Kent State University
Akron
Flashes Welcome Zips for Wagon Wheel Weekend Series
4/13/2023 1:53:00 PM | Baseball
KENT-The Wagon Wheel rivalry resumes this weekend as the Golden Flashes host the rival Akron Zips for a three-game weekend series at Schoonover Stadium.
WEEKEND PROMOS
It is Kent Parks and Rec weekend at Schoonover Stadium with the team welcoming in area youth baseball teams and their families to the ballpark. On Friday night, the first 300 fans will receive a free wagon wheel t-shirt and on Sunday, it will be an Earth Day celebration with fans receiving a free reusable tote bag.
ABOUT KENT STATE
The Flashes have won six of seven heading into the weekend, and four straight after sweeping Bowling Green last weekend and knocking off Pitt on Tuesday night. At 22-10 overall and 9-3 in the MAC, Kent State sits a game behind Ball State in the MAC standings.
Kent State has done it with balanced offense across the board. The Flashes sit atop the MAC in several categories including: batting average (.298), runs (260), hits (337) doubles (82, 5th in NCAA), on-base percentage (.407) and steals (75).
On the mound, the Flashes 3.89 earned run average leads the MAC as does their batting average against, with teams hitting .216 off Kent State pitching.
ABOUT THE ZIPS
Akron comes into the weekend at 13-19 overall and 6-9 in MAC play. They dropped two of three to Western Michigan last weekend and dropped a mid-week matchup to Ohio State on Tuesday.
Their offense is led by the aptly named Jack Firestone, his 13 homers on the season lead the team and the MAC. Jack Poise leads the club with a .300 average and eight steals. As a team, the Zips are hitting .230 and average a notch above five runs per game.
The pitching staff is led by lefty Sammy Tortorella. The junior has tossed a complete game shutout in a win over Ball State and went seven strong in a victory over Toledo. Overall, he's 2-1 with a 2.61 era against MAC foes. Zips' hurlers have pitched to a 5.82 earned run average across 15 MAC games so far this season.
FOLLOW ALONG
Friday's series opener will start at 6 p.m. with a Saturday 3 p.m. start and a Sunday 1 p.m. start scheduled. All three games will be streamed for free and live stats will be provided. Please see the baseball schedule page for links and KentStateSports.com and Kent State Baseball on social media for any adjustments to the schedule.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Flashes will wrap up a five-game home stand on Wednesday as they play host to the Tiffin Dragons. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
