Eastern 2008 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 FE BRUARY Wednesday • April 23, 2008 • 5 p.m. 22 at New Mexico L, 7-16 23 at New Mexico (DH) L, 8-9, L 3-13 24 at New Mexico L, 3-6 27 at Florida (DH) L, 2-15, L 8-16 Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois 28 at Florida Atlantic L, 6-11 29 at Florida Atlantic L, 2-5 Friday • April 25, 2008 • 3 p.m. MARCH Saturday • April 26, 2008 • 1 p.m. 1 at Florida Atlantic L, 11-12 2 at Florida Atlantic L, 3-24 Sunday • April 27, 2008 • 1 p.m. 7 at Tennessee L, 2-6 9 at Tennessee L, 7-8, (10), L, 1-5 11 at No. 4 Kentucky (DH) L, 5-18, L, 6-8 14 at Dayton Cancelled THE BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE: After an 0-17 start to the 2008 sea- 15 vs. Wright State (DH)! L, 7-10, L 4-5 16 vs. Wright State! W, 11-2 son, the Eagles have come on strong in Mid-American Conference 18 GRAND VALLEY STATE Cancelled play, winning 10 of their first 12 games. With their series sweep of 19 SAGINAW VALLEY Cancelled 21 KENT STATE* Cancelled in-state rival Western Michigan, April 18-20, EMU now sits in first 22 KENT STATE* Cancelled place in the West Division, two games up on second place North- 23 KENT STATE* Cancelled 26 at Michigan State W, 10-3 ern Illinois University heading into this weekend’s series in DeKalb. 27 Oakland Cancelled 28 MIAMI* Cancelled 29 MIAMI* (DH) W, 8-6, W, 2-1 (11) SCOUTING THE COMETS: Olivet College enters Wednesday’s game 30 MIAMI* W, 3-2 (11) having won seven of its past 11 games. Overall, the Comets are 11- APRIL 1 at Cleveland State Cancelled 12 on the year. Junior outfielder Brandon Goodman leads leads OC in 2 at Michigan State L, 3-5 4 at Akron* Cancelled nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.416), hits 5 at Akron* (DH) L, 2-6; W, 5-4 (37), doubles (10), triple (3), RBI (26) and slugging percentage (.629). 6 at Akron* W, 12-6 7 CLEVELAND STATE L, 9-15 8 SAGINAW VALLEY L, 5-9 WEEKEND NOTES: The Eagles hold a 7-2 record over the Huskies over 9 at Oakland W, 10-7 11 at Ohio* W, 15-13 (11) the past three seasons, including taking the first and third games last sea- 12 at Ohio* W, 13-12 (10) son in DeKalb, 6-1 and 4-2, respectively. Overall, EMU holds a 55-31 13 at Ohio* L, 8-14 15 at Michigan L, 3-5 advantage over NIU. 16 at Michigan L, 5-20 18 WESTERN MICHIGAN* W, 5-4 19 WESTERN MICHIGAN* W, 12-9 GRAB A BROOM: For the second time this season, the Eagles swept a 20 WESTERN MICHIGAN* W, 6-5 weekend series against a MAC opponent. EMU fought back for come- 23 OLIVET 5 p.m. 25 at Northern Illinois* 3 p.m. from-behind wins over the Western Michigan Broncos April 18 and 19, 26 at Northern Illinois* 1 p.m. 27 at Northern Illinois* 1 p.m. winning 5-4 and 12-9, respectively. The last time EMU recorded two series 29 INDIANA TECH 5 p.m. sweeps at home was during the 2006 season, defeating NIU and Buffalo. 30 at Ohio State 6:35 p.m. MAY 2 at Ball State* 3 p.m. YOUNG GUNS: True freshmen Zack Leonard and Jake Stapf put up 3 at Ball State* 1 p.m. 4 at Ball State* 1 p.m. career-high numbers this past week, April 15-20. Leonard, who has 6 at Bowling Green* 3 p.m. started in 32-of-35 games played this year at third base, batted .375 for 7 BOWLING GREEN* 6 p.m. 9 TOLEDO* 6 p.m. the week, including two home runs and five RBI. Stapf, a spot-starter 10 TOLEDO* 3 p.m. in the EMU rotation this season, pitched eight innings, recording three 11 TOLEDO* 1 p.m. 13 OAKLAND 6 p.m. while allowing just four earned runs in an April 20, 12-9 win. 15 at Central Michigan* 3 p.m. 16 at Central Michigan* 1 p.m. 17 at Central Michigan* 1 p.m. TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: With their sweep over Western Michi- 21-25 Mid-American Conference Tournament TBA 29 NCAA Regional TBA gan, April 18-20, the Eagles have won all four MAC series played this JUNE season. Dating back to last season, the Green and White have won 8-11 NCAA Super Regional TBA 15-20 NCAA TBA 14 straight conference series. The last series EMU lost occured, May 18-20, 2007, against the Western Michigan Broncos in Kalamazoo. * - Mid-American Conference game ! - Played at Athletes in Action Complex, Xenia, Ohio EASTERN MICHIGAN BasebaLL Page 2 2008 EASTERN MICHIGAN BASEBALL ROSTER No. Name Pos. B/T Ht. Wt. Yr.-El. Hometown-High School (Previous School) 1 Wally Gerbus OF R-R 6-0 170 Fr.-Fr. Fairfield, Ohio-Stephen T. Badin 2 Kyle Rhoad** IF/OF R-R 5-11 180 Jr.-Jr. Fostoria, Ohio-Elmwood 3 Josh Ivan*** IF R-R 5-11 165 Sr.-Sr. Belleville, Mich.-Belleville 5 Jeff Davis*** OF/LHP L-L 5-10 170 Sr.-Sr. Avondale, Arizona-Westview 6 Bobby Henderson** LHP L-L 5-9 165 Jr.-Jr Milford, Mich.-Detroit Catholic Central 7 Corey Chaffins* RHP/IF R-R 6-2 185 So.-So. New London, Ohio-New London 8 Aaron Crooks* IF R-R 5-8 155 So.-So. Toledo, Ohio-Ottawa Hills 9 Jordan Goldschmidt RHP R-R 6-4 185 Fr.-Fr. Ft. Loramie, Ohio-Ft. Loramie 10 Michael Boyd*** OF R-R 6-3 180 Sr.-Sr. Huntington Woods, Michigan-Berkley 14 Kevin Wammes** RHP R-R 6-1 185 Jr.-Jr. Fremont, Ohio-Saint Joseph Central Catholic 15 Kenneth Battiston* OF/LHP R-L 6-0 190 So.-So. West Milton, Ohio-Milton Union 16 Sean Hoffman** RHP R-R 5-9 175 Jr.-Jr. Midland, Mich.-Midland 17 Robert Wendzicki* LHP/IF L-L 6-1 185 So.-So. Brook Park, Ohio-Midpark 18 Jeff Robinson** LHP R-L 6-1 165 Sr.-Sr. Gladstone, Mich.-Gladstone 19 Eric Noland IF/OF R-R 6-0 165 Fr.-Fr. Ypsilanti, Mich.-Ypsilanti 20 Zack Leonard IF/OF R-R 6-0 185 Fr.-Fr. Canton, Ohio-McKinley 21 Todd Graves* IF R-R 6-3 220 Jr.-So. St. Mary’s, Ohio-St. Mary’s 22 Jim Gulliver* IF L-R 5-11 165 Sr.-Jr. Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park 24 Mickey Sepanek IF/OF R-R 5-10 170 Fr.-Fr. Highland Village, TX- Marcus 25 Mike Sacha* OF/P R-R 6-3 210 Sr.-Sr. Farmington Hills, Mich.-St. Clair CC 26 Jacob Morris IF/OF R-R 6-0 175 Fr.-Fr. Springboro, Ohio-Springboro 27 Tim Combs P/IF R-R 5-10 165 Fr.-Fr. Dayton, Ohio-Wayne 28 Steve Bradshaw*** IF/OF L-L 6-0 200 Sr.-Sr. Lapeer, Mich.-West 29 Kevin Sikora* LHP L-L 5-10 175 So.-So. Youngstown, Ohio-Boardman 30 Andrew Marshall* C R-R 6-1 210 Jr.-So. Mason, Mich.-Mason 31 John Ballarin* LHP L-L 6-2 190 So.-So. Westland, Mich.-Detroit. Catholic Central 33 Aaron Powell** OF R-R 6-1 200 Jr.-Jr. Clarkston, Mich.-Clarkston 34 Matt Skirving C/IF L-R 6-2 215 Fr.-Fr. Midland, Mich.-H.H. Dow 36 Collin Taylor LHP L-L 6-4 175 Fr.-Fr. Cincinnati, Ohio-Lakota West 37 John Carrier C L-R 5-8 180 So.-Fr. Ann Arbor, Mich.-Detroit Catholic Central 38 Matt Shoemaker** RHP R-R 6-2 230 Jr.-Jr. Trenton, Mich.-Trenton 39 Robert Hamly LHP R-L 5-11 170 So.-So. Caledonia, Mich.-Caledonia 40 Chris Pfund OF S-R 5-9 180 Fr.-Fr. Swanton, Ohio-Evergreen 42 Matt Dimich*** LHP R-L 6-2 180 Sr.-Sr. Fenton, Mich.-Lake Fenton 45 Jake Stapf RHP R-R 6-5 180 Fr.-Fr. Hamilton, Ohio-Stephen T. Badin 50 Dan Puls*** LHP R-L 6-6 195 Sr.-Sr. Alpena, Mich.-Alpena *letters won

Coaching Staff 23 Jake Boss Jr. Head Coach How Do You Say... 41 Del Young Asst. Coach John Ballarin • BAL-er-in 4 Mark Van Ameyde Asst. Coach Matt Dimich • DEM-ich 48 Shane Davis Student Asst. ChrisHow Pfund Do •You Pound Say... Jeff Hehr – HAIR 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

EASTERN MICHIGAN BasebaLL Page 3

Qu i c k Fa c t s SOLID SENIOR PLAY: Senior right fielder Jeff Davis terrorized the Broncos Un i v e r s i t y a t a Gl a n c e during their three-game series, April 18-20. He batted .500 for the weekend, Location ...... Ypsilanti, Michigan collecting four RBI while scoring three times. In Saturday’s 12-9 comeback Founded ...... 1849 win, Davis’ fifth inning two-run bomb sparked a six-run output, allowing the Enrollment ...... 24,500 Eagles to regain the lead on their way to the win. Nickname ...... Eagles Colors ...... Green (PMS 349) and White Conference ...... Mid-American (MAC) BIG GREEN MACHINE: During their recent six game stretch from April 7-13, Home Field ...... Oestrike Stadium the Eagles tallied 60 runs and 71 hits, averaging 10 runs and nearly 12 hits per Capacity ...... 1,200 Distances...... 330/390/330 game. Against Ohio, the Green and White offense increased its production to President ...... Donald Loppnow 12 runs and 13 hits per contest. Athletics Director ...... Derrick Gragg Assoc. AD/SWA ...... Stephannnie . DOWN TO THE WIRE: During EMU’s three-game win streak April 9-12, the ...... Harvey-Vandenburg Assoc. AD-External ...... Doug Dowdy Eagles relied on late inning heroics for the win in each game. Against Oakland Assoc. AD-Internal ...... Mike Malach April 9, the Green and White rallied from a 7-4 deficit in the ninth to win 10-7. Assoc. AD-Compliance ... Melody Reifel Werner At Ohio, the Eagles were a 15-13 winner in 11 innings in game one while game Convocation Center Dir...... Mark Monahan Ticket Manager ...... Ron Reid two saw EMU put up three in the ninth to force extra innings, ultimately win- Ticket Phone Number ...... 734.487.2282 ning by a 13-12 count in the tenth. Athletics Website ...... www.emueagles.com

RHOAD WARRIOR: Junior center fielder Kyle Rhoad came up big for the Ba s e b a l l Hi s t o r y First Year of Baseball ...... 1949 Eagles in their 13-12 win in 10 innings over Ohio, April 12. The ever-reliable All-time Record ...... 1,355-1,255-10 outfielder stepped to the plate in the top of the ninth with the Eagles down 12-9, No. Years NCAA World Series/Last...2/1976 with two on and two out. With one swing of the bat, Rhoad breathed new life No.Years NCAA Tournament/Last ..6/2003 NCAA Record ...... 17-14 into the dugout, sending the ball over the right-field fence for his fourth home run of the season, tying the game at 12. Ba s e b a l l St a f f Head Coach ...... Jake Boss Jr. POWELL FINDS THE SWEET SPOT: Junior Aaron Powell enjoyed a career-best Alma Mater, Year ...... Alma, ’93 Office Phone Number ...... 734.487.0315 performance over the past week. He batted .414 over six games, tallying 12 Assistant Coach...... Del Young hits, 11 RBI, three home runs, two doubles and one triple. Against Oakland he Alma Mater, Year...... Northwood, ‘04 belted two home runs, including a two-run shot in the ninth to jump start a six Assistant Coach...... Mark Van Ameyde Alma Mater, Year...... Detroit, ‘96 run inning for the Green and White. Volunteer Assistant...... Shane Davis Alma Mater, Year...... Eastern Michigan, ‘07 MARATHON GAME: The threat of rain delayed game one of the Eagles and Staff Athletic Trainer ...... Bill Tuscany Bobcats weekend series by nearly three hours April 11. At 12:50 a.m., just over Te a m In f o r m a t i o n four hours after the first pitch had been thrown, the Eagles closed out a 15-13 2007 Overall Record ...... 32-24 come-from-behind win in 11 innings. Sophomore Todd Graves broke an 11-11 MAC Finish/Record ...... 1st West/21-4 tie in the top of the 11th with his three-run bomb over the left-field wall. 2007 Final Ranking ...... N/A 2007 Postseason ...... 3-2 at MAC Tournament Starters Returning/Lost ...... 6/3 STEADY EDDIE: Senior first basemanSteve Bradshaw has reached base safely in Returning/Lost...... 2/3 the 34 of 37 games this season for the Eagles. For the year, he has a team-high Newcomers ...... 12 .383 batting average and leads the Green and White with 54 hits, including Me d i a In f o r m a t i o n 18 multi-hit games. Sports Info. Director ...... Jim Streeter Asst. SID ...... Greg Steiner HITTING CLINIC: Eight EMU players recorded a hit in the Eagles 12-6 win Grad. Assist./Baseball Contact .Paul Pancoe Graduate Assist...... Amanda Decker over Akron, April 7, including six players with mult-hit performances. Leading Graduate Assist...... Sarah VanMetre the way for the Eagles was senior first basemanSteve Bradshaw, going 3-for-5 EMU Sports Info. Phone ...... 734.487.0317 with four RBI and a run scored. EMU Sports Info. Fax ...... 734.485.3840 Press Box Phone ...... 734.481.9328 ANOTHER SERIES WIN: After dropping the first game of the series 6-2 to Akron, Oe s t r i k e St a d i u m 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 Dimensions ...... 330/390/330 Capacity...... 1,200 12-6 win in game three.

TOUCHIN’ ‘EM ALL: Junior catcher Andrew Marshall belted two home runs in the second game of the April 5 doubleheader against MAC rival Akron. Mar- shall’s second inning two-run shot put the Eagles up 2-0 while his ninth inning EASTERN MICHIGAN BasebaLL Page 4

Projected Starting Lineup

Kyle Rhoad Center Field

Jeff Davis Right Field Mike Boyd Left Field Jim Gulliver Josh Ivan Shortstop Second Base

Possible Pitching Rotation Game 1 - Kevin Sikora Game 2 - Sean Hoffman Game 3 - Matt Shoemaker Zack Leonard Steve Bradshaw Third Base First Base

Andrew Marshall/Matt Skirving Catcher EASTERN MICHIGAN BasebaLL Page 5 solo roundtripper knotted the game at 4-4. Mid-American Conference Standings MAJOR LEAGUE SCHEDULE: The Eagles played six (as of April 22, 2008) games in the past seven days, posting a 3-3 mark over that span. EMU suffered a 15-9 loss to Cleveland State, West Division 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 MAC Overall 13, the Eagles fell 14-8 to the Bobcats. Eastern Michigan 10-2 13-24 BIXLER GETS THE CALL: Former Eastern Michigan Uni- Northern Illinois 9-6 16-19 versity All-American Brian Bixler has been called up to the active roster for the Pittsburgh Pirates. BIxler, a Ball State 7-5 21-14 second-round selection in the 2004 MLB Draft, pinch hit Central Michigan 8-6 19-18 in Pittsburgh’s 9-2 win over the Florida Marlins April 6. Western Michigan 5-7 20-13-1 CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT FINDS NEW HOME: For Toledo 5-7 11-21 just the second time in league history, the baseball tour- nament 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.

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.

SPARTAN REMATCH: The Eagles and Spartans met for the East Division second time in seven days April 2, with MSU recording the 5-3 win on its home turf. On March 26, the Eagles were 10-3 winners. MAC Overall LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW: After playing 19 games on Kent State 7-5 21-15 the road to open the year, snow storms delayed the first Ohio 8-7 18-19 seven games at Oestrike Stadium for the Eagles. Bowling Green 6-6 17-16 HOME IS WHERE YOU MAKE IT: The Eagles hosted Mi- Akron 4-5 18-13 ami in its Mid-American Conference and home opener, March 29-30. EMU swept the three-game series that Buffalo 4-10 10-24 included two extra-inning games won by the Green and Miami 4-11 12-25 White in the bottom of the 11th inning.

FIRST OF THE YEAR: After a rough start to the 2008 season, first-year head coachJake Boss Jr. and the Eagles pulled out an 11-2 win over Wright State University, March 16, for their first win of the year.

WHATS REALLY GOOD: Steve Bradshaw wrapped up a EASTERN MICHIGAN BasebaLL Page 6 steller weekend against Wright State, going 3-for-5 at the game as a head coach of the defending Mid-American plate with four runs scored in the Eagles’ 11-2 win over Conference Champions, Feb. 22-24, in New Mexico. WSU, March 16. For the series, Bradshaw was 9-for-13, Boss, who spent the previous three seasons as an batting .692 with two RBI and seven runs scored. assistant with the University of Michigan, returns to EMU after being an assistant from 1997-2004. While PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior first basemanSteve Brad- an assistant with the Green and White, Boss Jr. helped shaw was selected as the Mid-American Conference West lead the Eagles to two MAC West Division Champi- Division Player of the Week for the week ending March onships, one MAC Tournament Championship, one 14. Bradshaw was 6-for-11 from the plate in a three-game NCAA Tournament berth and one MAC Tournament series against Tennessee with two RBI and a run scored. Runner-Up.

OFF THE RESERVATION: The Eagles have 14 home LEARNING TO FLY: Between Feb. 22 and March 2, runs through 18 games this season, the second most the Eagles played 10 games in 10 days and logged in the Mid-American Conference. Leading the pack nearly 5,000 miles of travel. After an opening weekend for the Green and White are juniors Aaron Powell series in Albuquerque, N.M. against the Lobos, EMU and Kyle Rhoad with three each. Senior Jeff Davis headed east to the Sunshine State for a two-game se- and “true” freshman Matt Skirving have hit two each. ries with the University of Florida Gators, Feb. 26-27, before making their way to Boca Raton for a four-game SENIOR LEADERSHIP: Senior Steve Bradshaw led series with the Owls of Florida Atlantic University, the way for the Green and White during its weekend Feb. 28-March 2. series at the University of Tennessee, March 7-9. He went 6-for-8 at the plate in Sunday’s doubleheader, STOPPER OF THE YEAR: After setting the single-sea- driving in two runs. For the season Bradshaw has a son saves record in 2007 with 14, junior Matt .462 batting average, ranking him first on the team. Shoemaker has earned national attention, making the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association GOTTA HOLD ON: Three times through the first 13 games Stopper of the Year Award watch list. Shoemaker, of the 2008 season the Eagles held the lead heading into the who ranks second on the all-time career saves list, is bottom of the ninth inning, Feb. 23, against New Mexico, the lone MAC representative on the 40-man list that March 1, against Florida Atlantic, and against Tennessee features 19 different conferences. on March 9. In all three games the opponent has rallied for the victory. WALLACE WATCH LIST FEATURES MULTIPLE EA- GLES: Senior outfielder Jeff Davis and junior pitcher TOUR DE FLORIDA: EMU finished the winter break por- Matt Shoemaker were named to the 2008 Brooks tion of their schedule with a swing through the Sunshine Wallace Award Watch List. Davis batted .321 with State. The Eagles dropped a doubleheader to the University 53 hits for the Eagles in 2007, helping them to the of Florida, 15-2 and 16-8, Feb. 27, before heading to Boca Mid-American Conference regular season champi- Raton, Fla. for a four-game series with the Florida Atlantic onship and a runner-up finish in the season-ending Owls Feb. 28-March 2. EMU was swept by the Owls, four MAC Tournament. He ranked second on the team in games to none. doubles with 10 and finished tied for second in stolen bases with nine on the year. Shoemaker ranks sec- HOT START FOR ROOK: “True” freshman Matt Skirving ond on EMU’s all-time career saves list after posting made the most of his two starts in the New Mexico series, 14 during the 2007 season. His 14 saves set an EMU going 2-for-9 with two home runs and two walks. In his first single-season record. A second-team All-MAC selec- collegiate at-bat, Skirving pinch hit in the top of the ninth, tion and a 2007 Academic All-MAC pick, he posted a jacking a two-run homer. In game two of a doubleheader, 3.97 in 34.0 innings pitched and he went yard again in the top of the seventh, launching tallied 23 strikeouts for the Green and White. He was one over the right field fence. also selected MAC Pitcher of the Week the for period ending May 19, 2007, when he picked up his 12th ROUGH START: The Eagles were swept in the opening and 13th saves of the season in EMU’s series sweep series of the 2008 season by the University of New Mexico, of in-state rival Western Michigan. Feb. 22-24. The Green and White offense averaged just over five runs a game for the series, but yielded 11 per PRESEASON POLL: The Eagles were picked to finish in contest. fifth place in the West Division in the 2008 Mid-Amer- ican Conference coaches preseason poll. EMU, which A NEW BOSS IN TOWN: Jake Boss Jr. entered his first won the MAC last year with a 21-4 record, had two EASTERN MICHIGAN BasebaLL Page 7 players depart in the 2007 MLB Draft and two additional 2. EMU will remain on the road, traveling to Akron players sign professional contracts. Central Michigan was for a weekend series, April 4-6. EMU will then head tabbed to take home the West Division while Kent State, to Oakland, April 9, then travel to Athens, Ohio for a winner of the 2007 MAC Tournament was picked to win weekend series against the Bobcats, April 11-13. the East Division. Kent State was also selected to win the On April 16, Boss will lead the Eagles against Uni- 2008 Tournament, receiving 10 of 12 votes while Miami versity of Michigan, where he served as an assistant and Western Michigan each received one vote. the past three seasons. EMU will return home for a three-game series against Western Michigan, April West Division East Division 18-20, followed by a single game against Olivet Col- 1. Central Michigan 1. Kent State lege, April 23. 2. Northern Illinois 2. Miami The Eagles will round out the month of April at 3. Western Michigan 3. Ohio Northern Illinois, April 25-27, home against Indiana 4. Toledo 4. Akron Tech, April 29, then on the road at Columbus, Ohio 5. Eastern Michigan 5. Buffalo against Ohio State, April 30. 6. Ball State 6. Bowling Green EMU will open the month of May with a three-game series at Ball State, May 2-4. A home-and-home against Tournament Champion: Kent State (10), Miami (1), Western Bowling Green will precede a three-game home series Michigan (1) against Toledo, May 9-11. On May 13, the Green and White host Oakland before heading to Mount Pleas- KEY LOSSES: After a successful 2007 season, the Eagles ant for the season-ending series at Central Michigan, had four players sign professional contracts. Junior pitcher May 15-17. Jeff Fischer and shortstop Jeff Hehr were drafted in the 10th and 20th rounds of the MLB draft by the Colorado SEASON OUTLOOK: The 2007 Eastern Michigan Rockies and the Cleveland Indians respectively. Seniors University baseball team set out with the goal of win- George Biddle and catcher Derek Lehrman signed free- ning the Mid-American Conference West Division and agent contracts with the Kansas City Royals and Detroit advancing to the MAC Tournament. The Eagles posted Tigers, respectively. a 32-24 record overall and a 21-4 mark in the confer- ence, claiming the West Division title and in turn host- 2008 SCHEDULE: EMU again faces a daunting schedule ing the postseason tournament. The Green and White in 2008. Following their season opening series at New advanced to the championship game, defeating Toledo, Mexico, Feb. 22-24, the Eagles will fly back to the east for 6-5, Central Michigan, 12-6, and Northern Illinois, 9-3, a six-game swing through the Sunshine State against Florida before falling to , 3-2. and Florida Atlantic. The Eagles and Gators will square off Calling the shots for EMU this year will be a in Gainesville, Feb. 26 and 27. EMU will then travel to new, yet familiar face. Former assistant Jake Boss Jr. Boca Raton for a four-game series against the Owls, Feb. took over the tradition rich program after 2007 MAC 28-March 2. Coach of the Year Roger Coryell retired early in the After returning home from Florida, EMU will remain fall. Boss, who served as an EMU assistant from 1997- on the road for the beginning of March with a three game 2004, spent the previous three seasons as an assistant series, March 7-9, at SEC power Tennessee. Two days lat- with the University of Michigan. er, the Eagles will make their way to Lexington, Ky., for a The Eagles face an uphill battle after seeing four double-header against the Wildcats of Kentucky, March players depart to the next level. Juniors Jeff Fischer and 11. Jeff Hehr were selected in the 10th and 20th rounds The Eagles will travel to Dayton, March 14, to take on of the MLB Draft by Colorado and Cleveland, respec- the Flyers before heading to Wright State, March 15, for a tively. Seniors Derek Lehrman and George Biddle double-dip against the Raiders. On March 16, EMU will signed professional contracts with the square off against Valparaiso in Dayton, Ohio. and Kansas City Royals. The Green and White return from Dayton for an eight- Junior Andrew Marshall and freshman Matt game home stand, starting with Grand Valley State in their Skirving will battle for the starting nod behind the home opener, March 18. The Eagles will host Saginaw plate. Marshall started seven of 19 games played in Valley, March 19, before opening up Mid-American Con- last season, batting .286 and posting a team high .714 ference action against Kent State, March 21-22, and Mi- slugging percentage. Skirving, a three-year letter win- ami, March 28-30. ner in high school, was selected to the MHSAA All- The Eagles will travel to Cleveland, Ohio, April 1, for District and Region teams as a junior and senior. a single game against Cleveland State University before Senior Steve Bradshaw will be the one to beat making their way to East Lansing for a game against Big out at first base. He led the Eagles in batting average Ten Conference and in-state rival Michigan State, April (.357), walks (23) and fielding percentage (1.000) in EASTERN MICHIGAN BasebaLL Page 8

2007. Bradshaw will provide valuable senior leadership after having started 35 of 42 games played in as a junior. Returning to the starting position at second base will be senior Josh Ivan. Ivan, who started 47 of 50 games played last season, recorded 42 hits, including seven doubles for the Green and White. Also returning to a starting posi- tion is third baseman Kyle Rhoad. As a sophomore, Rhoad started 33 of 40 games played, hitting .278 and tying for second on the team with four home runs. The outfield will comprise of three upper classmen who combined for 110 starts last season. Mike Boyd, Jeff Davis and Aaron Powell return as the Eagles’ last line of defense this season. Boyd (.330) and Davis (.321) ranked second and third, respectively, in batting average for the The Jake Boss Jr. File Green and White a year ago. The starting rotation receives an extreme makeover, For the first time in 20 years the Eagles dugout will sport a new diamond edition, with the departure of Fischer and Biddle, look as Jake Boss Jr. begins his first season as EMU’s mentor on the diamond. Boss returns to the Eagles after spending the previous three last year’s No. 1 and No. 2 starters. After posting a 7-2 re- seasons as an assistant with the University of Michigan. cord as a sophomore, Sean Hoffman will likely be the staff While an assistant coach at Michigan, Boss was part of the Wol- ace this season. Hoffman posted a 3.97 ERA in 12 starts, verines’ staff that led the team to three straight 40-win seasons, with pitching 81.2 innings on the year, ranking him third on the a 42-19 finish in 2005, a 43-21 record in 2006, and a 42-19 mark in team. Junior Matt Shoemaker will look to make the move 2007. The Wolverines won Big Ten Conference titles in both 2006 from reliever to No. 2. As a reliever last season he collected and 2007, won the NCAA Regional title in 2007 by upsetting top- an EMU single-season record 14 saves in 34.0 innings of seeded Vanderbilt, advancing to their first ever Super-Regional, and work. Also looking to break into the starting rotation this also made NCAA Regional appearances in 2005 and 2006. year will be senior Dan Puls, sophomore Kevin Sikora and Prior to joining the Michigan staff, Boss was an assistant baseball coach at EMU for seven seasons, from 1997 through the 2004 cam- freshmen Jordan Goldschmidt and Collin Taylor. paign. He helped the 2003 Eagles win the Mid-American Conference West Division title, as well as the Mid-American Conference Tourna- ment crown while advancing to the NCAA Regional. The 2002 Eagles won the MAC West Division title and the 2004 Eagles were runners- up in the MAC Tournament. During his time as an assistant with EMU working with mostly catchers, infielder and hitters, Boss helped the Eagles set several team record, including most homeruns (95 in 2002), at bats (2,098 in 2004) and sacrifice flies (32 in 2004), and they tied the schooled record and ranked third in the nation in stolen bases (147 in 2004). The 2002 team ranked 10th in the nation with 95 homeruns and ninth in the nation in slugging percentage. On defense, EMU also set the record for double plays in a season, notching 60. Over the years with EMU, Boss worked with 18 players who have advanced to the professional ranks and worked with six All-Ameri- cans including Brian Bixler, a first-team All-American drafted in the second round of the June 2004 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. A native of Lansing, the 36-year-old Boss, played baseball at Alma College from 1989-93 and completed his bachelor’s degree in 1993. He completed his master’s degree in physical education at EMU in 2000. He was an assistant baseball coach at Lakeview (Mich.) High School in 1994 and moved on to become the head baseball coach at Webberville (Mich.) High School in 1995. Boss began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant baseball coach at Iowa Central Community College in Ft. Dodge, Iowa in 1996 and 1997. The team finished seventh in the 1996 NJCAA World Series and in 1997, the squad finished runner-up in the World Series. Boss and his wife, Cheryl (Schiff), live in Ypsilanti with daughter, Abigail, and son, Jacob. EASTERN MICHIGAN BasebaLL Page 9 2008 Season Statistics (Updated as of April 22, 2008)

Eastern Michigan University Overall Statistics for Eastern Michigan (as of Apr 22, 2008) (All games Sorted by Batting avg)

Record: 13-24 Home: 6-2 Away: 7-22 Mid-American: 10-2

Player AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD%

28 BRADSHAW, Steve.. .383 37-37 141 23 54 12 1 0 29 68 .482 22 5 22 1 .476 2 2 3-6 322 14 2 .994 5 DAVIS, Jeff...... 320 34-33 128 21 41 12 1 3 30 64 .500 10 3 19 0 .372 4 1 2-6 65 2 2 .971 3 IVAN, Josh...... 317 35-33 120 20 38 7 2 3 19 58 .483 11 3 20 0 .382 2 0 5-12 61 70 10 .929 2 RHOAD, Kyle...... 297 37-37 155 35 46 8 3 4 21 72 .465 22 5 35 1 .399 1 0 11-14 110 10 4 .968 20 LEONARD, Zack.... .282 35-32 131 27 37 11 0 4 20 60 .458 9 6 21 5 .356 0 3 2-4 25 63 3 .967 21 GRAVES, Todd...... 273 19-10 44 5 12 3 0 2 13 21 .477 4 0 15 1 .327 1 0 0-0 0 0 0 .000 33 POWELL, Aaron.... .272 31-28 103 27 28 5 1 6 22 53 .515 10 9 26 1 .376 3 2 1-3 14 1 2 .882 34 SKIRVING, Matt... .271 19-14 48 6 13 2 0 4 12 27 .563 9 0 10 0 .386 0 0 0-0 73 9 3 .965 30 MARSHALL, Andrew. .216 30-26 102 14 22 3 1 4 16 39 .382 15 3 20 2 .328 2 0 0-1 114 25 1 .993 22 GULLIVER, Jim.... .213 36-35 122 23 26 3 0 1 14 32 .262 22 3 26 2 .340 3 1 1-2 41 97 16 .896 10 BOYD, Michael.... .170 31-25 88 15 15 2 0 1 9 20 .227 11 2 25 1 .272 2 4 1-4 38 3 2 .953 ------35 RHODES, Jacob.... 1.000 1-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1.000 0 0 0 0 1.000 0 0 0-0 3 0 0 1.000 25 SACHA, Mike...... 269 12-9 26 2 7 5 0 1 5 15 .577 3 0 8 1 .333 1 1 0-0 19 2 0 1.000 37 CARRIER, John.... .250 2-0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 .250 0 0 0 0 .250 0 0 0-0 4 0 0 1.000 8 CROOKS, Aaron.... .200 20-8 30 9 6 0 0 0 1 6 .200 5 1 4 0 .324 1 1 1-2 15 20 3 .921 19 NOLAND, Eric...... 200 5-1 5 2 1 0 0 0 2 1 .200 2 1 2 0 .500 0 0 0-0 2 3 1 .833 15 BATTISTON, Kennet .118 14-3 17 1 2 1 0 0 0 3 .176 2 0 9 0 .211 0 1 1-1 16 1 0 1.000 17 WENDZICKI, Robert .083 23-4 12 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 .083 2 0 2 0 .214 0 0 0-0 14 9 0 1.000 24 SEPANEK, Mickey.. .000 3-0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 1 0 3 0 .200 0 0 0-0 0 1 0 1.000 6 HENDERSON, Bobby. .000 6-4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 0 6 2 .750 9 GOLDSCHMIDT, Jord .000 8-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 0 3 0 1.000 38 SHOEMAKER, Matt.. .000 13-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 1 10 0 1.000 31 BALLARIN, John... .000 6-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 0 1 0 1.000 45 STAPF, Jake...... 000 7-6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 0 5 1 .833 39 HAMLY, Robert.... .000 7-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 0 1 0 1.000 29 SIKORA, Kevin.... .000 7-7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 1 5 1 .857 27 COMBS, Tim...... 000 13-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 1 5 0 1.000 14 WAMMES, Kevin.... .000 12-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 3 5 0 1.000 16 HOFFMAN, Sean.... .000 11-9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 3 11 1 .933 50 PULS, Dan...... 000 19-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0-0 2 5 1 .875

Totals...... 274 37-37 1282 232 351 74 9 33 215 542 .423 160 41 267 15 .367 22 16 28-55 947 387 55 .960 Opponents...... 336 37-37 1343 335 451 81 10 52 305 708 .527 154 54 189 12 .420 17 21 56-66 990 376 66 .954

LOB - Team (299), Opp (307). DPs turned - Team (23), Opp (20). IBB - Team (2), POWELL 1, GULLIVER 1, Opp (2). Picked off - BOYD 2, GULLIVER 2, SKIRVING 1, MARSHALL 1, IVAN 1, DAVIS 1, RHOAD 1, BRADSHAW 1.

(All games Sorted by Earned run avg)

Player ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA

38 SHOEMAKER, Matt.. 5.75 1-3 13 5 0 0/0 0 40.2 58 34 26 14 22 9 1 7 175 .331 6 8 1 0 3 45 STAPF, Jake...... 6.10 1-2 7 6 0 0/0 0 38.1 46 31 26 13 16 5 2 6 151 .305 1 9 2 1 2 29 SIKORA, Kevin.... 6.87 0-3 7 7 0 0/0 0 36.2 41 32 28 19 17 14 0 2 147 .279 4 3 2 4 1 17 WENDZICKI, Robert 6.88 3-4 19 2 0 0/0 7 35.1 42 28 27 9 25 5 0 5 139 .302 0 6 0 4 3 16 HOFFMAN, Sean.... 7.29 1-2 11 9 0 0/0 0 54.1 74 48 44 18 38 11 2 11 228 .325 5 7 1 1 1 50 PULS, Dan...... 7.40 4-3 19 0 0 0/0 0 24.1 24 22 20 18 18 3 0 3 95 .253 0 3 0 1 4 27 COMBS, Tim...... 8.05 1-0 13 1 0 0/0 0 19.0 26 22 17 9 10 5 0 1 87 .299 3 8 2 0 0 14 WAMMES, Kevin.... 10.12 1-1 12 1 0 0/0 0 18.2 30 23 21 17 10 7 2 3 83 .361 0 0 0 1 1 6 HENDERSON, Bobby. 14.24 0-4 6 4 0 0/0 0 18.1 43 32 29 6 7 10 1 6 91 .473 0 0 0 3 1 9 GOLDSCHMIDT, Jord 22.60 1-2 8 2 0 0/0 0 14.1 36 38 36 18 14 7 2 4 72 .500 4 5 2 2 1 ------31 BALLARIN, John... 7.00 0-0 6 0 0 0/0 0 9.0 10 7 7 7 9 1 0 1 37 .270 2 4 0 0 1 39 HAMLY, Robert.... 22.74 0-0 7 0 0 0/0 0 6.1 19 17 16 6 3 3 0 3 36 .528 4 1 1 0 2 33 POWELL, Aaron.... 27.00 0-0 1 0 0 0/0 0 0.1 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 1.000 1 0 0 0 1

Totals...... 8.50 13-24 37 37 0 0/0 7 315.2 451 335 298 154 189 81 10 52 1343 .336 30 54 11 17 21 Opponents...... 5.51 24-13 37 37 0 0/0 4 330.0 351 232 202 160 267 74 9 33 1282 .274 26 41 2 22 16

PB - Team (13), MARSHALL 9, SKIRVING 4, Opp (7). Pickoffs - Team (10), GOLDSCHMIDT 2, HENDERSON 2, MARSHALL 2, PULS 1, STAPF 1, WAMMES 1, HOFFMAN 1, Opp (10). SBA/ATT - MARSHALL (29-34), SKIRVING (27-30), STAPF (12-14), WENDZICKI (10-11), HOFFMAN (5-8), SIKORA (5-8), GOLDSCHMIDT (8-8), SHOEMAKER (4-4), PULS (3-3), COMBS (3-3), WAMMES (1-2), HAMLY (2-2), HENDERSON (2-2), BALLARIN (1-1). EASTERN MICHIGAN BasebaLL Page 10 2008 Season Statistics (Updated as of April 22, 2008)

Eastern Michigan University Overall Statistics for Eastern Michigan (as of Apr 22, 2008) (All games Sorted by Fielding pct)

Player C PO A E FLD% DPs SBA CSB SBA% PB CI

17 WENDZICKI, Robert 23 14 9 0 1.000 0 10 1 .909 0 0 25 SACHA, Mike...... 21 19 2 0 1.000 0 0 0 --- 0 0 15 BATTISTON, Kennet 17 16 1 0 1.000 1 0 0 --- 0 0 38 SHOEMAKER, Matt.. 11 1 10 0 1.000 0 4 0 1.000 0 0 14 WAMMES, Kevin.... 8 3 5 0 1.000 0 1 1 .500 0 0 27 COMBS, Tim...... 6 1 5 0 1.000 0 3 0 1.000 0 0 37 CARRIER, John.... 4 4 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 --- 0 0 9 GOLDSCHMIDT, Jord 3 0 3 0 1.000 0 8 0 1.000 0 0 35 RHODES, Jacob.... 3 3 0 0 1.000 0 0 0 --- 0 0 31 BALLARIN, John... 1 0 1 0 1.000 0 1 0 1.000 0 0 24 SEPANEK, Mickey.. 1 0 1 0 1.000 0 0 0 --- 0 0 39 HAMLY, Robert.... 1 0 1 0 1.000 0 2 0 1.000 0 0 28 BRADSHAW, Steve.. 338 322 14 2 .994 20 0 0 --- 0 0 30 MARSHALL, Andrew. 140 114 25 1 .993 0 29 5 .853 9 0 5 DAVIS, Jeff...... 69 65 2 2 .971 0 0 0 --- 0 0 2 RHOAD, Kyle...... 124 110 10 4 .968 0 0 0 --- 0 0 20 LEONARD, Zack.... 91 25 63 3 .967 5 0 0 --- 0 0 34 SKIRVING, Matt... 85 73 9 3 .965 1 27 3 .900 4 0 10 BOYD, Michael.... 43 38 3 2 .953 0 0 0 --- 0 0 16 HOFFMAN, Sean.... 15 3 11 1 .933 0 5 3 .625 0 0 3 IVAN, Josh...... 141 61 70 10 .929 18 0 0 --- 0 0 8 CROOKS, Aaron.... 38 15 20 3 .921 1 0 0 --- 0 0 22 GULLIVER, Jim.... 154 41 97 16 .896 12 0 0 --- 0 0 33 POWELL, Aaron.... 17 14 1 2 .882 0 0 0 --- 0 0 50 PULS, Dan...... 8 2 5 1 .875 0 3 0 1.000 0 0 29 SIKORA, Kevin.... 7 1 5 1 .857 0 5 3 .625 0 0 45 STAPF, Jake...... 6 0 5 1 .833 0 12 2 .857 0 0 19 NOLAND, Eric..... 6 2 3 1 .833 0 0 0 --- 0 0 6 HENDERSON, Bobby. 8 0 6 2 .750 0 2 0 1.000 0 0 21 GRAVES, Todd..... 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 --- 0 0

Totals...... 1389 947 387 55 .960 23 56 10 .848 13 0 Opponents...... 1432 990 376 66 .954 20 28 27 .509 7 0

Hitting minimums - 1 Games 1% of Games 10 AB 1.0 AB/Game 1 TPA 1.0 TPA/Game Pitching minimums - 1 Games 1% of Games 5 IP 1 BF 1 Decisions 0.1 IP/Game EASTERN MICHIGAN BasebaLL Page 11 2008 Games Summary (Updated as of April 22, 2008)

Eastern Michigan University Games Summary for Eastern Michigan (as of Apr 22, 2008) (All games)

Inning-by-inning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 EX Total ------Eastern Michigan 34 20 24 17 30 33 23 23 21 7 232 Opponents 44 45 48 42 40 35 25 36 17 3 335

Win-Loss Record When ------Overall...... 13-24 After 6 leading..... 6-3 Conference...... 10-2 ...... trailing.... 6-16 Non-Conference...... 3-22 ...... tied...... 1-5 Home games...... 6-2 After 7 leading..... 6-3 Away games...... 7-22 ...... trailing.... 4-16 Neutral site...... 0-0 ...... tied...... 3-2 Day games...... 12-21 After 8 leading..... 7-2 Night games...... 1-3 ...... trailing.... 3-18 vs Left starter..... 5-7 ...... tied...... 3-1 vs Right starter.... 8-17 1-Run games...... 6-4 Hit 0 home runs..... 3-13 2-Run games...... 2-3 ... 1 home run...... 5-7 5+Run games...... 3-10 ... 2+ home runs.... 5-4 Extra innings...... 4-1 Shutouts...... 0-0 Opponent 0 home runs 5-4 ...... 1 home run. 2-10 Scoring 0-2 runs.... 1-5 ...... 2+ HRs..... 6-10 ...... 3-5 runs.... 3-9 ...... 6-9 runs.... 2-9 Made 0 errors...... 5-7 ...... 10+ runs.... 7-1 .... 1 error...... 5-3 .... 2+ errors...... 3-14 Opponent 0-2 runs... 3-0 ...... 3-5 runs... 4-5 Opp. made 0 errors.. 2-5 ...... 6-9 runs... 4-7 ...... 1 error... 4-8 ...... 10+ runs... 2-12 ...... 2+ errors. 7-11

Scored in 1st inning 6-14 Out-hit opponent.... 7-7 Opp. scored in 1st.. 5-12 Out-hit by opponent. 5-16 Scores first...... 9-14 Hits are tied...... 1-1 Opp. scores first... 4-10

Record when team scores: Runs 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+ W-L 0-0 0-1 1-4 1-5 0-1 2-3 1-2 0-3 1-3 0-1 7-1

Record when opponent scores: Runs 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+ W-L 0-0 1-0 2-0 1-0 2-0 1-5 2-3 1-0 0-2 1-2 2-12

Record when leading after: Inn. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 W-L 4-9 5-8 5-6 6-5 5-5 6-3 6-3 7-2

Record when trailing after: Inn. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 W-L 3-9 3-13 5-12 4-16 4-18 6-16 4-16 3-18

Record when tied after: Inn. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 W-L 6-6 5-3 3-6 3-3 4-1 1-5 3-2 3-1

Current winning streak: 3 Longest winning streak: 5 Longest losing streak: 17

Home attendance : 1791 ( 8 dates avg = 223 ) Away attendance : 13504 ( 24 dates avg = 562 ) Total attendance: 15295 ( 32 dates avg = 477 )