YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University baseball team begins a five-game homestand with a four-game weekend series versus Ohio University, April 15-17. First pitch for Friday is set for 2 p.m., while Saturday's doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. The Sunday series finale is set for a 1 p.m. start inside Oestrike Stadium. The contests can be streamed via Eagle All-Access where Greg Steiner and Alex Jewell will have the call. The four-game set can also be followed via live stats on EMUEagles.com/livestats. The team's Twitter account, @EMU_Baseball, will also provide inning-by-inning updates throughout the games.
Eastern (13-16, 9-7 MAC) won its most recent four-game series this past weekend, April 9-11, defeating Miami University. Meanwhile, the Bobcats (13-15, 7-9 MAC) dropped a midweek contest to Marshall University, April 12, 10-3 Tuesday night. The Eagles ride a three-game winning streak and will look to extend that trend to four games, which would a be season-high for the Green and White.
DROPPIN' TANKS: The Eagles belted five homers in their four-game weekend series at Miami, April 9-11. Eastern Michigan has hit 41 home runs in its first 29 games of the 2022 season. That number equates to a 1.41 home runs per game average. EMU has not had a season with a home runs per game average better than 1.0 since 2009, when the Eagles belted 100 total homers, a 1.67 per game average. This year's squad is on pace to round the pillows just under 80 times this season.
Additionally, the Eagles launched multiple home runs in a game for the 10th time this season when Eastern recorded two Sunday, April 10, against Miami.
EMU leads the MAC in homers per game and total home runs (41). Moreover, the Eagles rank 51st in the nation in dingers and 38th in home runs per game. Senior Daniel Warkentin paces Eastern, rounding the pillows 10 times this season. Warkentin is the first player in the MAC to reach double digit home runs.
Furthermore, three Eastern Michigan batters sit inside the top-two in homers in the league. Warkentin (10) leads the league, while senior Gabe Denton (8) and junior Matt Kirk (8) are both tied for second in the conference.
DANNY DEEPSHOTS: Senior Daniel Warkentin blasted three home runs in the four-game series versus Miami, April 9-11. The weekend performance included a homer in three consecutive games for the second baseman. With the trio of round-trippers, the Canadian now leads the team, and the Mid-American Conference, in home runs (10).
Warkentin blasted five home runs in the four-game series versus Akron, March 25-26. The weekend performance earned Warkentin his first career Mid-American Conference Player of the Week honor, March 29.
He is the first Eastern Michigan player to hit five deep shots in a four-game stretch since the 2009 season, when Jim Gulliver did it between May 8-12. The senior finished the weekend 7-for-17 with 10 RBIs on five homers, including 10 runs scored and three walks. Warkentin has recorded two multi-home run games this season.
Additionally, the infielder rides a six-game hitting streak, recording a hit in every game dating back to April 2.
MATT'S BAT: Junior Matt Kirk has begun his EMU career on fire at the plate. The outfielder leads the team in batting average (.317), hits (39), slugging percentage (.593), total bases (73), and extra base hits (18). Additionally, Kirk is tied for second on the team with eight home runs.
The outfielder ranks second in the Mid-American Conference in hits and total bases, while his 10 doubles and eight home runs are both tied for second in the league, respectively.
HISTORIC PERFORMANCES ON THE BUMP: Junior Luke Russo and freshman Adam Falinski each totaled 11 strikeouts in their respective outings this weekend at Miami, April 9-11.
The 11 K's marks a career-high for both Russo and Falinski. Additionally, the 11 punch outs by the duo is tied for second in EMU's modern statistical history (1999-Pres.) for strikeouts in an outing, tying with former Eagle Ryan Lavoie (11; at WMU, April 8, 2012). Sam Delaplane holds the top spot with 12 strikeouts versus Ohio, April 14, 2017.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Captain Shane Easter sits second on the squad in batting average (.288) and on-base percentage (.385). Additionally, Easter is third on the team in hits RBI (22) and doubles (7). Furthermore, the captain has started all 29 games this season and has a fielding percentage of .989.
In the series finale against Miami, April 11, Easter drove in four runs for Eastern Michigan. The four RBIs tie a career-high for the captain (4 at Austin Peay, Feb. 15, 2020). Additionally, it is Easter's fourth multi-RBI game of the 2022 season.
Easter needs just four hits (96) to earn 100 career hits as a member of the Green and White.
LOGAN'S HEROES: Freshman Logan Hugo has been outstanding for Eastern Michigan since entering into the everyday lineup during mid-March. The Essexville, Mich. native has 17 hits in 14 starts this season, and is currently hitting at a .383 clip. Through 47 collegiate at-bats, Hugo has manufactured a slugging percentage of .447, an on-base percentage of .508, and has recorded 13 RBIs. Already showing discipline beyond his years, he has also drawn more walks (13), than he has strikeouts (12) this season.
Hugo's most memorable moment came Sunday, April 10, at Miami, when he notched his first collegiate extra-base hit. Not only was it a home run, but it was a grand slam that helped EMU take the lead in the ballgame, for good, after being down, 7-6, in the seventh inning. Hugo finished the weekend series going 3-for-5 with an RBI, a walk, and three runs scored for the Green and White.
The freshman finished the weekend 5-for-15 (.333) with eight RBIs, one homer, five walks, and five runs scored at Miami, April 9-11.
GOOD EYE!: The Eagles have been disciplined at the plate as the Green and White are first in the Mid-American Conference in fewest strikeouts (196). Additionally, EMU currently ranks sixth in the league in on-base percentage (.376) and owns the league lead in home runs (41).
HITTING FOR POWER: EMU powered five balls over the fence in the four-game series versus Miami, April 9-11. Eastern has tallied a home run in nine of its last 12 games, recording 18 dingers in that span.
Previously, the Eagles belted homers in five consecutive games, March 25- April 1, amassing 10 round-trippers. That streak was the third stretch of at least five-straight games with at least one home run this season. Prior to this season, EMU had not seen multiple five-contest home run streaks since 2009, when the team put together three streaks of five-or-more consecutive games (12 games, 6 games, 6 games) with a home run.
SCORING IN BUNCHES: The Eagles tallied four runs on two hits in the second inning in the series finale versus Miami, April 11. The four runs mark the 14th time this season EMU has scored at least four-or-more runs in an inning.
In the final game of the Sunday doubleheader, the Eagles tallied four runs in the fourth inning and seven runs in the seventh, April 10. The seven scores is the highest in an inning this season for EMU.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE MAC: Eastern Michigan is 624-604-3 overall against the Mid-American Conference. Head Coach Eric Roof holds a record of 44-66 against opposing MAC programs.
ALL-TIME AGAINST OHIO: EMU and Ohio will meet for the 131st time this Friday, April 15. The Eagles lead the all-time series by a record of 69-62. This weekend, Eastern will look to snap a eight-game losing streak against the Bobcats, tied for the longest losing streak against any other MAC school (L8 vs. CMU). Eastern has not beat Ohio since 2018 when EMU took down the Bobcats 4-3, April 14.
LAST GAMES VERSUS THE BOBCATS: In the most recent meeting between the two programs, the Eagles fell to the Bobcats 3-2, April 11, 2021, in Athens, Ohio. Eastern was able to notch seven hits, although just two provided the Eagles with runs as a pair of solo home runs by junior transfer Gabe Denton and his fellow upperclassman, Taylor Hopkins were the extent of EMU's run production for the day. With the victory, Ohio swept the four-game series, April 9-11, 2021.
LAST TIME IN YPSI: EMU and Ohio have not played one another at Oestrike Stadium since 2019. The three-game weekend series in Ypsilanti, April 19-21, 2019, saw the Bobcats sweep the Eagles. In the most recent game in Ypsilanti, Ohio defeated Eastern 6-3.
Junior Zachary Owings finished 2-for-4 with a double, a single, and two runs scored, while classmate Drake Peggs went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles. Sophomore Nate Jones ended the game 2-for-3 with a double, a single, and a walk, while then-freshman Taylor Hopkins hit 1-for-4 with a two-run double and a run scored.
HISTORY AT OESTRIKE: Opening in 1971, Oestrike Stadium will hold its 51st season of baseball inside the park in 2022. EMU holds a 549-411-2 all-time record at the venue, and has compiled just 12 losing seasons at Oestrike since its opening.
The home of EMU baseball is named after legendary EMU baseball head coach Ron Oestrike, who led the Green and White from 1965-87, winning an NAIA national championship and four Mid-American Conference titles during his tenure leading the Green and White.
ON THE HORIZON: Eastern Michigan concludes its homestand with a midweek contest at Oestrike Stadium to battle Siena Heights, April 19.
Baseball Begins Five-Game Homestand Friday Versus Ohio - EMU Eagles
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