Kent State University
University of Toledo
Kent State Returns Home to Host Toledo This Weekend
4/20/2017 1:21:00 PM | Baseball
Kent State (21-12, 7-2) begins a seven game home stand on Friday when it starts a three-game conference series with Toledo (14-23, 7-5). Game times are set for 6 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
COVERAGE
• Listen live on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio
• Live stats will run at sidearmstats.com/kent/baseball
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Friday, April 21
Kent State: #31 LHP Eli Kraus (5-2, 3.18 ERA, 37 SO, 13 BB, 8 GS, 51.0 IP)
Toledo: #41 LHP Steven Calhoun (3-2, 3.38 ERA, 36 SO, 21 BB, 9 GS, 56.0 IP)
Saturday, April 22
Kent State: #23 RHP Zach Willeman (5-3, 5.40 ERA, 41 SO, 18 BB, 8 GS, 43.1 IP)
Toledo: #14 LHP Ross Achter (3-3, 3.09 ERA, 47 SO, 23 BB, 9 GS, 46.2 IP)
Sunday, April 23
Kent State: #30 RHP Joey Murray (4-0, 2.52 ERA, 58 SO, 18 BB, 8 GS, 39.1 IP)
Toledo: #4 RHP Sam Shutes (2-4, 4.76 ERA, 40 SO, 21 BB, 9 GS, 51.0 IP)
THE MATCHUP
• Kent State is 92-66-1 all-time against Toledo
• Last season, the Golden Flashes took the series at home, winning on Friday 3-0 then splitting a Sunday doubleheader, losing 4-1 then winning 2-1
• The Flashes also beat the Rockets 3-2 in the second game of the MAC Tournament
• Toledo took the series two game to one at home in 2015 while Kent State took two games in 2014
• The Rockets are coming off an 11-7 win at Dayton on Wednesday
• This past weekend, they swept Buffalo at home in three one-run games
• The team is hitting .253 and has a combined ERA of 5.82
BACK ON TRACK
• The Golden Flashes have got back on track in their last five games, losing just one of those via a walk off
• The team has posted a .304 batting average while three starting pitchers posted ERAs under 2.00
• Nick Kanavas has led the way with a .529 batting average in 17 at-bats
• Mason Mamarella is close behind at .421 while adding in five walks and two more free passes when he was hit by a pitch
• Dylan Rosa's slugging percentage in the past five games is .950 as he has hit .400 with two doubles, three homeruns and ten RBI
• Friday starter Eli Kraus set things in motion with no earned runs in 7.2 innings
• Zach Willeman followed with a 7.0 inning performance with seven strikeouts and just one run allowed
• In his collegiate debut, Joe Vranesic threw 5.0 innings in the start on Tuesday with one run, three hits, no walk and four strikeouts
FAST START
• Jumping on the opposition in the first inning has been key in three of Kent State's four most recent wins
• The team went up 2-0 Saturday at NIU, scored four in the first inning on Tuesday at YSU and began Wednesday's game with a 3-0 lead at Pittsburgh
• The Golden Flashes are 10-2 when leading after the first inning
• They have also scored the most runs this season in the first with 41; the next highest is 33 runs in the third frame
