YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Jap Michigan College baseball workforce will proceed its nine-game homestand with a four-game sequence versus the College of Akron, March 25-27. First pitch for Friday is about for 3 p.m., whereas Saturday’s doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. The Sunday sequence finale is about for a 1 p.m. begin inside Oestrike Stadium. The competition might be adopted through dwell stats on EMUEagles.com/livestats.

   Jap (5-12, 1-3 MAC) dropped its dwelling opener earlier this week, Tuesday, March 22, to Oakland, 5-4. In the meantime, the Zips (5-12, 4-4 MAC) are coming off a four-game sequence in opposition to Northern Illinois College, March 18-20. Akron and NIU break up the weekend sequence with the Zips taking the ultimate sport of the sequence, 4-2.

DROPPIN’ TANKS: The Eagles belted two dwelling runs within the sequence in opposition to Butler, March 18-20. Jap Michigan has hit 24 dwelling runs in its first 17 video games of the 2022 season. That quantity equates to a 1.41 dwelling runs per sport common. EMU has not had a season with a house runs per sport common of higher than 1.0 since 2009, when the Eagles belted 100 complete dwelling runs, a 1.69 per sport common.

   EMU leads the MAC in homers per sport and complete dwelling runs (24). Senior Gabe Denton paces Jap, rounding the pillows seven instances this season.

   Moreover, two Jap Michigan batters sit contained in the top-10 in dwelling runs within the league. Denton (7) and junior Matt Kirk (5) rank first and fourth, respectively.

TWO HITS, THAT’S IT: The Eagles’ pitching employees allowed simply two hits within the shutout victory over Butler, March 20. The 2-hit shutout marks the second time this season Jap has blanked its opposition. Junior Frankie Volkers struck out 5 Bulldogs hitters and senior Thomas Home fanned 5 for the Eagles. Moreover, the win is Home’s first of the season and his first victory because the 2019 season (missed final season because of harm). Moreover, the save is Volkers’ first of his collegiate profession.

   Home completed together with his greatest outing of the season, permitting just one hit and 5 strikeouts in 5.0 shutout innings. Volkers did the identical, going 4.0 shutout innings of reduction, hanging out 5 and surrendering just one hit.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Captain Shane Easter is presently second on the squad in batting common (.317) and hits (20). Moreover, Easter has began all 17 video games this season and has but to report a fielding error (1.000 FLD%).

   Within the matchup in opposition to Oakland, March 22, Easter opened up the scoring for Jap Michigan, belting a two-run RBI single to proper subject. The runs batted in have been Easter’s twelfth and thirteenth of the 2022 marketing campaign, respectively. That mark ranks Easter second on the squad in RBIs this season.

   Moreover, it’s Easter’s third multi-RBI sport of the season (2 at Winthrop, Feb. 18; 2 at Morehead State, March 5).

MATT’S BAT: Junior Matt Kirk has begun his EMU profession on hearth on the plate. The outfielder leads the workforce in batting common (.391), hits (27), slugging proportion (.710), complete bases (49), and additional base hits (12). Moreover, Kirk is second on the squad with 5 dwelling runs.

   The junior drove in three runs, totaling 4 hits, together with a double, within the three-game sequence in opposition to Butler, March 18-20.

   Kirk’s .391 batting common (27-for-69) ranks sixth within the Mid-American Convention, whereas his 27 hits lead the league. The Milford, Ohio native’s 5 homers additionally tie for fourth within the MAC.

CHITTUM’S CAREER OUTING: Sophomore Nick Chittum was a shiny spot out of the bullpen for EMU in opposition to Oakland, March 22, going 4.2 shutout innings whereas permitting simply two hits, and hanging out a season-best three batters.

   The appropriate-hander received the nod for the third time this season and it’s the most innings he has pitched in an outing in his profession. The Grosse Ile, Mich. native’s three-strikeout outing was the primary time this season Chittum has recorded a number of strikeouts in a contest. It was the third such sport of his profession at Jap, and first with a number of strikeouts since he picked up two in a sport in opposition to Toledo, Could 18, 2021.

SCORING IN BUNCHES: The Eagles tallied 4 runs on three hits within the first inning versus Oakland, March 22. Six members of the Inexperienced and White received on base within the first body, and the 4 runs mark the sixth time this season EMU has scored at the least four-or-more runs in an inning.

   Moreover, the 4 scores are essentially the most runs the Eagles have tallied within the first inning this season.

HITTING FOR POWER: EMU hit dwelling runs in eight consecutive video games, March 5-20. That streak was the second stretch of at the least five-straight video games with at the least one dwelling run this season. Previous to this season, EMU had not seen a number of five-contest dwelling run streaks since 2009, when the workforce put collectively three streaks of five-or-more consecutive video games (12 video games, 6 video games, 6 video games) with a house run.

PUTTIN’ IN WARK: Senior Daniel Warkentin paced the Eagles’ offense within the sequence at Butler, March 18-20, driving in 5 runs over the three-game span, together with a house run and going 5-for-12 on the plate. The Leamington, Ontario native completed the Sunday doubleheader with a complete of 4 RBIs on three hits and a house run.

   Warkentin adopted the sequence with one other robust efficiency in opposition to Oakland, March 22. The senior completed 1-for-4 with an RBI single within the first inning. Warkentin has recorded RBIs in 4 consecutive contests and a number of RBIs in two consecutive contests (March 20 at Butler (DH)).

GOOD EYE!: The Eagles have been disciplined on the plate because the Inexperienced and White sit second within the Mid-American Convention in fewest strikeouts (122). Moreover, EMU presently ranks seventh within the league in on-base proportion (.363) and is tied for the league lead in dwelling runs (24).

 

RED HOT RUBNER: After going hitless in his two video games with the Inexperienced and White, freshman Coltrane Rubner has been dialed in as of late. He has recorded hits in eight of his final 10 video games, together with a season-best two knocks in opposition to Ball State within the closing sport of EMU’s four-game set with the Cardinals, March 14.

KEEPING THE GLOVE DOWN: Jap dedicated only one error within the three video games at Butler, March 18-20. The Eagles have now recorded 5 video games with out an error up to now in 2022.

CALLED UP AND SHOWED OUT: Freshman Logan Hugo recorded his first collegiate hit, run scored, stolen base, and stroll in his first profession begin versus Butler, March 20. Hugo completed the weekend sequence going 3-for-5 with an RBI, a stroll, and three runs scored for the Inexperienced and White.

   The primary-year participant adopted the sequence with a powerful efficiency within the midweek matchup in opposition to Oakland, March 22. Hugo completed 1-for-2 with a stroll and an RBI single. The bottom hit on Tuesday extends Hugos’ hitting streak to 3 video games. Moreover, in simply 4 video games performed, Hugo is batting .500 (4-for-8) with two RBIs and three runs scored.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE MAC: Jap Michigan is 616-600-3 total in opposition to the Mid-American Convention. Head Coach Eric Roof holds a report of 36-62 in opposition to opposing MAC packages.

ALL-TIME AGAINST AKRON: EMU and Akron will meet for the 56th time this Friday, March 25. Jap leads the all-time sequence by a report of 32-23. Regardless of the sequence lead, the Eagles have gained simply three of the final 10 conferences with the Zips, relationship again to 2014.

LAST GAMES VERSUS AKRON: The 2 packages met for a four-game sequence final season, March 19-21, 2021. The Zips and the Eagles break up the sequence with EMU taking the ultimate sport of the sequence in extra-innings, 8-6 (11). Senior Eli Gora stepped to the plate with two on and one out. Dialed in, he carried an out of doors pitch to deep proper subject that dropped for an RBI, go-ahead double. Not finished but, the Jap offense took benefit of well timed walks and a wild pitch so as to add one other pair of runs and take an 8-5 lead into the underside of the eleventh.

   Classmate Justin Reinkall took the hill within the backside of the eleventh and dealt with the remainder. Though Akron was in a position to cross the plate one time in its closing at-bat, Reinkall shut the Zips down earlier than they may mount a comeback, and secured Jap’s 8-6 victory.

LAST TIME IN YPSI: The weekend sequence at Oestirke Stadium would be the first time the Eagles host the Zips since 2015. Again in 2015, Akron gained a three-game sequence over EMU, successful two of three, March 20-22. In the newest sport in Ypsilanti, the Zips defeated the Eagles, 3-1.

HISTORY AT OESTRIKE: Opening in 1971, Oestrike Stadium will maintain its 51st season of baseball contained in the park in 2022. EMU holds a 544-408-2 all-time report on the venue, and has compiled simply 12 dropping seasons at Oestrike since its opening.

    The house of EMU baseball is called after legendary EMU baseball head coach Ron Oestrike, who led the Inexperienced and White from 1965-87, successful an NAIA nationwide championship and 4 Mid-American Convention titles throughout his tenure main the Inexperienced and White.

HOME OPENERS: In its final 12 debuts at dwelling, Jap has been profitable in its home-openers, compiling a 7-5 report in the course of the span. Of their greatest stretch, the Eagles took four-consecutive dwelling openers, successful their first sport at Oestrike in every season from 2011-14.

    Most lately, EMU fell to Oakland throughout its dwelling opener in 2022, dropping the competition to the Golden Grizzlies, 5-4, March 22.

ON THE HORIZON: Jap Michigan will return to Oestrike to conclude its nine-game homestand with a four-game sequence versus Western Michigan, April 1-3.