Baseball Prepped for Pair of In-State Midweek Games

Baseball vs.Oakland (20-20)/ Michigan State (31-12)
Date	Tuesday-Wednesday, May 10-11
Location	Rochester, Mich./ Detroit, Mich. \| Oakland Baseball Field/ Comerica Park
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	goldengrizzlies.com/ msuspartans.com
Live Audio	Eagle All-Access (MSU ONLY)
Twitter	@EMU_Baseball

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team will get the week started with a pair of midweek contests against in-state competition. First, EMU faces off against Oakland University for a road game, Tuesday, May 10. First pitch in Rochester is set for 3 p.m. Then, EMU turns around for it's showdown with Michigan State University at Comerica Park in Detroit. First pitch at the home of the Detroit Tigers is set for 6:35 p.m.

    The action in both games can be followed via live stats while live audio is available for the MSU game on EMU All-Access with Greg Steiner and Chad Bush on the call. Play by play is available as well by following our Twitter account, @EMU_Baseball.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS OAKLAND/MSU: EMU leads the all-time series versus Oakland, 44-13, while the Spartans lead their all-time series by a 75-57-2 margin. Both teams have met this season, with OU winning the first two games, while Eastern came out on top over MSU in their lone meeting, 4-2.

GEARING UP FOR THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES: Oakland enters the week with an even 20-20 record, with a game against CMU being played the day before, May 9. OU is just 5-5 in home games this season. They already own a neutral site and an away win over EMU this season.

    The Golden Grizzlies are currently hitting .251 as a team, while only being outscored 227-200 and outhit 353-342. They are led by Mike Brosseau who is the only OU player above .300 with a .344 mark, including 52 hits and nine home runs.

    Defensively, Oakland has a staff ERA of 4.83, and are allowing opponents to hit .271. They have struck out 247 batters, while only allowing 143 walks.

GOING TO BATTLE WITH THE SPARTANS: Michigan State enters the week with a 31-12 record with a game against Nebraska scheduled for May 9. MSU has a 14-1 mark on a neutral field. The Spartans have spent numerous weeks in top-25 polls, including being ranked No. 24 last week.

    The Spartans own a .301 team batting average, including having five starters hitting .293 or above. They are outscoring opponents 250-140 and are out hitting them 447-334. Leading MSU offensively is Jordan Zimmerman, who is 38th in the country with a .393 average.

    Defensively is where MSU makes things happen as their staff ERA of 2.48 is third in the nation. They hold opponents to a .232 average, and are striking out 362 batters compared to just 138 walks.

PILING IT ON THE CARDINALS: In the 16-10 win over Ball State, May 7, EMU scored 16+ runs in a game for the third time this season. All nine starters had at least one hit, while three Eagles had three-RBI games. Redshirt junior Marquise Gill scored a career-high four runs in the game, making him the first EMU player to do so since 2013.

RACKING UP THE RBI's: Junior John Montgomery had seven total RBI's in the weekend series versus Ball State, May 6-8. He had three straight multi-RBI games, including three in the 16-10 win, May 7. He is now tied for the team lead with eight multi-RBI games this season.

MCGEEIN PARKS A PAIR: Senior Mitchell McGeein smacked two home runs in the 16-10 win over Ball State, May 7. It was the second time he has done that in his career, and he is the second to do so this season, joining redshirt junior Michael Mioduszewski when he hit a pair of dingers versus Dayton, March 16.

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 10 home runs this season, putting him in a tie for seventh-place all-time with 29.

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 12-game hitting streak, and is hitting a blistering .422 in that span. Wilson also has six multi-hit games in the span, with 19 hits total. The streak has raised his batting average from .175 to .278 on the year, which is third on the team.

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 3.14 mark, which is also the top ERA for any freshman in the MAC. He leads the team with 63.0 innings pitched, including eight starts, and also has a save to his credit this season. He struck out a career-best nine batters against Ball State, May 8.

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 (109). In addition, redshirt junior Marquise Gill is sixth in the nation in steals with 32 on the season. The 109 steals this season are the tied for the seventh most in program history. The team will aim to break the program record of 147 stolen bags, set in 1981, and tied in 2004.

EAGLES DIG THE LONG BALL: EMU currently ranks 72nd in the nation, and fourth in the MAC, in home runs with 35 as a team this season. Individually, senior Mitchell McGeein has hit a team-high 10 so far, which is tied for seventh in the MAC and 64th in the country. 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 86 (T-14th), doubles with 37 (16th), RBI's with 106 (T-18th), and at-bats with 609 (20th). 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 second in single-season stolen bases with 32, with his career total of 42 ranking 15th all-time.

BLANKING THE COMPETITION: With the 3-0 win over CMU, April 30, the Eagles completed their fourth shutout of the season. 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 48 teams to have four or more this season.

HUSKIES ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns to Mid-American Conference play this weekend when it hosts its final weekend series of the season versus Northern Illinois. The first pitch of the weekend is set for 6 p.m., Friday, May 13.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tyler Butzin

Sam Delaplane

Marquise Gill

Mitchell McGeein

Mike Mioduszewski

John Montgomery

Austin Wilson

Eastern Michigan Athletics