Baseball Begins Three-Game MAC Series at Toledo Friday

Baseball at Toledo
Date	Friday-Sunday, May 3-5
Venue	Toledo, Ohio \| Scott Park
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF)
Live Stats	Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
Watch Links	Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
Social Media	@EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – As the 2024 regular season campaign approaches its conclusion, The Eastern Michigan baseball team is slated to face off with the University Toledo Rockets in a series that could vault the Eagles into postseason contention Friday-Sunday, May 3-5, at Scott Park in Toledo, Ohio.
   Friday's game will start at 3 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday's contests will begin at 1 p.m. Fans can follow the weekend action using the live stats link found 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 series against the Rockets, the Eagles will head to Columbus, Ohio, for a non-conference mid-week game against the Ohio State University Buckeyes Tuesday, May 7. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.

FIRST PITCHES
» Logan Hugo and Glenn Miller have each reached the 100-hit marks in their respective EMU careers this season. Cory Taylor is also approaching the century mark in hits, as he currently has 97.
» The Eagles rank second in the MAC in hits (438) and third in the conference in batting average (.303). EMU's average checks into the top-100 nationally, at No. 43, while its hit total stands 67th in the country.
» 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 Rockets will renew their historic series as they will meet for the 174th time Friday. Eastern has a sizeable lead on the all-time series, with a 101-72 record against the Rockets.
» Following the series against Toledo, the Eagles will face their second Big Ten team of the season in the Ohio State Buckeyes Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.
» 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.

THE CENTURY MARK
Logan Hugo reached the 100-hit mark in his collegiate career with his first inning homer against Akron, April 19, while Glenn Miller did so with a leadoff single in the first inning against Miami University, April 28. Cory Taylor is also approaching the century mark in hits, as he currently has 97 in his career. If Taylor reaches the 100 mark this season it would be the first time EMU has had three players accomplish the feat in one season since 2022, when former Eagles Shane Easter, Brady Huebbe, and Jared Kauffman did so.

HITTIN'!
The Eastern bats have remained productive for a large part of the season, as the Eagles rank third in the conference and 43rd in the country a .303 batting average this season. The Eagles also rank high in hits, having knocked 438 this season, a figure that ranks them second in the conference and 67th in the nation.

DOUBLE-DIGITS x2
The Eagles have logged double-digit hits and runs in the same game 12 times this season, compiling a 7-5 record in such games. EMU most recently did so in its game against Miami, April 26, a tilt that saw them score 10 runs off 16 hits.

BIG WEEK BALL
Nathan Ball is coming off a big week. In four games, the freshman knocked six hits, two of which left the playing field for a home run, and one of which went for two bases. Ball drove-in a team high six runs and totaled a team-best 13 bases over the week. At the dish, he batted at a .429 clip with a .929 slugging percentage, and a .500 on-base percentage, equaling out to a 1.429 OPS. After homering and logging multiple hits in EMU's mid-week game against Oakland University, April 23, he did so again in the series-opening game against Miami University, April 26, marking his first occurrence with a home run and multiple hits in consecutive games.

GLENN GETS EM' HOME
Prior to recording his 100th Division I hit against Miami, April 28, Glenn Miller drove-in an EMU career-high four baserunners in the Eagles 11-8 loss at the hands of the RedHawks, April 27. Miller has picked up the pace from the plate considerably as he has at least one hit in seven of his last ten games played, with four of those games going down as multi-hit outings for the infielder.

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 the 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. He 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 (84) and doubles per game (2.00), figures that rank EMU 91st and 77th 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 .487 slugging percentage, ranking second in the MAC and 73rd in the country.

TAYLOR'S 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 University, April 13. Taylor's three three-baggers rank as the most on the team, the second-most in the MAC and slot him 76th nationally. As a team, the Eagles have tripled 11 times, the second most in the MAC and 74th in America.

TAYLOR: FIRST FIVE-HIT DAY SINCE 2018
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.

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 four runs down 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
Nick Chittum is one of 27 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 166 Division I pitchers to go the distance this season, Chittum held the Broncos scoreless in his most recent CG, he 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 (sixth-most in the MAC). The graduate student has also eclipsed his RBI total from last season (23) as he has currently driven-in 31. Additionally, Schroedle surpassed his hit total from last season (41) as he has knocked 46 this season and has made improvements to his slugging percentage (up from .533 to .632), OPS (up from .903 to 1.036), and batting average (up from .299 to .338).

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 .349 with 51 hits, 37 runs, eight doubles, one triple, five homers, 30 RBI, and 76 TB. McRae has also increased his OPS (up from .772 to .964), batting average (up from .292 to .349), and slugging percentage (up from .382 to .521).

BOB GETS THE NOD
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, and 20th-most in the nation. Jones also sits 114th 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. He stands second in the MAC in strikeout-to-walk ratio and fourth in walks allowed per nine, while ranking 65th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.33) and 76th in the country in walks allowed per nine innings (2.08). Jones previously sent a career-high 10 packing via the strikeout against Ohio, April 13.

DANGEROUS ON THE BASE PATHS
Logan Hugo ranks second in the MAC and stands 80th nationally with 17 stolen bases. He also stands 64th in the country and second in the conference in stolen bases per game (0.46). Hugo leads an Eagles team that ranks 65th nationally in stolen bags and third in the conference with 66. EMU also ranks high in stolen bases per game, averaging 1.57 swipes per contest (63rd nationally and fourth in MAC).

IMPORTANCE OF THE SIXTH
The Eagles post an 11-3 record when leading after six innings of play. Conversely, when trailing after six, EMU is 2-23. Eastern lost for the second time this season after leading past the sixth inning, falling to Miami, 11-8, April 27. 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 third in the MAC and 23rd nationally. He also ranks high in sacrifice bunts per-game, slotting 13th in the nation and second in the MAC at 0.24. The senior most recently executed a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the fifth inning against Akron, April 20, advancing an EMU baserunner 90-feet.

IN THE SERIES: TOLEDO
The Eagles and Rockets will renew their historic series as they will meet for the 174th time Friday. Eastern has a sizeable lead on the all-time series with a 101-72 record, while producing a 14-22 record when facing UT on the road. Toledo has controlled the series in recent years, winning eight of the last 10 matchups. Former Eagle Matt Kirk walked-off the Rockets with a ninth-inning grand slam to capture the 12-11 win last season, April 23.

SCOUTING TOLEDO
Picked to finish sixth in the MAC in the preseason poll, the Rockets will enter Friday's game with a 20-25 (13-11 MAC) record. Most recently, Toledo was defeated at the hands of Bowling Green State University, 17-9, April 30. The Rockets have lost two consecutive games, and last won a MAC series April 13-14, besting Kent State University in two-of-three games.

ON THE HORIZON
Following the series against Toledo, the Eagles will face their second Big Ten team of the season in the Ohio State Buckeyes Tuesday, May 7, at Bill Davis Stadium at 6 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Nathan Ball

Nick Chittum

Logan Hugo

Bobby Jones

Matt Kirk

Blake McRae

Glenn Miller

Kyle Schroedle

Cory Taylor

Eastern Michigan Athletics