Eagles and Wolverines to Meet in Midweek Home and Home

Baseball vs. Michigan (29-12, 9-5 B1G)
Date	Tuesday-Wednesday, May 3-4
Location	Ann Arbor, Mich \| Ray Fisher Stadium/ Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Oestrike Stadium
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	emueagles.com/ mgoblue.com
Live Audio	N/A
Twitter	@EMU_Baseball

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team returns to the diamond for a pair of midweek games against Washtenaw County rival the University of Michigan this Tuesday and Wednesday, May 3-4. Both contests will begin at 6 p.m. with Tuesdays game occurring in Ann Arbor, while Wednesday's contest will be back home at the friendly confines of Oestrike Stadium.

   The action can be followed via live stats as well as by following our Twitter account, @EMU_Baseball.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS MICHIGAN: Eastern and UM have met 181 times since EMU began keeping records in 1949, which is the most meetings all-time for Eastern against any opponent. Michigan holds the 115-64-2 advantage in the series. The two schools have met each season since 1964, and EMU is 7-3 versus the Wolverines since 2011.

WORKING AGAINST THE WOLVERINES: Michigan is 7-3 since defeating EMU, April 13. The Wolverines won six straight games after the win over the Eagles, and are coming off a weekend series defeat to Michigan State, dropping the final two contests of the weekend. Michigan's record now sits at 29-12 on the season, including a 12-3 record at home. They have spent a majority of the season ranked within the top-25 of national collegiate baseball polls.
   The Wolverines are hitting .305 as a team this season, ranking 26th in the country in that category. Six of their everyday starters hit for an average above .293, led by Jake Bivens who hits .372.
   The pitching staff is stout as well, holding a staff ERA of 3.65, while holding opponents to a .225 clip. They give up the 8th fewest hits per nine innings in the nation at just 7.33 per game.

SERIES WIN OVER THE CHIPPEWAS: The Eagles took two out of three from the in-state rival Central Michigan in a three-game set, April 29-May 1. The series win was the third time EMU has won a three-game weekend set this season, doing so for the first time since 2013. The Eagles only allowed one earned run in the three games, while giving up just four overall.

BLANKING THE COMPETITION: With the 3-0 win over CMU, April 30, the Eagles completed their fourth shutout of the season, and second in three games. This marks the most shutouts in a season for EMU since notching four of them in 2007. The four shutouts are also the second most in the MAC, and Eastern is one of just 43 teams to have four or more.

GALLARDO NAMED MAC PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Senior Augie Gallardo was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Baseball Pitcher of the Week for the period ending May 1, the conference announced May 2. Gallardo dazzled in his lone start of the week in the 3-0 win over CMU, April 30. The senior went seven innings, only allowing one hit on an infield single, while striking out a career-high 10 batters. It was the most batters struck out in a game for EMU since 2012. The performance earned him his third win of the season, and clinched the weekend series over CMU. The veteran now has a team-high 55 K's this season, and his ERA was lowered to 3.81, good for third on the team.

WILSON HEATING UP: Senior Austin Wilson, in his final year in an Eagle uniform, is beginning to heat up with the season nearing its close. The veteran is currently on a seven-game hitting streak, and is hitting a blistering .458 in that span. Wilson has four multi-hit games in the span, including two-hit games in his last three contests. The streak has raised his batting average from .175 to .253 on the year.

DAZZLING ROOKIE: Freshman Tyler Butzin has been the brightest star of a talented class of newcomers for the Eagles this season. The 'true' freshman ranks fourth in the conference in ERA with a 2.56 mark, which is also the top ERA for any freshman in the MAC. He leads the team with 56.1 innings pitched, including seven starts, and also has a save to his credit this season. He also holds opponents to a .245 batting average.

RUN EAGLES RUN: EMU has been alert and impactful on the base paths this season, as the team currently ranks third in the country in steals (102). In addition, redshirt junior Marquise Gill is fifth in the nation in steals with 31 on the season. The 102 steals this season are the 11th most in program history. The team will aim to break the program record of 147 stolen bags, set in 1981, and tied in 2004.

TRACKING THE TATERS: Senior Mitchell McGeein entered his final season with 19 career homers, good for 20th on the all-time EMU list. He currently leads the team with eight home runs this season, putting him in a tie for eighth-place all-time with 27.

EAGLES DIG THE LONG BALL: EMU currently ranks 78th in the nation, and fourth in the MAC, in home runs with 31 as a team this season. Individually, senior Mitchell McGeein has hit a team-high eight so far, which is tied for seventh in the MAC. The Eagles hit a season-high four home runs in the win over BGSU, March 27.

MOVING UP THE RECORD BOOK: A trio of Eagles are rewriting the record books in 2016 with their season and career performances. In addition to being on the career home runs list, senior Mitchell McGeein is on the career list for walks with 82 (15th), doubles with 36 (16th), RBI's with 102 (22nd), and at-bats with 590 (21st). Junior closer Sam Delaplane is tied for fifth on the career saves list with 10 in his three years, while redshirt junior Marquise Gill is tied for third in single-season stolen bases with 31, with his career total of 41 ranking 15th all-time.

REACHING THE CENTURY MARK: A trio of Eagles reached career milestones this season. Senior Mitchell McGeein reached 100 RBI's vs Western Michigan, April 24, becoming just the 24th EMU player to reach that mark. He also scored his 100th run vs Notre Dame, April 27. Meanwhile, junior Sam Delaplane struck out three batters against Purdue, April 12, to get to 100 for his career. The duo joined redshirt junior Michael Mioduszewski at the century mark after he notched his 100th career hit earlier in the season, March 5, versus Arizona State.

THREE-BAG BACKSTOP: Junior Jeremy Stidham leads EMU and is T-48th in the nation with four triples on the season. The catcher is one of just eight backstops in the country to have 4+ triples on the year.

DO IT ALL WORKHORSE: Senior lefty Michael Marsinek has been the go-to guy on the mound this season for the Eagles. The veteran leads EMU with a 2.10 ERA in 17 appearances, including two starts. In his first two starts since 2014, Marsinek has pitched 11.1 innings, striking out 10 batters while only yielding two earned runs and earning a win against CMU, April 29.

BLANKING THE FIGHTING IRISH: EMU used a stellar balance of hitting and pitching to blank the University of Notre Dame, 8-0, in non-conference play Wednesday evening, April 27 at Frank Eck Stadium. It was the third shutout of the season for the Eagles.

Combining for the shutout were sophomore Brent Mattson and freshman Davis Feldman, who collectively only allowed six hits over nine innings. Mattson got his first win of the season going 5.2 strong innings, striking out two. In relief, Feldman earned his first career EMU save, tossing 3.1 innings and striking out three.

TRIPLE DOUBLES: In the 8-0 win over Notre Dame, April 27, sophomore Brennan Williams clubbed a career-best three doubles in a 3-for-5 game, which included two RBI's and three runs scored. It was the team-leading 12th multi hit game of the season for Williams, and he became the first EMU player to hit three-doubles in a game since 2011.

CARDINALS ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns to MAC play this weekend with a three-game series against the Ball State Cardinals. The opener of the series is set for 3 p.m., Friday, May 6 in Muncie.

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Butzin

Sam Delaplane

Davis Feldman

Augie Gallardo

Marquise Gill

Michael Marsinek

Brent Mattson

Mitchell McGeein

Mike Mioduszewski

Jeremy Stidham

Brennan Williams

Austin Wilson

Eastern Michigan Athletics