Baseball Embarks on Weekend MAC Series at Miami

Baseball at Miami
Date	Friday-Sunday, April 26-28
Venue	Oxford, Ohio \| McKie Field at Hayden Park
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF) \| Media Guide (PDF)
Live Stats	Game 1 Game 2 Game 3
Social Media	@EMU _Baseball \| @EMUAthletics

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – With four Mid-American Conference series remaining in the 2024 campaign, the Eastern Michigan University baseball team aims to rebound with its road series at Miami University Friday-Sunday, April 26-28.
   Friday's game will start at 3 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday's contests will begin at 1 p.m. Fans can follow the weekend action using the live stats link found on the EMU baseball schedule page at EMUEagles.com/baseball/schedule. Also, stay tuned to EMU baseball socials including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter), and emu.baseball on Instagram for live in-game updates.
   Following the series against the RedHawks, Eastern will head to Toledo, Ohio, for a three-game set against the University of Toledo Rockets Friday-Sunday, May 3-5.

FIRST PITCHES
» Logan Hugo reached the 100-hit mark in his collegiate baseball career Friday, April 19. Cory Taylor and Glenn Miller are also approaching the century mark in hits. Taylor currently has 97 in his career, while Miller has 95.
» The Eagles rank at the top of the MAC in hits (403) and third in the conference in batting average (.301). Its hit total checks into the top-100 nationally, at No. 60, while its batting average slots 52nd in the country.
» Cory Taylor had five hits in Eastern's game against Oakland University, April 9. He became the first Eagle to have five hits in a game since former Eagle Jeff Timko did so in the 2018 season.
» With series wins over rivals Western Michigan (March 23-24) and Central Michigan (March 28-30), Eastern has beaten both its Michigan MAC foes in a series in the same season for the first time since 2012.
» After losing its first three one-run affairs to start the season, EMU has prevailed to win in each of its last five one-run games.
» The Eagles and RedHawks will meet for the 131st time Friday afternoon. The Eagles hold a 64-66 record when facing Miami and a 6-18 record when playing the RedHawks as the visiting team.
» Following the series against Miami, the Eagles will not play a mid-week game, and next see action in a weekend MAC series against the Toledo Rockets Friday-Sunday, May 3-5.
» For all things EMU Baseball, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter), emu.baseball on Instagram, and emu.baseball on TikTok.

HITTIN'!
The Eastern bats have remained productive for a large part of the season, as the Eagles rank first in the conference and 60th in the country with 403 hits this season. The Eagles also hit for average, as they slot third in the MAC and 52nd in the nation with a .301 team batting average.

DOUBLE-DIGITS x2
The Eagles have logged double-digit hits and runs in the same game 11 times this season, compiling a 7-4 record in such games. EMU most recently did so in its game against Oakland, April 23, a tilt that saw them score 11 runs off 13 hits.

THE CENTURY MARK
Logan Hugo reached the 100-hit mark in his collegiate career with his first inning homer against Akron, April 19. Cory Taylor and Glenn Miller are also approaching the century mark in hits. Taylor currently has 97 in his career, while Miller has 95. If Miller and Taylor reach the 100 mark this season it would be the first time EMU has had three players accomplish the feat in one season since 2022, when former Eagles Shane Easter, Brady Huebbe, and Jared Kauffman did so.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Former Eagle Max Schuemann became Eastern baseball's 18th alumni to record playing time in the major leagues. Schuemann donned the Script E for three seasons (2016-18), and collected an All-MAC Second Team honor in the 2018 season, while making the MAC All-Tournament team in the 2017 campaign. A 20th round selection by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 draft, Schuemann made his MLB debut with the A's, April 12. Entering the game as the extra-innings runner on second base in the bottom of the 10th inning, Schuemann was driven in to secure the walk-off win over the Washington Nationals, marking his first MLB run. He recently recorded his first MLB hit and home run with one swing of the bat, as he homered against the Cleveland Guardians, April 20. He became the first EMU baseball alum to homer in the majors since Brian Bixler left the playing field for the Houston Astros June 25, 2012.

DOUBLE DOWN
Eastern currently leads the MAC in doubles (80) and doubles per game (2.05), figures that rank EMU 76th and 70th in the nation, respectively. The Eagles also hold the highest single-game total in doubles as they have barreled seven twice this season, first against Belmont University, Feb. 18, and most recently against Morehead State University, March 17. Furthermore, Eastern posts a .481 slugging percentage, ranking fourth in the MAC and 80th in the country.

TAYLOR'S TRIPLES
Cory Taylor recorded his third triple of the season when he smoked a ball off the right-field wall of Oestrike Stadium in the series opening game against Ohio, April 13. Taylor's three three-baggers rank as the most on the team, the second-most in the MAC and slot him 60th nationally.

TAYLOR: FIRST FIVE-HIT DAY SINCE 2018
Cory Taylor swung a blazing-hot bat against Oakland, April 9. The second baseman went 5-for-7 from the dish, marking the first five-hit day from the Eagles since former Eagle Jeff Timko did so in an 11-5 win over Nicholls State, March 3, 2018. The Shelbyville, Ind., native, homered twice in the game for the first multi-homer game of his career, tying for the team-lead (seven). Additionally, both Taylor's hits (five) and RBI count (four) went down as career-highs.

HOT BATS
The Eastern offense erupted for a 17-run, 24-hit, 15-RBI performance from the dish in its mid-week game against Oakland, April 9. The runs, hits, and RBI totals each mark season-highs for the Eagles, while the hits are the most from the program since they knocked 28 in a 27-7 win over Bowling Green State University, April 8, 2009. The 17 runs went down as the second time this season the Eagles have eclipsed the 15-run mark, previously doing so in their 16-6 thumping of the Belmont University Bruins, Feb. 18.

TOUGH TO SHAKE
Eastern showed its resilience in its series against Central Michigan, March 28-30. In both of EMU's wins in the three-game set, the Eagles walked-off the Chippewas in the ninth inning, coming back from four runs down in the first game (March 28), and three runs in the series finale (March 30). In total, EMU scored 10 runs in the final two innings in both of its walk-off triumphs over the Chippewas. Furthermore, the wins marked the Eagles first time coming back from down three runs or more to win a game this season.

THE MORE THE MERRIER
Eastern won its first extra-innings contest of the season with a 13-12 win over the Golden Flashes in 11 innings, April 6. The win marked the first extra-innings win of the Head Coach Robbie Britt era. The Eagles are now 1-0 in extra-inning contests under Britt.

NATHAN BALL: CAREER-DAY AT OAKLAND
Nathan Ball saw two career-firsts and a career-high in Eastern's most recent game against Oakland, April 23. In the second inning, the infielder crushed a ball 445-feet to centerfield, marking the first home run of his collegiate career. Ball finished the game with three RBI, logging his first multi-RBI performance as an Eagle while setting a career-high.

COMPLETE GAMES NATIONWIDE
Nick Chittum is one of 21 players in the nation to record multiple complete games this season, doing so against the University of Southern Indiana, Feb. 25, and most recently against Western Michigan University, March 24. One of 146 Division I pitchers to go the distance this season, Chittum held the Broncos scoreless in his most recent CG, he became the first EMU pitcher to toss a nine-inning shutout since former Eagle Brad Allen notched a 3-0 complete-game triumph over Bowling Green, March 25, 2017.

KYLE SCHROEDLE: MID-SEASON FORM
Kyle Schroedle has turned a corner in his second Division I season. The Redding, Calif., native has already surpassed his home run total from last season (seven) with nine jacks this season (seventh-most in the MAC). The graduate student has also eclipsed his RBI total from last season (23) as he has currently driven-in 29. Additionally, Schroedle surpassed his hit total from last season (41) as he has knocked 42 this season and has made improvements to his slugging percentage (up from .533 to .638), OPS (up from .903 to 1.039), and batting average (up from .299 to .331).

McRAE'S BREAKOUT SEASON
Also in his second Division I campaign, Blake McRae has grown leaps and bounds since last season as the senior has already surpassed his 2023 season total in nearly every hitting statistic. Last season, the Armada, Mich., native batted .292 with 26 hits, 16 runs, two doubles, two home runs, 13 RBI, and 34 TB. This season, McRae is batting .338 with 47 hits, 37 runs, seven doubles, one triple, five homers, 28 RBI, and 71 TB. McRae has also increased his OPS (up from .772 to .945), batting average (up from .292 to .338), and slugging percentage (up from .382 to .511).

BOB GETS THE NOD
Bobby Jones started in the series opening game against Akron, April 19, marking his 11th start of the season. Jones' 11 starts rank as the most in the conference, and sixth most in the nation. Jones also sits 75th in the nation and fourth in the MAC with five wins on the year.

BOBBY JONES: NATIONALLY RANKED
Bobby Jones is nationally ranked in both strikeout-to-walk ratio and walks allowed per nine innings. Jones stands second in the conference in both categories, while ranking 17th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.10) and 24th in the country in walks allowed per nine innings (1.52). Jones previously sent a career-high 10 packing via the strikeout against Ohio, April 13.

DANGEROUS ON THE BASE PATHS
Logan Hugo ranks second in the MAC and stands 68th nationally with 17 stolen bases. He also stands 58th in the country and second in the conference in stolen bases per game (0.49). Hugo leads an Eagles team that ranks 47th nationally in stolen bags and second in the conference with 65. EMU also ranks high in stolen bases per game, averaging 1.67 swipes per contest (50th nationally and second in MAC).

SCORING FIRST
When scoring first, Eastern posts an 8-6 record. The trend continues when Eastern Michigan scores in the first inning of the game, as the Eagles hold a 6-5 record in such occurrences.

IMPORTANCE OF THE SIXTH
The Eagles post an 11-2 record when leading after six innings of play. Conversely, when trailing after six, EMU is 2-22. Eastern lost for the second time this season after leading past the sixth inning, falling to Akron, 13-8, April 19. EMU is still perfect when leading after seven and eight innings, producing an 8-0 record in both scenarios.

MOVE EM' UP
Glenn Miller has excelled this season in advancing EMU baserunners via the sacrifice bunt. Miller has notched eight sacrifice bunts on the season, ranking him second in the MAC and 21st nationally. He also ranks high in sacrifice bunts per-game, slotting ninth in the nation and second in the MAC at 0.27. The senior most recently executed a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the fifth inning against Akron, April 20, advancing an EMU baserunner 90-feet.

IN THE SERIES: MIAMI
The Eagles and RedHawks will meet for the 131st time Friday afternoon. The Eagles hold a 64-66 record when facing Miami and a 6-18 record when playing the RedHawks as the visiting team. In the last 10 games in the series, the Eagles hold a 4-6 record. The last time EMU traveled to Miami, they swept the RedHawks in a three-game set, outscoring Miami 29-18.

SCOUTING MIAMI
Picked to finish seventh in the MAC in the preseason poll, the RedHawks will enter Friday's game with a 19-19 (11-10 MAC) record. Most recently, Miami run-ruled Xavier University, 11-1 in an eight-inning affair, April 23. The RedHawks are currently riding a five-game win streak with victories over Butler University, April 17, and a three-game sweep of Toledo, April 19-21, prior to its win against Xavier.

ON THE HORIZON
Following the series against Miami, the Eagles will not play a mid-week game and next see action in a weekend MAC series against the Toledo Rockets Friday-Sunday, May 3-5.

FOLLOW US
For all things EMU Baseball, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Baseball on X (formerly Twitter), emu.baseball on Instagram, and emu.baseball on TikTok.

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Players Mentioned

Nathan Ball

Nick Chittum

Logan Hugo

Bobby Jones

Blake McRae

Glenn Miller

Kyle Schroedle

Cory Taylor

Eastern Michigan Athletics