MAC Leaders to Battle in Three-Game Set at Schoonover
3/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The First Pitch
The Kent State University baseball will host MAC West-leading Central Michigan University in a pivotal three-game series at Schoonover Stadium Friday-Sunday, Mar. 31-Apr. 2.
Fridays game begins at 3:00 p.m. while Saturday and Sundays first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Both teams sit alone in first place in their respective divisions in the Mid-American Conference.
The Coaches
Scott Stricklin (Kent State 95) is his second season at Kent State with a career record of 44-29. In 2005, Stricklin led the Golden Flashes to a 33-win season, the second most victories by a MAC-East team. The win total also tied for the second most victories by a KSU coach in their first year.
Steve Jaksa is in his fourth season as head coach at Western Michigan, carrying a record of 113-80 with the Broncos. Jaska is 131-105 in his career as a head coach. CMUs 42 wins last season under Jaska were the fourth most in school history. His 45 conference wins over the last three years rank third among MAC coaches.
Series History
The Chippewas and Golden Flashes have met 80 times dating back to 1973. The Chippewas lead the all-time series 46-34. However, KSU has won the last four meetings, most recently a 6-0 shuout in the opening round of the 2004 MAC Tournament.
Quick Flashes
After dropping three straight at Elon, Kent State has won four of its last five games including three straight.
The Golden Flashes have smacked 14 or more hits in seven of their last 17 games and 15 or more in their last two.
KSUs .296 batting average entering the week ranked third among MAC teams. The Golden Flashes ranked seventh in the league in pitching with an ERA of 4.93.
Last season, the Flashes went 10-6 in the month of March and 11-5 in April.
In 2006, the Golden Flashes will aim for their eighth straight 30-win season and 15th in the last 17 years.
A Look @ Central Michigan
The Chippewas were the only Mid-American Conference team to earn a sweep last weekend with three shutout victories at Buffalo.
Fridays projected starter Ty Dunham tossed a two-hit shutout at Buffalo last Friday (Mar. 24). Josh Collmenter, who is slated for a Saturday start also allowed just two hits against the Bulls in eight innings of work. For his efforts, Collmenter was named MAC West Pitcher of the Week.
CMUs team ERA of 4.21 ranks fourth among MAC teams and its 162 strikeouts are a league best. Junior Mike Kirschenheiter has been the ace in the bullpen, allowing just one earned run in 11 relief appearances. Josh Ruhlman has also been very effective allowing one earned run in seven relief appearances.
Offensively the Chippewas lead the MAC in hitting (.318), doubles (48), RBI (161) and slugging (.457). Junior infielder Ben Humphrey has a team best 26 runs scored, four home runs, six doubles and 24 RBI along with a .362 average. He is one of six Chippewas hitting .330 or better.
CMUs longest winning streak this season was five games on a spring break trip in Florida (Mar. 6- 11). The Chippewas were picked to finish first in the MAC West preseason poll.
Last Time Out
Kent State cracked 15 hits and belted three home runs in a 14-4 victory at Pittsburgh Wednesday (Mar. 29). The Golden Flashes held an 11-3 lead after six innings on their way to a third straight win.
Shortstop Emmanuel Burriss had his second straight two-hit day going 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a pair of stolen bases. Left fielder Kurt Eichorn ripped his eighth home run of the year going 3-for-5 with three RBI. Drew Saylor tallied three extra base hits including his fourth round tripper of the year..
Last MAC Action
The Golden Flashes defeated Western Michigan last Friday (Mar. 24) 5-4 and Sunday (Mar. 26) 6-4 to take two of three games from the Broncos in Kalamazoo to open MAC play.
KSU battled back from a seventh inning 4-1 deficit Sunday to give Reid Lamport his second relief victory of the year. Junior stopper Ryan Davis earned saves on both Friday and Sunday.
Eichorn Earns MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week Honor
Junior left fielder Kurt Eichorn was recently named Mid-American Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week by the conferences faculty athletic representatives. It marked the third different honor Eichorn has already earned this season.
Already a two-time MAC East Hitter of the Week this season, Eichorn carries 3.298 grade point average as a marketing major. He recently had a nine-game hitting streak and went 13-for-22 in a pair of three-game series.
Error Free
Wednesdays game at Pittsburgh was the 10th time this season Kent State has played an error free game in the field. The Golden Flashes .973 fielding percentage currently ranks second in the MAC. Freshman Chris Tremblay, who has played 16 games and has made 11 starts at second base, is yet to commit an error this season.
Vazquez Heating Up
Junior Will Vazquez, who has recently seen action at both catcher and right field, has recorded hits in nine of his last 11 at bats over the last three games. Vazquez started his good fortune Sunday at Western Michigan, where he knocked hits in three consecutive innings.
Wagler Starts Season Strong
Senior hurler Chad Wagler had a streak of 19 straight innings without allowing an earned run spanning four games (Feb. 17- Mar. 10) including seven scoreless innings at Winthrop and a complete game victory at Vanderbilt. The win over the Commodores earned him MAC Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 27. To date, Wagler owns a team best 2.73 ERA and 20 strikeouts in five starts.
Flashes Among MAC Leaders
Kurt Eichorn is currently leading MAC hitters in home runs (8), RBI (28) and slugging percentage (.806). Emmanuel Burris leads the league with a .398 batting average and 10 stolen bases.Chad Wagler is ninth in ERA (2.61) and third innings pitched (41.1). Ryan Davis is second among MAC leaders with four saves.
Whats Up Next
The Golden Flashes will take on Duquesne Tuesday (Apr. 4) at Schoonover Stadium and travel to Dekalb next weekend for a three-game series at Northern Illinois Apr. 7-9. It will mark the third of four straight weekend series against MAC West opponents.
All Over the Bases
Emmanuel Burriss has been nearly automatic on the base paths. Now 10-for-11 this season, Burriss has converted on 40 of his last 45 stolen base attempts. He is 60-of-71 on career stolen base attempts for an .845 percentage.
