Friday, May 30
Louisville, KY
6:00 PM
Kent State University
at
University of Louisville
Baseball Begins Regional Play Versus Host Louisville
5/30/2014 8:56:00 AM | Baseball
GAME NOTES
No. 4 Kent State will begin NCAA Regional play against No. 1 Louisville on Friday at 6:00pm. All games from the Louisville Regional will be aired on ESPN3 and all Kent State games can be heard on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, May 30
Game 1: Kentucky vs Kansas 2:00pm ESPN3
Game 2: Louisville vs Kent State 6:00pm ESPN3
Saturday, May 31
Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs Game 2 Loser 1:00pm ESPN3
Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs Game 2 Winner 5:00pm ESPN3
Sunday, June 1
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs Game 4 Loser 12:00pm ESPN3
Game 6: Game 5 Winner vs Game 4 Winner 4:00pm ESPN3
Monday, June 2 (if necessary)
Game 7: Game 6 Loser vs Game 6 Winner 7:00pm ESPN3
KENT STATE VS THE FIELD
LOUISVILLE:
• Kent State is 14-14 all-time against Louisville.
• The Golden Flashes have travelled to play the Cardinals in recent years for a three-game series in 2013 and 2011.
• Kent State took the third game from then No. 4-ranked Louisville last season.
KENTUCKY
• Kent State is 2-5 all-time against Kentucky.
• Those two wins came in NCAA Regionals in 2012. The Golden Flashes won the first game 7-6 and then 3-2, including the legendary 21-inning opening game.
KANSAS
• Kent State and Kansas have yet to meet in the history of their programs.
PITCHING PRIME IN POSTSEASON
• Kent State has always been known as a powerhouse for pitchers, and moving on in the postseason is very dependent on a strong pitching staff.
• In the MAC Tournament, the Golden Flashes needed just 7 arms to get through the team's four games with only one pitcher appearing twice.
• Three of the four starters had ERAs less than 1.20 in their tournament appearance, including freshman ace Eric Lauer.
• Kent State's fourth starter, Michael Clark, who mostly threw all season from the bullpen or as a midweek starter, posted a 0.00 ERA in his championship start.
• Not one Kent State reliever allowed a run while only giving up four hits and no walks while striking out six during the tournament.
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 14 of the last 15 seasons.
• The program has posted a conference win percentage over .500 in 24 of the last 25 years, putting it in a class of its own.
• Kent State has won the MAC Tournament and therefore the NCAA automatic bid in nine of the last 14 seasons.
• They have also won at least 32 games in 16-straight seasons and 35 or more in the past seven years.
COMING UP CLUTCH
• With three-year starters Alex Miklos and Sawyer Polen out of the lineup due to an injury and illness, respectively, three Golden Flashes have really stepped-up in their newfound starting role.
• In the last seven games played, Curtis Olvey, Troy Summers and Zach Beckner have all batted .300 or higher. Olvey has hit .375, Summers .348 and Beckner .318.
• Their defense has also been solid. Beckner has not committed an error at shortstop while Olvey and Summers have had just one each at third base and left field, respectively.
SOLID SENIORS
• In Kent State's last seven games, the seniors on the squad have been nothing short of impressive.
• Jon Wilson has led the way in the leadoff spot with a .406 average in that span, including a 4-for-4 performance in the MAC Tournament Championship game.
• Cody Koch batted .500 in the MAC Tournament to be named MVP.
• Summers, mentioned above, is also a senior.
• T.J. Sutton has been great defensively in right field while coming up with big-time hits.
• On the mound, Michael Clark has not allowed a run in his last two starts with just five hits.
• Josh Pierce and Spencer Bryant also did not allow a run and just one hit combined when they each threw an inning in the final regular season win over Akron.
CWS VETERANS
• Kent State's roster has some big-time experience in NCAA play from the team's College World Series run in 2012.
• T.J. Sutton was the starter in left field for all postseason games, most notably grabbing the game-ending catch with bases loaded and two outs to beat No. 1 seed Florida in the CWS.
• Josh Pierce was on the mound to get the save against Florida and also pitched three-plus innings in the 21-inning regional win over Kentucky.
• Michael Clark got a bases loaded, one out 1-2-3 double play in the bottom of the 20th inning for the regional win over Kentucky.
• Brian Clark pitched four-plus innings in the 21-inning win and also came in in relief during Super Regionals and in the CWS as a freshman, going on to earn Freshman All-American honors.
No. 4 Kent State will begin NCAA Regional play against No. 1 Louisville on Friday at 6:00pm. All games from the Louisville Regional will be aired on ESPN3 and all Kent State games can be heard on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, May 30
Game 1: Kentucky vs Kansas 2:00pm ESPN3
Game 2: Louisville vs Kent State 6:00pm ESPN3
Saturday, May 31
Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs Game 2 Loser 1:00pm ESPN3
Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs Game 2 Winner 5:00pm ESPN3
Sunday, June 1
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs Game 4 Loser 12:00pm ESPN3
Game 6: Game 5 Winner vs Game 4 Winner 4:00pm ESPN3
Monday, June 2 (if necessary)
Game 7: Game 6 Loser vs Game 6 Winner 7:00pm ESPN3
KENT STATE VS THE FIELD
LOUISVILLE:
• Kent State is 14-14 all-time against Louisville.
• The Golden Flashes have travelled to play the Cardinals in recent years for a three-game series in 2013 and 2011.
• Kent State took the third game from then No. 4-ranked Louisville last season.
KENTUCKY
• Kent State is 2-5 all-time against Kentucky.
• Those two wins came in NCAA Regionals in 2012. The Golden Flashes won the first game 7-6 and then 3-2, including the legendary 21-inning opening game.
KANSAS
• Kent State and Kansas have yet to meet in the history of their programs.
PITCHING PRIME IN POSTSEASON
• Kent State has always been known as a powerhouse for pitchers, and moving on in the postseason is very dependent on a strong pitching staff.
• In the MAC Tournament, the Golden Flashes needed just 7 arms to get through the team's four games with only one pitcher appearing twice.
• Three of the four starters had ERAs less than 1.20 in their tournament appearance, including freshman ace Eric Lauer.
• Kent State's fourth starter, Michael Clark, who mostly threw all season from the bullpen or as a midweek starter, posted a 0.00 ERA in his championship start.
• Not one Kent State reliever allowed a run while only giving up four hits and no walks while striking out six during the tournament.
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 14 of the last 15 seasons.
• The program has posted a conference win percentage over .500 in 24 of the last 25 years, putting it in a class of its own.
• Kent State has won the MAC Tournament and therefore the NCAA automatic bid in nine of the last 14 seasons.
• They have also won at least 32 games in 16-straight seasons and 35 or more in the past seven years.
COMING UP CLUTCH
• With three-year starters Alex Miklos and Sawyer Polen out of the lineup due to an injury and illness, respectively, three Golden Flashes have really stepped-up in their newfound starting role.
• In the last seven games played, Curtis Olvey, Troy Summers and Zach Beckner have all batted .300 or higher. Olvey has hit .375, Summers .348 and Beckner .318.
• Their defense has also been solid. Beckner has not committed an error at shortstop while Olvey and Summers have had just one each at third base and left field, respectively.
SOLID SENIORS
• In Kent State's last seven games, the seniors on the squad have been nothing short of impressive.
• Jon Wilson has led the way in the leadoff spot with a .406 average in that span, including a 4-for-4 performance in the MAC Tournament Championship game.
• Cody Koch batted .500 in the MAC Tournament to be named MVP.
• Summers, mentioned above, is also a senior.
• T.J. Sutton has been great defensively in right field while coming up with big-time hits.
• On the mound, Michael Clark has not allowed a run in his last two starts with just five hits.
• Josh Pierce and Spencer Bryant also did not allow a run and just one hit combined when they each threw an inning in the final regular season win over Akron.
CWS VETERANS
• Kent State's roster has some big-time experience in NCAA play from the team's College World Series run in 2012.
• T.J. Sutton was the starter in left field for all postseason games, most notably grabbing the game-ending catch with bases loaded and two outs to beat No. 1 seed Florida in the CWS.
• Josh Pierce was on the mound to get the save against Florida and also pitched three-plus innings in the 21-inning regional win over Kentucky.
• Michael Clark got a bases loaded, one out 1-2-3 double play in the bottom of the 20th inning for the regional win over Kentucky.
• Brian Clark pitched four-plus innings in the 21-inning win and also came in in relief during Super Regionals and in the CWS as a freshman, going on to earn Freshman All-American honors.
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