E a s t e r n Mic h ig a n
2 0 0 8 b a s e b a l l
Eastern Michigan Sports Information
Baseball Contact • Paul Pancoe
Office Phone • 734.487.0317
Cell Phone • 330.559.1131 E-mail • [email protected]
2008 EMU BasEBaLL schEDULE/rEsULts
EastErn Michigan BASEBALL
(13-24, 10-2 Mac)
EastErn Michigan vs OlivEt
Wednesday • April 23, 2008 • 5 p.m.
FEBRUARY
22 23 24 27 28 29
MARCH
1at New Mexico at New Mexico (DH) at New Mexico
L, 7-16
L, 8-9, L 3-13
L, 3-6 at Florida (DH) at Florida Atlantic at Florida Atlantic
L, 2-15, L 8-16
L, 6-11
EastErn Michigan at nOrthErn illinOis
Friday • April 25, 2008 • 3 p.m.
L, 2-5
Saturday • April 26, 2008 • 1 p.m. Sunday • April 27, 2008 • 1 p.m.
at Florida Atlantic at Florida Atlantic at Tennessee
L, 11-12 L, 3-24 L, 2-6
27
- 9
- at Tennessee
at No. 4 Kentucky (DH) at Dayton vs. Wright State (DH)! vs. Wright State!
GRAND VALLEY STATE SAGINAW VALLEY KENT STATE* KENT STATE* KENT STATE*
at Michigan State
Oakland MIAMI*
L, 7-8, (10), L, 1-5
- L, 5-18, L, 6-8
- 11
14 15 16
18 19 21 22 23
26
27 28 29 30
APRIL
1
Cancelled THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE: After an 0-17 start to the 2008 sea-
L, 7-10, L 4-5
son, the Eagles have come on strong in Mid-American Conference
play, winning 10 of their first 12 games. With their series sweep of in-state rival Western Michigan, April 18-20, EMU now sits in first place in the West Division, two games up on second place Northern Illinois University heading into this weekend’s series in DeKalb.
W, 11-2
Cancelled Cancelled Cancelled Cancelled Cancelled
W, 10-3
Cancelled Cancelled
SCOUTING THE COMETS: Olivet College enters Wednesday’s game having won seven of its past 11 games. Overall, the Comets are 11- 12 on the year. Junior outfielder Brandon Goodman leads leads OC in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.416), hits
MIAMI* (DH) MIAMI*
W, 8-6, W, 2-1 (11)
W, 3-2 (11)
at Cleveland State at Michigan State at Akron*
Cancelled
L, 3-5
Cancelled
2456at Akron* (DH) at Akron*
L, 2-6; W, 5-4 (37), doubles (10), triple (3), RBI (26) and slugging percentage (.629).
W, 12-6
78
9
CLEVELAND STATE SAGINAW VALLEY
at Oakland
L, 9-15 L, 5-9
W, 10-7
WEEKEND NOTES: The Eagles hold a 7-2 record over the Huskies over the past three seasons, including taking the first and third games last season in DeKalb, 6-1 and 4-2, respectively. Overall, EMU holds a 55-31 advantage over NIU.
11 12 13 15 16
18 19 20 23
25 26 27
29
30
MAY
2at Ohio* at Ohio* at Ohio* at Michigan
W, 15-13 (11) W, 13-12 (10)
L, 8-14 L, 3-5 L, 5-20
W, 5-4 W, 12-9 W, 6-5 5 p.m.
3 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m.
5 p.m.
6:35 p.m. at Michigan
WESTERN MICHIGAN* WESTERN MICHIGAN* WESTERN MICHIGAN* OLIVET
at Northern Illinois* at Northern Illinois* at Northern Illinois*
INDIANA TECH
at Ohio State
GRAB A BROOM: For the second time this season, the Eagles swept a
weekend series against a MAC opponent. EMU fought back for comefrom-behind wins over the Western Michigan Broncos April 18 and 19, winning 5-4 and 12-9, respectively. The last time EMU recorded two series sweeps at home was during the 2006 season, defeating NIU and Buffalo.
at Ball State* at Ball State* at Ball State* at Bowling Green*
BOWLING GREEN* TOLEDO* TOLEDO* TOLEDO*
3 p.m. 1 p.m. 1 p.m. 3 p.m.
6 p.m. 6 p.m. 3 p.m. 1 p.m.
YOUNG GUNS: True freshmen Zack Leonard and Jake Stapf put up
career-high numbers this past week, April 15-20. Leonard, who has started in 32-of-35 games played this year at third base, batted .375 for the week, including two home runs and five RBI. Stapf, a spot-starter in the EMU rotation this season, pitched eight innings, recording three strikeouts while allowing just four earned runs in an April 20, 12-9 win.
346
79
10 11 13
15 16 17
21-25
29
JUNE
8-11
15-20
- OAKLAND
- 6 p.m.
3 p.m. 1 p.m. at Central Michigan* at Central Michigan* at Central Michigan* Mid-American Conference Tournament TBA NCAA Regional
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: With their sweep over Western Michi-
1 p.m.
gan, April 18-20, the Eagles have won all four MAC series played this season. Dating back to last season, the Green and White have won 14 straight conference series. The last series EMU lost occured, May 18-20, 2007, against the Western Michigan Broncos in Kalamazoo.
TBA
NCAA Super Regional NCAA College World Series
TBA TBA
* - Mid-American Conference game ! - Played at Athletes in Action Complex, Xenia, Ohio
E A S T E R N MIC H IG A N B A S E B A L L
- P A G E
- 2
2008 EastErn Michigan BasEBaLL rOstEr
- No. Name
- Pos.
OF IF/OF IF OF/LHP L-L
L-L
RHP/IF R-R
- B/T Ht. Wt.
- Yr.-El.
- Hometown-High School (Previous School)
Fairfield, Ohio-Stephen T. Badin Fostoria, Ohio-Elmwood Belleville, Mich.-Belleville Avondale, Arizona-Westview
12356789
- Wally Gerbus
- R-R
R-R R-R
6-0 170 Fr.-Fr. 5-11 180 Jr.-Jr. 5-11 165 Sr.-Sr. 5-10 170 Sr.-Sr. 5-9 165 Jr.-Jr
Kyle Rhoad** Josh Ivan*** Jeff Davis*** Bobby Henderson** LHP Corey Chaffins* Aaron Crooks*
Milford, Mich.-Detroit Catholic Central
6-2 185 So.-So. New London, Ohio-New London 5-8 155 So.-So. Toledo, Ohio-Ottawa Hills 6-4 185 Fr.-Fr. 6-3 180 Sr.-Sr. 6-1 185 Jr.-Jr.
- IF
- R-R
R-R R-R R-R
- Jordan Goldschmidt RHP
- Ft. Loramie, Ohio-Ft. Loramie
Huntington Woods, Michigan-Berkley Fremont, Ohio-Saint Joseph Central Catholic
10 Michael Boyd*** 14 Kevin Wammes**
OF RHP
15 Kenneth Battiston* OF/LHP R-L 16 Sean Hoffman** RHP R-R 17 Robert Wendzicki* LHP/IF L-L
6-0 190 So.-So. West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union 5-9 175 Jr.-Jr. Midland, Mich.-Midland 6-1 185 So.-So. Brook Park, Ohio-Midpark
18 Jeff Robinson** 19 Eric Noland
LHP IF/OF IF/OF IF
R-L R-R R-R R-R L-R R-R R-R R-R R-R L-L L-L R-R L-L R-R L-R L-L L-R R-R R-L S-R R-L R-R R-L
6-1 165 Sr.-Sr. 6-0 165 Fr.-Fr. 6-0 185 Fr.-Fr. 6-3 220 Jr.-So. 5-11 165 Sr.-Jr. 5-10 170 Fr.-Fr. 6-3 210 Sr.-Sr. 6-0 175 Fr.-Fr. 5-10 165 Fr.-Fr. 6-0 200 Sr.-Sr. 5-10 175 So.-So. Youngstown, Ohio-Boardman 6-1 210 Jr.-So. Mason, Mich.-Mason 6-2 190 So.-So. Westland, Mich.-Detroit. Catholic Central 6-1 200 Jr.-Jr. 6-2 215 Fr.-Fr. 6-4 175 Fr.-Fr. 5-8 180 So.-Fr. 6-2 230 Jr.-Jr.
Gladstone, Mich.-Gladstone Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ypsilanti Canton, Ohio-McKinley St. Mary’s, Ohio-St. Mary’s Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park Highland Village, TX- Marcus Farmington Hills, Mich.-St. Clair CC Springboro, Ohio-Springboro Dayton, Ohio-Wayne
20 Zack Leonard 21 Todd Graves* 22 Jim Gulliver* 24 Mickey Sepanek 25 Mike Sacha* 26 Jacob Morris 27 Tim Combs
IF IF/OF OF/P IF/OF P/IF
- 28 Steve Bradshaw*** IF/OF
- Lapeer, Mich.-West
29 Kevin Sikora* 30 Andrew Marshall* 31 John Ballarin* 33 Aaron Powell** 34 Matt Skirving 36 Collin Taylor
LHP CLHP OF C/IF LHP C
Clarkston, Mich.-Clarkston Midland, Mich.-H.H. Dow Cincinnati, Ohio-Lakota West Ann Arbor, Mich.-Detroit Catholic Central Trenton, Mich.-Trenton
37 John Carrier 38 Matt Shoemaker** RHP 39 Robert Hamly 40 Chris Pfund 42 Matt Dimich*** 45 Jake Stapf 50 Dan Puls*** *letters won
LHP OF LHP RHP LHP
5-11 170 So.-So. Caledonia, Mich.-Caledonia 5-9 180 Fr.-Fr. 6-2 180 Sr.-Sr. 6-5 180 Fr.-Fr. 6-6 195 Sr.-Sr.
Swanton, Ohio-Evergreen Fenton, Mich.-Lake Fenton Hamilton, Ohio-Stephen T. Badin Alpena, Mich.-Alpena
Coaching Staff
23 Jake Boss Jr. 41 Del Young
Head Coach Asst. Coach Asst. Coach Student Asst.
How Do You Say...
John Ballarin • BAL-er-in
- 4
- Mark Van Ameyde
Matt Dimich • DEM-ich
How Do You Say...
Chris Pfund • Pound
Jeff Hehr – HAIR
48 Shane Davis
Dan Puls • Poles
- Bill Tuscany
- Athletic Trainer
Eric Pelot – Pa-LOT
Kevin Wammes • WOM-is
Dan Puls – POOLS
Mike Sacha • SA-sha
Kevin Wammes – Wam-ISS
Jake Stapf • Staff
Matt Dimich – Dim-itch
- P A G E
- 3
E A S T E R N MIC H IG A N B A S E B A L L
Qu i c k Fa c t s
SOLID SENIOR PLAY: Senior right fielder Jeff Davis terrorized the Broncos
during their three-game series, April 18-20. He batted .500 for the weekend, collecting four RBI while scoring three times. In Saturday’s 12-9 comeback win, Davis’ fifth inning two-run bomb sparked a six-run output, allowing the Eagles to regain the lead on their way to the win.
Un i v e r s i t y a t a Gl a n c e
Location .......................... Ypsilanti, Michigan Founded ..............................................1849 Enrollment ....................................... 24,500 Nickname ..........................................Eagles Colors ................ Green (PMS 349) and White Conference ................... Mid-American (MAC) Home Field ........................ Oestrike Stadium Capacity .............................................1,200 Distances ................................. 330/390/330 President ...........................Donald Loppnow
Athletics Director .................. Derrick Gragg
Assoc. AD/SWA ........................Stephannnie .........................................Harvey-Vandenburg
Assoc. AD-External ..................Doug Dowdy Assoc. AD-Internal .................. Mike Malach Assoc. AD-Compliance .. Melody Reifel Werner Convocation Center Dir. .......Mark Monahan
Ticket Manager ............................. Ron Reid
Ticket Phone Number ............ 734.487.2282 Athletics Website ........ www.emueagles.com
BIG GREEN MACHINE: During their recent six game stretch from April 7-13, the Eagles tallied 60 runs and 71 hits, averaging 10 runs and nearly 12 hits per game. Against Ohio, the Green and White offense increased its production to 12 runs and 13 hits per contest.
DOWN TO THE WIRE: During EMU’s three-game win streak April 9-12, the Eagles relied on late inning heroics for the win in each game. Against Oakland April 9, the Green and White rallied from a 7-4 deficit in the ninth to win 10-7. At Ohio, the Eagles were a 15-13 winner in 11 innings in game one while game two saw EMU put up three in the ninth to force extra innings, ultimately winning by a 13-12 count in the tenth.
Ba s e B a l l Hi s t o r y
RHOAD WARRIOR: Junior center fielder Kyle Rhoad came up big for the
Eagles in their 13-12 win in 10 innings over Ohio, April 12. The ever-reliable outfielder stepped to the plate in the top of the ninth with the Eagles down 12-9, with two on and two out. With one swing of the bat, Rhoad breathed new life into the dugout, sending the ball over the right-field fence for his fourth home run of the season, tying the game at 12.
First Year of Baseball .........................1949
All-time Record ....................1,355-1,255-10
No. Years NCAA World Series/Last..2/1976 No.Years NCAA Tournament/Last ..6/2003
NCAA Record ......................................17-14
Ba s e B a l l st a f f
Head Coach ..............................Jake Boss Jr. Alma Mater, Year ..........................Alma, ’93
Office Phone Number ............ 734.487.0315
Assistant Coach ........................... Del Young
Alma Mater, Year..................Northwood, ‘04 Assistant Coach ................Mark Van Ameyde Alma Mater, Year........................Detroit, ‘96 Volunteer Assistant .................. Shane Davis Alma Mater, Year.........Eastern Michigan, ‘07 Staff Athletic Trainer .................. Bill Tuscany
POWELL FINDS THE SWEET SPOT: Junior Aaron Powell enjoyed a career-best
performance over the past week. He batted .414 over six games, tallying 12 hits, 11 RBI, three home runs, two doubles and one triple. Against Oakland he belted two home runs, including a two-run shot in the ninth to jump start a six run inning for the Green and White.
MARATHON GAME: The threat of rain delayed game one of the Eagles and
Bobcats weekend series by nearly three hours April 11. At 12:50 a.m., just over four hours after the first pitch had been thrown, the Eagles closed out a 15-13 come-from-behind win in 11 innings. Sophomore Todd Graves broke an 11-11 tie in the top of the 11th with his three-run bomb over the left-field wall.
te a m in f o r m a t i o n
2007 Overall Record ..........................32-24 MAC Finish/Record ................1st West/21-4 2007 Final Ranking ..............................N/A 2007 Postseason .....3-2 at MAC Tournament Starters Returning/Lost ....................... 6/3 Pitchers Returning/Lost....................... 2/3
Newcomers .............................................12
STEADY EDDIE: Senior first baseman Steve Bradshaw has reached base safely in
the 34 of 37 games this season for the Eagles. For the year, he has a team-high .383 batting average and leads the Green and White with 54 hits, including 18 multi-hit games.
me d i a in f o r m a t i o n
Sports Info. Director ................Jim Streeter Asst. SID ..................................Greg Steiner Grad. Assist./Baseball Contact Paul Pancoe Graduate Assist. ................. Amanda Decker Graduate Assist. ................. Sarah VanMetre EMU Sports Info. Phone ........ 734.487.0317 EMU Sports Info. Fax ............. 734.485.3840
Press Box Phone .................... 734.481.9328
HITTING CLINIC: Eight EMU players recorded a hit in the Eagles 12-6 win over Akron, April 7, including six players with mult-hit performances. Leading the way for the Eagles was senior first baseman Steve Bradshaw, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored.
ANOTHER SERIES WIN: After dropping the first game of the series 6-2 to Akron, the Eagles won two straight for the series win. EMU fought back in the ninth Home Field ........................ Oestrike Stadium inning of game two to win 5-4 and then churned out 12 runs on 18 hits for a 12-6 win in game three.
oe s t r i k e st a d i U m
Dimensions ............................. 330/390/330 Capacity ..............................................1,200
TOUCHIN’ ‘EM ALL: Junior catcher Andrew Marshall belted two home runs in
the second game of the April 5 doubleheader against MAC rival Akron. Marshall’s second inning two-run shot put the Eagles up 2-0 while his ninth inning
E A S T E R N MIC H IG A N B A S E B A L L
- P A G E
- 4
Projected Starting Lineup
Kyle Rhoad Center Field
Jeff Davis Right Field
Mike Boyd
- Left Field
- Josh Ivan
Second Base
Jim Gulliver Shortstop
Possible Pitching Rotation Game 1 - Kevin Sikora Game 2 - Sean Hoffman Game 3 - Matt Shoemaker
Steve Bradshaw
First Base
Zack Leonard Third Base
Andrew Marshall/Matt Skirving
Catcher
- P A G E
- 5
E A S T E R N MIC H IG A N B A S E B A L L
solo roundtripper knotted the game at 4-4.
Mid-American Conference Standings
MAJOR LEAGUE SCHEDULE: The Eagles played six
games in the past seven days, posting a 3-3 mark over that span. EMU suffered a 15-9 loss to Cleveland State, April 7, and a 9-5 loss against Saginaw Valley, April 8, before beating Oakland 10-7, April 9, and Ohio 15-13 and 13-12, April 11 and 12. In the weekend finale April 13, the Eagles fell 14-8 to the Bobcats.
(as of April 22, 2008)
WEST DIVISION
MAC
Eastern Michigan 10-2
Northern Illinois 9-6
Overall
13-24
16-19 21-14 19-18 20-13-1 11-21
BIXLER GETS THE CALL: Former Eastern Michigan University All-American Brian Bixler has been called up
to the active roster for the Pittsburgh Pirates. BIxler, a second-round selection in the 2004 MLB Draft, pinch hit in Pittsburgh’s 9-2 win over the Florida Marlins April 6.
- Ball State
- 7-5
Central Michigan 8-6 Western Michigan 5-7
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT FINDS NEW HOME: For
just the second time in league history, the baseball tournament will be held at a neutral site. This year’s venue is the VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio. The 2008 MAC baseball tournament has also expanded from six to eight teams.
- Toledo
- 5-7
FAB FIVE: After starting the season 0-17 the Eagles re-
bounded, winning five straight, including a series sweep of MAC rival Miami in their home-opening weekend series, March 29-30.
PUTTING IN EXTRA INNINGS: Against the RedHawks,
the Eagles need an additional two innings in games two
and three for the win. A Mike Sacha walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 11th gave EMU the 2-1 win in game two while Jeff Davis’ RBI single in the bottom of the 11th in game three powered the Green and White to a 3-2 victory.