Baseball Matches Up With Michigan State Tuesday

Baseball at Michigan State
Date	Tuesday \| May 14
Venue	McLane Stadium at Kobs Field \| East Lansing, Mich.
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF)
Live Stats	Live Stats
Listen Live	Listen on Eagle All-Access
Social Media	@EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University baseball team will face its second Big Ten opponent of the season as it is set to play Michigan State University in a non-conference midweek game Tuesday, May 14, at McLane Baseball Stadium at Kob's Field in East Lansing, Mich. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.

Fans can follow along using the 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.

After the game at MSU, the Eagles will hit the road one last time as they will take on Northern Illinois University in their final series of the 2024 campaign Thursday-Saturday, May 16-18.

FIRST PITCHES
» Logan Hugo, Glenn Miller, and Cory Taylor have all reached the 100 hits mark in their respective careers this season. Taylor did so most recently, as he knocked No. 100 against Bowling Green State University Friday, May 10.
» The Eagles have many MSU connections as former EMU head coaches Jake Boss Jr. (head coach) and Mark Van Ameyde (pitching coach) are both currently coaching on the Michigan State bench.
» 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.
» A win against MSU Tuesday would mark the first time the Eagles have topped multiple "Power Five" opponents in the same season since the 2018 campaign.
» The Eagles and Spartans will meet for the 141st time on Tuesday, the Eagles post a 58-80-2 record when facing MSU.
» After the game at MSU, the Eagles will hit the road one last time as they will take on Northern Illinois University in their final series of the 2024 campaign Thursday-Saturday, May 16-18.
» 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.

PLAYING THE OLD BENCH BOSS
Current Michigan State Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. had a short stint as the head coach at Eastern Michigan as Boss' 2008 EMU squad had a rollercoaster season. After starting the campaign 0-17, the Eagles went on to win the next 21-of-34 contests en route to being crowned MAC West Champions and eventual MAC Tournament Champions, marking the last time the Eagles have won a MAC Tournament.

MORE MSU CONNECTIONS
Jake Boss Jr. is not the only former Eagle on the Spartans' staff. Former Eastern Michigan Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde (2015-17) is currently in his second stint at Michigan State as he, like Boss Jr., joined the Spartans' staff after his time at EMU. In his time at Eastern, Van Ameyde posted a 6-6 mark against State and led the Eagles to the MAC Tournament Championship game in 2017, finishing as the runner-up to Ohio University, marking the last time Eastern Michigan appeared in the game.

MULTIPLE "POWER FIVE" WINS?
After run-ruling the University of Michigan, 14-4 in seven innings, March 19, the Eagles have the chance to tally multiple "Power Five" wins. A victory against Michigan State on Tuesday would mark the first time the Eagles have tallied multiple "Power Five" wins in the same season since 2018. That season, Eastern Michigan topped Ohio State, 6-1, March 4, before besting Oklahoma State in a three-game set, 2-1, March 9-11. Moreover, the last time the Eagles defeated multiple Big Ten schools in the same season came in 2017, when they topped the Spartans, 4-3 at Oestrike Stadium, April 4, before taking down Ohio State, 3-1 in Columbus, April 12.

TOUGH TO SHAKE
Eastern showed its resilience in its series against MAC regular-season champs, Bowling Green, May 10. The Eagles came back from a four-run deficit, eventually walking off the Falcons in the ninth to secure the 10-9 comeback win. The victory was Eastern's third walk-off win of the season and third comeback (trailing by three or more runs) win of the season.

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 knocked his 100th against Bowling Green with an infield single in the bottom of the third. This marked 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 second in the conference and 50th in the country with a .302 batting average this season. The Eagles also rank high in hits, having knocked 498 this season, a figure that ranks them fourth in the conference while standing 82nd in the nation.

DOUBLE-DIGITS x2
The Eagles have logged double-digit hits and runs in the same game 13 times this season, compiling an 8-5 record in such games. EMU most recently did so in its game against BGSU, May 10, scoring 10 runs off 15 hits.

TAYLOR'S TRIPLES
Cory Taylor recorded his third triple of the season when he smoked a ball off the right-field wall in the series opening game against Ohio University, April 13. His three three-baggers rank as the most on the team, the third-most in the MAC and slot him 104th nationally. As a team, the Eagles have tripled 12 times, the third-most in the MAC and 80th in America.

IMPORTANCE OF THE SEVENTH
The Eagles have proven hard to beat when leading after seven and eight innings of play as they post an 8-1 record when leading after seven and an 8-0 mark when leading after eight innings.

DOUBLE DOWN
Eastern currently stands third in the MAC in both doubles per-game (1.88) and doubles (90), figures that rank EMU 126th and 132nd in the nation, respectively. The Eagles also hold the highest single-game total in doubles in the conference as they have barreled seven twice this season, first against Belmont University, Feb. 18, and most recently against Morehead State University, March 17.

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. In 23 games with the A's, Schuemann has scored nine runs, driven-in seven, knocked 10 hits, worked seven walks, homered twice, and stole one base.

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. Additionally, both Taylor's hits (five) and RBI count (four) went down as career-highs while also tying for the most hits from an individual in a single game in the MAC this season.

HOT BATS
EMU's offense erupted for a 17-run, 24-hit, 15-RBI day from the dish in its game against Oakland, April 9. The runs, hits, and RBI totals mark season-highs for the Eagles, while the hits are the most from the program since it knocked 28 in a 27-7 win over BGSU, April 8, 2009. The 17 runs went down as the second time in 2024 the Eagles have eclipsed the 15-run mark, it also did so in their 16-6 thumping of the Belmont, Feb. 18. Additionally, EMU's 15 hits currently stands as the third-highest single-game total in the MAC.

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. After dropping a 10-9 decision in 10 innings at Toledo, May 3, the Eagles are 1-1 in extra-inning contests under Britt.

COMPLETE GAMES NATIONWIDE
Nick Chittum is one of 41 pitchers 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 183 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 10 jacks this season. The graduate student has also eclipsed his RBI total from last season (23) as he has currently driven-in 34. Additionally, Schroedle surpassed his hit total from last season (41) as he has knocked 49 this season and has made improvements to his slugging percentage (up from .533 to .624), OPS (up from .903 to 1.022), and batting average (up from .299 to .329).

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 .339 with 57 hits, 41 runs, eight doubles, one triple, five homers, 32 RBI, and 82 TB. McRae has also increased his OPS (up from .772 to .924), batting average (up from .292 to .339), and slugging percentage (up from .382 to .488).

NICK GETS THE NOD
Nick Chittum started in the series finale against Bowling Green, May 12 marking his 13th start of the season. Chittum's 13 starts rank as the most in the conference, and ninth-most in the nation.

DANGEROUS ON THE BASE PATHS
Logan Hugo ranks third in the MAC and 92nd nationally with 18 stolen bases. He also stands 77th in the country and second in the conference in SB per game (0.42). He owns the MAC's highest single-game total in SB as he took three against WMU, March 23. Hugo leads an Eagles team that ranks 74th-nationally in SB and third in the MAC with 72. EMU also ranks high in SB per game, averaging 1.50 SB per contest (68th nationally and fourth in MAC).

MOVE EM' UP
Glenn Miller has excelled in advancing baserunners via the sacrifice bunt. Miller has notched nine sacrifice bunts on the season, ranking him second in the MAC and 24th nationally. He also ranks high in sacrifice bunts per-game, slotting 14th in the nation and second in the conference at 0.24. Miller most recently executed a sac bunt in the fifth inning against Toledo, May 5, advancing two baserunners 90-feet.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE B1G
The contest against Michigan State will mark the 394th for Eastern against a Big Ten opponent. Overall, the Eagles post a 146-242-5 record when facing Big Ten teams. Additionally, the only three Big Ten institutions the Eagles have yet to face on the diamond are Maryland, the University of Illinois, and Rutgers University.

IN THE SERIES: MICHIGAN STATE
The Eagles and Spartans will meet for the 141st time on Tuesday, the Eagles post a 58-80-2 record when facing MSU and a 6-15 mark when taking on the Spartans in East Lansing. The Eagles have dropped the previous four contests against Michigan State after taking the Spartans to extra innings in last season's battle, eventually falling, 11-10 in the 10th. EMU last beat MSU in Ypsilanti in 2016, while the last win over the Spartans in East Lansing came in the 2016 season as Eastern collected a 4-2 win, April 5.

SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans currently stand tied for seventh in the Big Ten standings with a 22-25 (10-11 B1G) record. MSU is coming off a 2-1 series loss to the University of Minnesota Friday-Sunday, May 10-12. EMU and MSU share four opponents this season, as both schools have notched wins over the University of Michigan and Western Michigan, while Michigan State has dropped games to Central Michigan University, 10-0, and Oakland University, 11-7. The Spartans are a middle of the pack team offensively, with their best category being batting average (.296) placing them fifth in the Big Ten. MSU's ERA (6.47) stands 11th in the conference while they average 8.3 strikeouts per-nine and compile a 1.64 WHIP.

ON THE HORIZON
After the game at MSU, the Eagles will hit the road one last time as they will take on Northern Illinois University in their final series of the 2024 campaign Thursday-Saturday, May 16-18.

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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nick Chittum

Logan Hugo

Blake McRae

Glenn Miller

Kyle Schroedle

Cory Taylor

Eastern Michigan Athletics