Kent State University
Wright State University
Flashes Host Wright State for Final Game at Schoonover in 2019
5/13/2019 5:00:00 PM | Baseball
KENT, Ohio –The Kent State University baseball team (27-21, 14-8 MAC) is set to host Wright State (37-15, 19-8 Horizon) for its final home game at Schoonover Stadium in the 2019 campaign. The game is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14, at 6 p.m.
The Flashes will conclude the regular season on the road, traveling to Eastern Michigan Thursday through Saturday, May 16-18, before starting the post season at the Mid-American Conference Tournament Wednesday, May 22, in Avon, Ohio.
Kent State is coming off its sixth straight Mid-American Conference series victory at Bowling Green State University. The Flashes remain in fourth place in the conference standings with a 14-8 record, coming in behind Central Michigan (19-5), Ball State (17-5) and Miami (15-8).Â
Sophomore Michael Turner turned in yet another big week at the plate for the Blue and Gold, earning his second consecutive MAC Player of the Week honor May 13. The Warren, Ohio native posted a .462 average and .769 slugging after collecting six hits and eight RBIs through three games at Bowling Green. Turner belted his second grand slam of the season in the series opener when the Flashes were down 8-6 to propel the Flashes to their 13thMAC win of the season.Â
Redshirt sophomore Ben Carew continues to shine at the top of the Kent State lineup, also tallying six hits and four runs last week. The Appleton, Wis. native extended his hitting streak to 14 games dating back to April 19 and has now reached base safely in each of the last 29 games.Â
On the season, Carew leads the MAC and ranks 13th in the nation in batting average (.403) and ranks 12th in Division I in hits per game (1.60), 15th in hits (77), 43rd in runs per game (1.13) and 49th in runs (54).Â
In 2019, the Kent State offense ranks in the top-50 in 10 categories and leads the conference in home runs, home runs per game and slugging percentage. The Flashes are 14th in sacrifice flies (31), 34th in scoring (7.1), 37th in slugging percentage (.451), 41st in stolen bases per game (1.60), 42nd in both batting average (.292) and home runs per game (1.04), 45th in stolen bases (77), 47th in both home runs (50) and runs (343), and 49th in doubles per game (1.98).
Wright State
Wright State will enter Tuesday's game 37-15, leading the Horizon League with a 19-8 record after sweeping Northern Kentucky in a three-game conference set over the weekend.
The Raiders opened the 2019 season with ranked opponents Ole Miss, Oklahoma State and East Carolina, earning a 3-3 record. Wright State has played three Power Five opponents since, defeating Indiana 15-4 on the road April 3.Â
Wright State is also 4-0 against MAC teams this season, defeating Bowling Green, Toledo and Ohio twice.
The Raider offense has combined for a .301 team batting average and .475 slugging percentage and leads the Horizon League in nearly every offensive category this season. Nationally, Wright State ranks second in both stolen bases (148) and stolen bases per game (2.85), fifth in walks (317), sixth in on base percentage (.415), seventh in runs (421), ninth in scoring (8.1), 18th in slugging percentage and triples (19), 20th in batting average, 21st in hits (532), 25th in doubles (104) and 35th in home runs (55).Â
Defensively, the Raiders have maintained a .981 team fielding percentage, the sixth best in the nation. They have turned 44 double plays, ranking 28th in Division I.Â
The pitching staff has spun the nation's sixth-best five shut outs, blanking Cedarville, Ohio, Milwaukee, Northern Kentucky and Xavier. Wright State's pitchers have posted a 4.11 ERA in 2019, fanning 354 batters and walking 196.
Tuesday will mark the 36th time Kent State and Wright State will meet. The Flashes lead the all-time series 23-12.
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.
