Kent State University
University of Dayton
Baseball Starts Five-Game Road Trip at Dayton and Indiana
3/25/2019 2:23:00 PM | Baseball
Dayton: ESPN+ | Live Stats | Game Notes
Indiana: FLOLIVE | Live Stats
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State University baseball team (9-12) will begin its five-game road trip with midweek matchups at Dayton and Indiana. The Flashes will take on the Flyers on Tuesday, March 26 at 3 p.m. and face Indiana the next day at 5 p.m.
Tuesday's game at Dayton will be streamed on ESPN+ and Wednesday's game at Indiana will be aired on FLOLIVE.
The Flashes are coming off the first weekend of Mid-American Conference play, going 1-2 against Miami. Kent State snapped the RedHawks' 14-game winning streak in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday evening.
In the four games played last week, Kent State's freshmen Luke Albright and Justin Kirby capitalized on opportunities and had career weeks. Kirby posted a .500 batting average and a .714 slugging percentage, collecting seven hits and three walks with three doubles, five runs scored and four RBIs on the week. The Alpharetta, Ga. native has worked his way to the top of the lineup, notching a hit in each of the four games played and knocking a double all three games against Miami. In the second game against the RedHawks, the rookie accounted for seven of Kent State's 12 runs, batting 3-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored.
Albright made a stunning appearance out of the bullpen in the last game of the weekend, shutting down the RedHawks with 5.0 scoreless innings of work. He allowed just three batters to reach base while striking out a career-high seven batters.
On the season, redshirt sophomore Ben Carew remains at the top of Kent State's offensive stats with a .373 average, 13 RBIs and 13 runs. The Flashes have collected at least seven hits in each of the last nine games and have reached double digits in hits nine times this season. Kent State has launched 17 home runs on the season and had a seven-game home run streak snapped Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Nick Elsen and senior Pete Schuler lead the way with four long balls apiece.
Dayton
Dayton will enter Tuesday's matchup 9-11 on the season and 2-1 in the Atlantic 10, earning two wins over Saint Louis over the weekend. The Flyers have faced two top-10 teams this season to account for six of the program's losses, opening the season at No. 4 Georgia and traveling to Nashville at the beginning of this month to face No. 6 Vanderbilt.
The Flyers are 3-3 against MAC opponents, going 2-1 against Ohio, falling to Eastern Michigan, and splitting 1-1 with Ball State.
Despite a tough schedule early this season, Dayton has only been shut out of one game this season, a 2-0 loss in the series finale at No. 6 Vanderbilt. As a team, the Flyers are batting .228 with 42 extra-base hits, including 16 home runs, and are averaging more than seven hits and five runs a game.
The Dayton pitching staff has held its opponents to a .260 batting average, recording 147 punch outs.
Tuesday will mark the 31st time the two programs will meet with the Flashes leading the all-time series 22-8. The teams haven't met since April 2002, when Kent State took an 8-6 victory.
Indiana
The Hoosiers will enter Wednesday's matchup 15-8 on an eight-game winning streak. Indiana has faced three ranked opponents (D1Baseball.com Top 25) so far this season, falling to No. 12 Coastal Carolina and No. 7 Oregon State.
Indiana has only been shut out once this season, crossing home plate 156 times this season. The Hoosiers have a .260 team batting average, slugging .461 as a team with 80 of 199 total hits going for extra bases. Indiana has launched an impressive 35 home runs this season with eight players swinging for more than one long ball.
The Indiana pitching staff has recorded two shut outs this season while maintaining a 3.19 team ERA. The Hoosiers have held opponents to a .227 average while striking out 185 in 200.1 total innings of work.
Kent State and Indiana have only met three times in history, with the Hoosiers recording all three victories. The teams last met in Nashville at the Music City Classic in March 2010.
The 2019 Kent State Baseball Season is brought to you by Hometown Bank. Hometown Bank and Kent State Baseball – A Winning Team. There's no place like home.
