Rivalry Comes Center Stage as Flashes Face Zips for MAC Tournament Title

No. 4 Kent State will be the home team in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game on Sunday at noon, facing rival No. 7 seed Akron at All-Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The winner will receive an automatic bid to NCAA Regionals.

COVERAGE
TV: Time Warner Sports / ESPN3
Audio: Golden Flashes iHeart Radio
Live Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/emu/baseball

HOW THEY GOT THERE
• Kent State entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed.
• They beat No. 5 Bowling Green 6-2, No. 1 Ball State 4-3 and No. 8 Western Michigan 12-2 to get to the championship.
• Akron made the tournament on the final day of the regular season and earned the No. 7 seed.
• The Zips beat No. 2 Central Michigan 9-6, No. 6 Buffalo 7-1 and Buffalo again 5-4 in 12 innings to make the championship game.
• Kent State has used just six arms in its three tournament games (three starters and three relievers). Akron has used eight different pitchers including one reliever twice.

KENT STATE – AKRON HISTORY
• The Golden Flashes are 106-54-1 all-time against the Zips.
• In this year's regular season series, Kent State took two out of three games at home, capping off the homestand with a 19-0 victory where the pitching staff threw a two-hit game.
• Kent State swept Akron in 2013, including a series-opening 17-inning victory at the Diamond Classic for Kids.
• The last time prior to this season that the Zips beat the Golden Flashes was in 2011. The last time the Zips took a regular-season series was in 2009.
• The last time the rivals met in a MAC Tournament game was in 1996. Akron won that game 7-2.
• In 1995, Kent State beat Akron 16-3 in the tournament.

KENT STATE CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
• Kent State has won the MAC Tournament in eight of the last 13 seasons, including four in a row from 2009-2012.
• The Golden Flashes won the tournament as the No. 4 seed in 2009. They beat Miami 6-4, Central Michigan 17-2, Miami 12-8 and Toledo 5-3 to claim the title.
• Kent State was the preseason favorite to win the MAC Tournament in the coaches' poll.
• The Golden Flashes have won either the regular season or tournament championship in 13 of the last 14 seasons.
• The program has posted a conference win percentage over .500 in 24 of the last 25 seasons.
• They have also won at least 32 games in 16-straight seasons and 35 or more the past seven years.

Rivalry Comes Center Stage as Flashes Face Zips for MAC Tournament Title

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