Eagles Trek to Notre Dame for Midweek Against Fighting Irish

Baseball at Notre Dame (18-22, 8-13 ACC)
Date	Wednesday, April 26
Venue	Notre Dame, Ind. \| Frank Eck Stadium
Game Notes	EMU Notes
Live Stats	und.com
Audio	und.com
Video	Watch ESPN
Twitter	@EMUBaseball

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team gets back into action this Wednesday, April 26, with a mid-week non-conference contest versus the University of Notre Dame. First pitch against the Fighting Irish from Frank Eck Stadium is set for 6:05 p.m.
   The action can be tracked live on Twitter by following @EMU_Baseball. Live stats will be available through und.com, while audio and video can be streamed through und.com and Watch ESPN, respectively.

ALL-TIME VS THE FIGHTING IRISH: The Eagles and Fighting Irish have met just seven times in their respective histories, with UND holding the slight edge in the series, 4-3. The two teams first met in 1992 and most recently last season, which was an 8-0 EMU triumph. EMU has claimed victory in three of the last five meetings.

FACING OFF WITH THE FIGHTING IRISH: Notre Dame enters the week with an 18-22 record, with a game vs Valparaiso coming on Tuesday night. They own an 8-13 ACC record, but a stout 10-4 record at Frank Eck Stadium. ND has faced off against a few MAC schools, defeating Northern Illinois, Toledo, and Central Michigan.
   The offense hits at a .243 clip while being out-hit, 366-317, and out-scored, 220-174. The team has struck out 300 times, compared to 163 walks. Leading the way is Matt Vierling, who hits an even .300 with 12 doubles, five homers and 29 RBIs.
   Defensively, ND's pitching has a staff ERA of 4.65, and are allowing opponents to bat at a .266 rate. They have struck out 307 batters to 174 walks.

EAGLES ARE HEATING UP: Eastern Michigan is 14-8 in its last 22 games after starting 3-15 on the year. EMU is also 8-4 to start Mid-American Conference play, winning three of the first four series. The 8-4 start is EMU's best 12 games into the MAC slate since 2012.

TAKE YOUR BASE: Thus far on the season, EMU has taken what the opposing pitching staffs have offered them, drawing 166 walks as a team, which ranks fourth in the MAC and 80th in the country. They are on pace to shatter last years walk total, as 40 games into 2016, EMU had just 114 bases on balls. Leading the on-base movement has been Jeremy Stidham, who leads EMU with 21 walks, and is second with a .382 OBP. He is currently on a 23-game reached base streak, which is the second best streak for EMU since 2013.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING...: Entering the month of April, EMU had just seven home runs in a 24-game span. In just 16 games in the month of April, EMU has brought the rain, clubbing 17 home runs. Leading the way has been John Montgomery, who has a team-high nine, including six in April. Montgomery ranks second in the MAC and 75th in the country. As a team, EMU's 24 dingers are fourth in the MAC.

GOTTA EARN THOSE RUNS: Since entering MAC play, Matthew Beaton has been almost unhittable. The senior relief pitcher leads EMU with a 2.86 ERA, and has allowed just one earned run in his last 15 innings, totaling nine appearances. In addition, he has not allowed an earned run in 9.1 MAC innings, the second highest inning total without yielding an earned run in conference this season. For his career, Beaton holds a 3.04 ERA in 100.2 innings pitched.

DELAPLANE DELIVERING THE GOODS: Senior Sam Delaplane is putting together a fine final season in the Green and White. The closer turned Friday night starter leads EMU starters with a 2.90 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 14 appearances (six starts) and 49.2 innings. His ERA ranks seventh in the conference, while his strikeout total is second in the MAC. His 175 career strikeouts rank 12th in Eastern Michigan laurels. In his last four outings, Delaplane has recorded 36 K's, including a career-high 12 against Ohio, April 14. Delaplane is also ranked tied for fourth in all-time saves with 10.

MASHING MONTGOMERY: Senior John Montgomery has been the spark plug in the EMU offense in his final season, leading EMU in five offensive categories. He is also the team leader with 11 multi-RBI games. He enters the week with a 18-game reached base streak. Montgomery is second in the MAC with nine home runs, while he is also fifth with 33 RBIs.

IMPACT FRESHMEN IN THE INFIELD: So far this season, EMU has relied early and often on 'true' freshmen in starting roles. In 40 games, freshmen have combined to make 108 starts in the infield, led by Nick Jones, who has 30 starts at third base and catcher.

BULLS ON THE HORIZON: Eastern returns to MAC play this weekend, April 28-30, with a three-game set against the University at Buffalo. The series against the Bulls in Buffalo will begin with a 3 p.m. first pitch on Friday.

Eagles Trek to Notre Dame for Midweek Against Fighting Irish

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Players Mentioned

Matthew Beaton

Sam Delaplane

Nick Jones

John Montgomery

Jeremy Stidham

Eastern Michigan Athletics