Kent State University
Northern Illinois
Flashes, Weather Warming up for Weekend
4/12/2018 12:03:00 PM | Baseball
KSU welcomes NIU for MAC series as spring arrives
KENT, OHIO – Spring may finally be making its long-awaited debut in the Great Lakes region this weekend as the red-hot Golden Flashes prepare to host Northern Illinois in a three-game league series.
After temps have barely escaped the 20, 30 and 40-degree range the last several weeks, Kent State and NIU may be wondering what distant planet they've stepped on when they take batting practice at Schoonover Stadium. Friday's weather forecast calls for a sun-cloud mix with a summer-like breeze and temperatures in the mid 70s. A far cry from the 20-degree wind chills KSU encountered last weekend in Mt. Pleasant.
Kent State's offense would seem to be warming up just in time, too.
The Flashes erupted for 13 runs in a Wednesday win over Canisius, and with other recent run outputs of 11 and 19, the good guys are averaging eight runs a game in this current 10-game stretch which has also seen them win eight games. The surge has moved KSU – which started 1-2 in the MAC – into a first place tie with Miami. The Golden Flashes remain the only team in the league to sweep a series.
The Kent State-Northern Illinois series is slated to begin Friday night at 6 with the next two games set for Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
DIAMOND DIALOGUE
- Kent State returns to league play after sweeping both mid-week games in two different fashions, 4-1 over Pittsburgh and 13-11 over Canisius.
- KSU is on its third winning streak of three games or more of the season and the Golden Flashes are the only MAC team to sweep a series this year.
- With the 4-1 win Tuesday at Pitt, Kent State now boasts three wins (all on the road) over Power Five conference teams – Arkansas (10-4) and Notre Dame (4-1).
- KSU is jumping on teams early and late in 2018. The Flashes have outscored the opposition 20-5 in the first inning and 27-5 in the ninth inning so far in the 2018 season.
- Brad Hamilton leads the Golden Flashes in home runs with eight. He had his second multi-homer game of the season on April 1 at Western Michigan.
- Mason Mamarella is KSU's leading hitter with a .366 average. He also has 20 steals.
- The Golden Flashes have won either the Mid-American Conference regular season or tournament championship in 10 of the last 11 seasons.
- KSU has been tabbed the pre-season league favorite in both the regular and post-season.
- The Golden Flashes will take aim at their 20th consecutive season with at least 30 victories. KSU has had one sub-.500 season since 1981.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
The 2018 NIU Huskies received a first place vote in the pre-season poll but have struggled to find their footing. Offensively, Northern hits a collective .239 but Brad Wood and Samuel Vega have had outstanding starts at the plate. Wood is the Huskies' leading hitter at .301 while Vega has driven in 16 runs. NIU has stolen 28 bases in 48 tries. On the mound, Michael Lasiewicz has been sensational for the dogs, logging 45 innings and striking out 43 with an ERA of 2.00. The NIU staff as a whole has struck out 212 and walked 120. Northern has played well as of late, winning six of 10 coming into this weekend. Like KSU, the Huskies have a win over Notre Dame and NIU has also swept two games from UIC. They have not been to Schoonover Stadium since the 2015 season.
NO ANNOUNCER JINX
Senior slugger Brad Hamilton – who worked for ESPN3 this season calling KSU volleyball and basketball – has caught fire in the first two months of the season. He already boasts two multi-homer games and leads Kent State in long balls with eight. His father, Tom, is the long-time radio voice of the Cleveland Indians.
FLASHES PARTY EARLY AND LATE
In a trend that started on opening night, Kent State is bookending teams to death in 2018. KSU has outscored the opposition 29-7 in the first inning this year and is also outscoring the opponent 29-14 in the ninth. This season, 40 percent of the Flashes' runs have come in the seventh inning or later.
