Kent State University
Ohio University
Flashes Begin Postseason May-hem at the MAC Tournament
5/21/2019 9:28:00 AM | Baseball
Game 1 (May 22 at 12:30 p.m.): Kent State Radio | ESPN+ | Live Stats
KENT, Ohio – Following its 21st consecutive 30-win season, the Kent State baseball team (30-22, 14-8 MAC) will attempt to win its second straight Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship. The Golden Flashes finished third in the regular season standings and will play No. 6 Ohio (18-32, 12-14 MAC) in the first game of the tournament in Avon, Ohio at Sprenger Stadium Wednesday, May 22, at 12:30 p.m.
Last time out, the Golden Flashes earned their second three-game series sweep to conclude the regular season, defeating Eastern Michigan on the road. Kent State won 14 out of the last 17 games of the regular season heading into the tournament.
On the season, Kent State outscored its opponents 366-286, posting a .293 team batting average. The offense led the conference and ranked 37th nationally with a .452 slugging percentage, belting a conference-high 53 home runs – the most by a Kent State team since 2010. The Flashes tallied 10 or more hits in 27 games, reaching double digits in runs scored 18 times in the regular season.
Under Head Coach Jeff Duncan, the Flashes are 12-6 in MAC Tournament games, winning tournament championships in 2014 and 2018 to advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament. Last season, the Flashes became the first one seed to win the tournament since Kent State did it in both 2011 and 2012 before bowing out of the Lubbock Regional in three games.
Ohio
Kent State traveled to Ohio April 26-28 and won two of the three games of the series. The Flashes won the first two games with scores 12-3 and 18-11, respectively, before stumbling in the series finale. Kent State's six-game streak with 10 or more runs and five-game winning streak was snapped as the Flashes were shut out for the second time of the season, 1-0.
Since Kent State and Ohio last met, the Bobcats have gone 3-6 to end the campaign, squeaking into the tournament with an 8-6 win over Western Michigan on the final day of the regular season.
MAC Tournament Information
The MAC Tournament will feature a six-team, double elimination bracket with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receiving first-round byes. No. 3 Kent State and No. 6 Ohio will play in the first game at 12:30 p.m. and No. 4 Miami and No. 5 Northern Illinois will square off in the nightcap at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 22.
The full bracket, ticketing and streaming information can be found here.
All games will be aired on ESPN+ in addition to coverage on Kent State Radio and Twitter (@KentStBaseball).
