, 27 RBI, and 70 TB. McRae has also increased his OPS (up from .772 to .937), batting average (up from .292 to .333), and slugging percentage (up from .382 to .507).

BOB GETS THE NOD
Senior Bobby Jones started in the series opening game against Akron, April 19, marking his 11th start of the season. Jones' 11 starts rank as the most in the conference thus far, and sixth most in the nation. Jones also sits 74th in the nation and fourth in the MAC with five wins on the year.

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 19th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.10) and 25th in the country in walks allowed per nine innings (1.52). Jones previously sent a career-high 10 packing via the strikeout against Ohio, April 13.

DANGEROUS ON THE BASE PATHS
Junior Logan Hugo ranks second in the MAC and stands 64th nationally with 17 stolen bases. He also stands 48th in the country and second in the conference in stolen bases per game (0.50). Hugo leads an Eagles team that ranks 48th nationally in stolen bags, and second in the conference with 64. EMU also ranks high in stolen bases per game, averaging 1.68 swipes per contest (51st nationally, second in MAC).

SCORING FIRST
When scoring first, Eastern posts an 8-6 record. The trend continues when Eastern Michigan scores in the first inning of the game, as the Eagles hold a 6-5 record in such occurrences.

12 HITS = WINS
The Eagles have a 10-5 record when recording 12 or more hits in a single game this season. Most recently, EMU tabbed 13 hits in its game against Akron, April 19. Additionally, the Eagles have out-hit their opponent 20 times this season, compiling a 11-9 record when doing so.

IMPORTANCE OF THE SIXTH
The Eagles post a 11-2 record when leading after six innings of play. Conversely, when trailing after six, EMU is 2-20. Eastern lost for the second time this season after leading past the sixth inning, falling to Akron, 13-8, April 19. EMU is still perfect when leading after seven and eight innings, producing an 8-0 record in both scenarios.

MOVE EM' UP
Glenn Miller has excelled this season in advancing EMU baserunners via the sacrifice bunt. Miller has notched eight sacrifice bunts on the season, ranking him second in the MAC and 20th nationally. The senior most recently executed a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the fifth inning against Akron, April 20, advancing an EMU baserunners 90-feet.

IN THE SERIES: OAKLAND
The Eagles and Golden Grizzlies will meet for the 69th time Tuesday. Eastern holds a 48-21 record when facing Oakland, and an 11-6 record when facing them on the road. The Eagles average 8.06 runs when facing OU. Oakland has controlled the series in recent years, winning seven of the last 10 matchups. The two programs most recently met at Oestrike Stadium, April 9, a contest that resulted in a 20-17 win for Oakland.

SCOUTING OAKLAND
Picked to finish third in the Horizon League preseason poll, the Golden Grizzlies enter Tuesday's contest with a 21-18 record (11-7 Horizon), coming off of a 2-1 series win over Northern Kentucky University, April 19-21. Oakland finished second in the Horizon League regular season in 2023 and finished as the runner-up in the tournament, losing to champion, Wright State University, May 28, 2023.

ON THE HORIZON
Following the game against Oakland, the Eagles will resume Mid-American Conference play with a three-game series against Miami University Friday-Sunday, April 26-28.

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 Complete Second Half of Home and Home Series at Oakland Tuesday

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Players Mentioned

Nick Chittum

Logan Hugo

Bobby Jones

Brendan Kleiman

Blake McRae

Glenn Miller

Kyle Schroedle

Cory Taylor

Eastern Michigan Athletics