Eagles Return to Action Versus Bowling Green

Softball vs. Bowling Green
Date	Friday - Saturday, April 1-2, 2016
Location	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Varsity Field
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	EMUEagles.com
Live Audio	Eagles All-Access
Twitter	@EMUSoftball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University softball team hosts Bowling Green State University for a three-game Mid-American Conference series this weekend, April 1-2. The Eagles (12-17, 2-1) are coming off a split with the University of Detroit Mercy, March 29, while the Falcons (12-20, 0-3) are looking to snap a five-game losing skid and notch their first league win. Originally scheduled to be a single game, Friday wil now feature a twin bill with the first slated to begin at 1 p.m. The series will wrap up Saturday, April 2, with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
Fans can follow the action via live stats or Twitter (@EMUSoftball) as well as tuning into Eagles All-Access for the audio broadcast Greg Steiner and Sean Hostetter will call the action.

TALE OF THE TAPE: The Eagles will square off with Bowling Green for the 92nd time in series history this weekend, with the Falcons leading the series 53-38. The two squads first met during the 1982 season with BGSU coming away with a 3-1 win. Despite the Falcons holding a 15-game lead in the all-time series, the Eagles have posted a 2-2 record versus BGSU under the direction of head coach Melissa Gentile. The teams split last season's meetings with the Green and White taking the most recent, 4-3.

EMU IN MAC PLAY: Eastern Michigan owns a 371-477-2 all-time record against the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles have been the most successful against Ohio, Miami, and Toledo. The Green and White lead the series with the Rockets, 56-47, while holding 50-34 and 44-39 edges in series with Ohio and Miami, respectively. Meanwhile, EMU trails in the all-time series with Akron (20-30), Ball State (35-59), Bowling Green (38-53), Kent State (31-47), Northern Illinois (25-35), and Western Michigan (42-63-1).

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Since the 2006 season, the Eagles have compiled a 64-61-2 record at Varsity Field. Eastern Michigan holds an 9-19 record at its home diamond under head coach Melissa Gentile, including a 1-1 mark this season. With a total of 15 games taking place in Ypsilanti, EMU seeks its fifth winning record at home since 2006 and first since 2011.

FACING THE FALCONS: The Falcons travel to Ypsilanti with hopes of snapping a five-game skid and notching their first conference win of the season. After being swept in the opening week of league play by MAC West Division leader, Northern Illinois, BGSU dropped a doubleheader on the road to Valparaiso. Entering the weekend with a 12-20 mark on the season, the Falcons have fallen in six of seven true road games this season.
   Bowling Green is hitting .264 at the dish for the season with four everyday starters hitting above a .300 clip. Chelsea Raker leads the team with a .371 batting average while Marisa Shook has produced a majority of the Falcons runs. Hitting .301 at the plate, Shook leads the team in home runs (7), RBI's (22), and total bases (56). While Shook has been a consistent manufacturer of runs, the power hitter leads the team in strikeouts, having been fanned 24 times through the teams first 32 games.
   In the circle, the Falcons carry a league-worst 9.06 earned run average through three MAC games while the pitching staff owns a 4.24 ERA for the year. The Falcons have sought contributions from five different hurlers with Kiley Sosby serving as the ace. With a team-best 3.81 ERA, Sosby has compiled a 7-4 record in 16 appearances. Giving up 46 runs over 75.1 innings of work, Sosby has been touched up for 69 hits, 16 of which have left the park.

MARCH TO REMEMBER: Eastern Michigan closed the month of March with six wins following a split with Detroit, March 29. The half a dozen victories marks the most for the Green and White in the month since 2013 when it tallied eight.

EXTRA INNINGS STRIKE AGAIN: EMU fell to 0-4 in extra-inning games with a 5-4 10-inning loss to Detroit, March 29. The Eagles trailed from the opening frame before fighting back to even the score at four on a RBI-double by senior Mady Hostetler in the fifth. Despite putting seven runners on over the final four innings, the Eagles failed to plate a run allowing Detroit to come away with the one-run win on a RBI-single in the 10th inning.

KEYS TO VICTORY: Through the first 29 games on the season, several things have proven to be indicators of Eastern Michigan's success. The Green and White hold an 8-4 record when scoring in the first inning, and sit at 11-1 on the year when outhitting its opponent. Additionally, the Eagles are 8-0 when leading after six innings and 7-2 when scoring six or more runs.

WINNING THE SERIES: Taking two of three games from Akron, March 25-26, the Eagles won their first Mid-American Conference series since 2013. Additionally, the series win marked the first time the Eagles have defeated a MAC opponent on the road twice in the same season since 2012. That year, the Green and White swept Buffalo in its conference opener. When the Eagles welcome Bowling Green to Varsity Field this weekend, EMU will look to continue its hot start to league play. If the Eagles can take two of this weekend's three games, the Green and White will tie their best start to conference play since 2012 while also registering two MAC series wins in a season for the first time since 2011.

THE DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Through EMU's first 29 games, junior Abbie Minsker has already demolished a number of career-highs. Her 54.0 innings of work is just 13.1 innings shy of her career total heading into this season. Meanwhile, her 27 punchouts is 13 more than her previous career-high, set in 2014, and two more than she had through her first two seasons as an Eagle. Transitioning from reliever to starter this season, Minsker is currently tied atop the team with five wins, one more than she had in her first two seasons combined. Addtionally, the Howell, Mich. product has gone the distance five times this season after never pitching more than five innings in an outing in the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.
   Minsker heads into the weekend on the heels of a pair of her strongest outings of her career. The righty hurler earned the victory over Akron, March 26, pitching 7.0 innings of three-hit ball while allowing just one earned run and fanning four. Tying career-highs in innings pitched and strikeouts against Akron, Minsker returned to the circle Tuesday, March 29. Tossing her fifth career complete game, Minsker tallied a career-best seven K's against the Titans.

GROWING PAINS: The young Eagles squad committed 52 errors through the first 29 games of the season, including two five-error games.

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Players Mentioned

Mady Hostetler

Abbie Minsker

Eastern Michigan Athletics