Baseball Begins 2014 Season Friday in Arizona

GAME NOTES

Kent State begins a run at another championship season on Friday (Feb. 14) as they begin a three game series at the University of Arizona.

Friday's game will begin at 8:00pm EST, with Saturday's first pitch also coming at 8:00pm EST and the finale on Sunday set for 2:00pm EST. Live stats and a free video stream are available via arizonawildcats.com.

PROBABLE PITCHING STARTERS
Friday, February 14
Kent State: #30 LHP Brian Clark (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 GS, 0.0 IP)
Arizona: #36 RHP James Farris (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 GS, 0.0 IP)
Saturday, February 15
Kent State: #32 RHP Nick Jensen-Clagg (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 GS, 0.0 IP)
Arizona: #30 LHP Tyler Crawford (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 GS, 0.0 IP)
Sunday, February 16
Kent State: TBD
Arizona: #26 RHP Cody Hamlin (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 GS, 0.0 IP)

KENT STATE - ARIZONA HISTORY
• Kent State and Arizona have one prior meeting before this weekend's series.
• The two teams met at NCAA Regionals at host site Notre Dame on June 5, 2004. The Wildcats won that game 7-4.

DON'T FEAR A SLOW START
• Dating back to the 2000 season, Kent State has won just four season openers.
• Last season they struggled early, going 0-4 in their opening series and 1-9 through their first ten games, many which included ranked opponents. However, the Flashes went on to a 20-7 conference record and regular season championship.
• To start their 2012 season that ended in a College World Series berth, Kent State lost or tied in four of their six non-conference early season series.

PERENNIAL POWERHOUSE
• When it comes to the Mid-American Conference, Kent State has emerged as the forthright frontrunner.
• The Golden Flashes have won either the regular season or tournament championship in 13 of the last 14 seasons.
• They have won three-straight conference titles and the East Division title in seven of the last eight years.
• The program has posted a conference win percentage over .500 in 23 of the last 24 years, putting it in a class of its own.

A NEW ROTATION NOTHING NEW
• Kent State lost all three weekend starters from the 2013 season, as both Taylor Williams and Tyler Skulina were drafted in the 4th round and Casey Wilson completed his senior year
• A similar thing happened after the 2012 season, as both ace David Starn and Ryan Bores exited the Kent State scene to the draft after the team's College World Series run, leaving Skulina as the only remaining starter.
• Nick Jensen-Clagg, this season's projected Saturday starter, does have starting experience while in blue and gold. The sophomore has seven starts under his belt from the 2013 season where he posted a 5.09 ERA in 46.0 innings. He threw a one-hitter through seven innings at home against Penn State on April 3, allowing no runs and striking out three in that time.

A NEW ERA
• After nine successful and record-breaking seasons at Kent State, former Head Coach Scott Stricklin said goodbye to his alma mater to become the head coach at Georgia.
• Kent State Head Coach Jeff Duncan was named as the Flashes' new skipper on June 25, 2013, beginning a new era in Kent State baseball.

BIG LEAGUE BOSSES
• Kent State's coaching staff boasts perhaps some of the most big-league experience in the conference.
• Head Coach Jeff Duncan played professionally for nine seasons, including the 2003 and 2004 seasons in the MLB with the Mets.
• Associate Head Coach Mike Birkbeck played 14 years at the professional level, with his last ten at the AAA level or higher. In the majors, he most notably was a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. He also played two seasons of pro ball in Japan.
• Volunteer Assistant Coach Brandon Larson was a member of the Cincinnati Reds along with other Major League clubs after being a AAA All-Star in 2002 and 2003 and the Reds' Minor League Player of the Year in the latter.

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
• 2014 marks the 100th year of Kent State baseball.
• The Normal Nine was the first intercollegiate sports team for what would become Kent State. They came into existance in 1914.
• Special events are being planned for the team's game on Friday, May 16th to celebrate 100 years of Kent State baseball.
• This season also marks the 50th anniversary of the first Mid-American Conference championship team from 1964. They finished with a 18-4 record and went on to the NCAA Tournament while being ranked 15th in the country.

DIAPER DANDIES
• The Golden Flashes have a strong freshman class this year, wtih three recently being drafted out of high school.
• LHP Eric Lauer was named the No. 14 freshman prospect by Baseball America and the No. 11 player in his class by Perfect Game. He was a 17th round pick by the Blue Jays in 2013.
• RHP Andy Ravel was named the MAC preseason freshman of the year by College Sports Madness. And the No. 74 overall freshman by Perfect Game. He was selected in the 21st round of the 2013 draft by the Diamondbacks.
• INF Conner Simonetti was a 2013 draft selection by the Cincinnati Reds, 1,065th overall.

ERA
• Kent State's success has perhaps come mainly on the heels of a dominate pitching staff, led in the last 17 seasons by Mike Birkbeck.
• The team's ERA has sat below 6.00 overall in the past 12 seasons.
• In five of those last 12 seasons, the team's overall ERA has been sub-4.00.
• In the past ten years, 21 of Birkbeck's pitching prospects have been drafted. Nine of those were selected in the first ten rounds.

FANTASTIC FACILITIES
• As a part of the Athletic Department's Building Champions Inititive, a new indoor hitting and practice facility is currently under construction at Schoonover Stadium, thanks to generous donations from alumni Dave Edmonds and Tom Cole. There is also a new parking lot and entrance to the stadium in 2014.
• Improvements have been added steadily in the recent years to Kent State's baseball facility.
• The installation of FieldTurf in 2005 made it possible to play much more often in sometimes cruel spring weather in the North.
• The facility was improved again in 2007 with the addition of a home locker room, player's lounge, restrooms and concession stand.
• An updated scoreboard replaced the former one in right field in 2008.
• New for the 2013 season, lights now surround Schoonover Stadium, allowing for later dates and night baseball for the first time in Kent State home field history.

GREAT MINDS
• Kent State has been just as successful in the classroom as they have been on the field..
• The team set record-high 3.264 GPA in the fall of 2012, with 27 players posting a 3.0 or higher.
• As of the 2011-12 season, the Golden Flashes have had a perfect 1000 Academic Progress Report for three consecutive years, making them one of just 16 schools nationwide to claim the same. Kent State is the only public institution on that list.

Baseball Begins 2014 Season Friday in Arizona

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