Kent State Begins Conference Play at Toledo
3/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Kent State (9-12)
AT
TOLEDO (11-7):
Series:
Kent State Leads 80-58-1
The First Pitch
Kent State kicks off Mid-American Conference play this weekend when it makes the trek down I-80 to take on the Toledo Rockets. The Golden Flashes lead the overall series 80-59-1, including winning six of the last seven over the past two seasons (Toledo and Kent State did not play each other in 2006 or 2007). Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday's contest will be at 1 p.m. All three games can be heard live for FREE on k-zone with Ty Linder bringing you all the action from Scott Park. Live stats will also be available through the University of Toledo athletic web site.
Scouting Toledo
The Rockets come in to the series with an 11-7 record and are on a four-game winning streak. The Rockets are fourth in the Mid-American Conference with a .313 average as a team. Six different Toledo players are hitting above .300 for the season, including Matt Delewski with a .425 average (17 hits in 40 at-bats) and Jason Edwards with a .400 average (16 hits in 40 at-bats). While Jared Hoying is hitting only .274, he leads the Rockets in many offensive categories, including runs scored (22) RBI (22) and home runs (8).
Toledo's pitching staff leads the MAC with a 4.58 ERA. Matt Suschak leads the Rockets with a 1.59 ERA, having allowed only two earned runs on seven hits in 11.1 innings pitched the season. Among starters, Mike Hamann leads UT with a 2.92 ERA, having surrendered eight earned runs and 21 hits in 24.2 innings pitched.
In its last game, the Toledo offense exploded for a 20-4 win over Oakland. Joe Corfman led UT's offensive attack with three hits in five at-bats, including his first home run of the season. He also added five RBI and three runs scored. Hoying had hits in all three at-bats with two RBI and two runs scored.
On The Mound
Friday's game will feature a pair of southpaws as Kent State sophomore David Starn (2-1, 6.59 ERA) will go against Toledo's Kyle Shaw (2-1, 4.98 ERA). In Shaw's last outing, he threw a complete game, three-hit shutout in Toledo's 4-0 win over IPFW (March 17). He struck out four and allowed no walks while hitting two batters. In Starn's last outing, he gave up 10 runs (four earned) on 11 hits in 4.2 innings against Winthrop (March 20). Kent State eventually won, 16-10.
It will be a pair of right-handers that will face off against each other when KSU's redshirt junior Robert Sabo (1-3, 6.12 ERA) will take on Mike Hamann (2-1, 2.92) of Toledo. Sabo is coming off his best outing of his collegiate career against Columbia (March 19), allowing only one run and four hits while striking out eight over seven innings of work. Hamann enters the game coming off his first loss of the year to Cincinnati (March 19). He allowed five hits and five runs (four earned) while striking out four in 5.2 innings.
Finally, the weekend wraps up with a pair of right-handers on the mound when Kent State sends sophomore Ryan Mace (0-2, 6.26 ERA) to face UT's Lincoln Rassi (1-1, 4.87 ERA. Mace is coming off a no decision against Youngstown State (March 24), where he allowed three runs on two hits in four innings pitched. Rassi picked up his first win of the season in his last outing against Cincinnati (March 20). In 7.2 innings pitched, he allowed two runs and three hits while striking out four.
The Coaches
Kent State head coach Scott Stricklin is currently in his sixth season with an overall record of 192-115. Kent State is 8-2 under Stricklin against Toledo.
Cory Mee is currently in his seventh season with the Rockets and has an overall record of 140-196 as a head coach. Last season, he led the Rockets to its second berth in the finals of the MAC tournament in the school's history. Under Mee's direction, Toledo is 4-9 against Kent State.
Rider's Streak
Sophomore Jimmy Rider is the second Kent State player to be on a 13-game hitting streak this season (although sophomore Travis Shaw's streak consisted of the final three games of 2009 and the first 10 games of this season). In fact, Rider has recorded multiple hits in each of his last six games.
In his last six contests, Rider is 14-for-29 (.483) with seven runs scored, seven doubles and six RBI. He has raised his average of .328 48 points and currently leads the team with a .376 average. In the last four games, he has seven doubles, including three against Penn State (March 21) in the championship game of the Coca-Cola Classic.
Turn the Bat's Around
Through the first 15 games of the year, Kent State had only a .259 team batting average. This was quite unfamiliar territory for the Flashes, who hit .324 last season. The bats have come alive in the last week as the team's average is now .281.
The biggest gain has come from fifth-year senior Jared Humphreys, who has seen his average over the last five games raise 69 points from .238 to .307. Against Winthrop (March 20), Humphreys had a career-high five hits in six at-bats with two runs scored and two RBI.
Besides sophomore Jimmy Rider, senior Anthony Gallas has seen his average steadily. In the past six games, Gallas is 11-for-28 (.393) with 10 RBI, six runs scored, two home runs, a double and a triple. His overall season average has risen from .268 over the first 15 games of the season to .310.
(Re)entering the Record Books
Kent State senior Anthony Gallas is already among career leaders in walks and home runs, but he entered the record books for another reason on March 20 against Winthrop.
The Golden Flashes won the game 16-10 with the help of Gallas, who became the first KSU players to hit for the cycle in 15 years. Gallas got the single, double and home run out of the way in the first four innings, including a double and round-tripper in the fourth alone. In the fifth, he popped out to the first baseman in the only out he made during the game.
After the fifth, Gallas had two more shots at the cycle. In the seventh, he singled in what could have been his final at-bat of the game. However, the Kent State offense added more runs in the eighth to give Gallas on more shot for the elusive cycle. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Gallas tripled down the right field line to be the first Flash to hit for the cycle since Steve Smetana in 1995.
The ironic twist: it was only Gallas' second career triple and his first since his freshman season.
What a Debut
Freshman Evan Campbell never appeared in the first 16 games for the Golden Flashes and looked as if he might be redshirted. But with Kent State at 5-11 and on a six-game slide after a loss to Penn State in game one of the Coca-Classic (March 19), head coach Scott Stricklin decided to insert Campbell into the lineup.
Five games later, Campbell may be in the lineup to stay.
Starting every one of the last five contests, Campbell is 9-for-22 with five RBI and three runs scored. Four of hits are doubles, including two in Kent State's come-from-behind, 6-5 win over Youngstown State (March 24). Against the Penguins, Campbell had the two-RBI double that tied the game at five in the ninth.
Next Up
Kent State will host Penn State on Tuesday (March 30) before traveling to State College, Pa. to take on the Nittany Lions on Wednesday (April 1). Kent State will then play its first home game on Easter weekend since the 2007 seacon when it hosts Western Michigan.
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