Eastern (21-21, 7-14 MAC) stepped away from Mid-American Conference play and secured a three-game sweep of Niagara University, April 28-30. Concordia won 15 of their last 16 matches.
The game will be aired on Eagle All-Access and the EMU Athletics mobile app. The coverage begins at 4.45 pm.
FIVE STRAIGHT Eastern Michigan has now won five straight games dating back to the University of Toledo win of 12-11 on April 23. Also included in the stretch is a win against Alma College (April 25) and three victories over Niagara (April 28-30). The Eagles are currently on their second longest win streak this season. The previous win streak was six consecutive wins between March 3-11.
Fueled by offense during its latest hot streak, Eastern has scored an average of 12 runs per game over its last five, up from a 7.6 runs per game average in games prior to the streak.
BREAK OUT The Brooms: Eastern Michigan defeated Niagara in a weekend three-game series from April 28-30. This was EMU’s second sweep of the year after taking four consecutive series against Towson, March 3 – 5. This is the Green and White’s fourth series victory of the season.
15+ SEVEN Times: Eastern Michigan’s 17-hit game against Niagara on the 29th of April, 2023 has seen it surpass the 15-hit mark 7 times. In these games, the Green and White are 7-0 this season. EMU only had five games last year with 15+ hits out of 54.
Lots of Pop: Eastern Michigan has had 10 or more hits for six straight games dating back to the game it played against Toledo on April 22. This six-game streak is the second-longest in the team’s season. It’s one game away from matching the seven games the team recorded between April 9-18. EMU hadn’t recorded seven consecutive games with 10+ hits before this season.
Write it in the Record Book: Senior Taylor Hopkins The weekend series between EMU and Niagara saw him move up to the fourth position in Eastern Michigan’s all-time list of at-bats (765). Mason, Ohio-native now ranks behind Brent Ohrman’s (772 at-bats) third-place finish from 2009-12. Zack Leonard is Eastern’s record holder for this category. He recorded 927 hits between 2008-11.
BEAT HIS STREAK?: Last season Matt Kirk Kirk tied the EMU record for doubles with 25. Kirk has 12 games left to play in 2023, and it looks like he’s on his way to breaking his own record. Milford, Ohio, native Kirk has 22 doubles in this season at a rate of 0.55 per match. His total number of doubles (12) and his doubles per game (0.55), both rank among the best in the Mid-American Conference and the second-best among all NCAA Division I athletes.
MATT: Matt Kirk The team’s performance last week was impressive, as it produced one of the nation’s best three-game runs against Alma, on April 25, and Niagara April 28-29. Kirk’s slugging rate was 1.064, and his batting average was.500. He had more extra-base hits that singles.
Kirk’s impressive week included an Eastern Michigan-record four doubles in the team’s game against the Purple Eagles, April 29. This number also ties for the highest of any NCAA Division I players this season and was only achieved five times in total in 2023. Kirk’s 2023 hit total is 61% higher than his strikeout number (25)
HOUSE DELIVERS Senior right-hander Thomas House Eastern Michigan’s first game of the series at Niagara was won by Ross, Ohio native on April 28, 2008. The native of Ross, Ohio, pitched 5.0 innings and allowed three runs, while striking out 6. House’s win is his first since March 4, and second of the year. House’s win was his first in Eastern Michigan and the second of the season.
STREAK SNAPPED Eastern Michigan’s pitching got its game back on track with its victory over Niagara on April 28, 2008. The Eagles’ 9-4 win was the first in 12 games where the Green and White had not given up at least five goals. EMU’s win Saturday, April 29, was the second in a row of this kind. Sunday, it was the third.
RUSSO ROLLS OVER NIAGARA Luke Russo He was amazing on the mound in the game against Niagara on April 29. He picked up the fifth win of his team, and helped Eastern Michigan to win the match. This victory kept a winning streak that was at the time four games. The streak is now five.
Dialed in from the start, Russo went 6.2 innings without issuing a free pass or giving up an earned run. He also struck out a season and career high of 12 Niagara batters. Russo was dominant from the minute he entered the game. Batters only hit.091 off him. He is now the leader of the Mid-American Conference for both strikeouts and looking strikesouts.
STILL PERFECT Eastern Michigan has never lost to the Purple Eagles. The Green and White are 6-0 against Niagara. The first three-game series was played in 2012. In addition, the Eagles outscored Niagara 79-27 in these six games.
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: Eric Roof Roof has never lost a match as a coach in New York. Roof has now won five games in the Empire State after his team’s sweep over Niagara. Roof’s Eagles beat St. Bonaventure University by a 2-0 score in a brief, two-game set on May 1, 2020.
Score in Bunches: Eastern scored at least four runs in an inning three times over the weekend in Niagara. The Green and White now have 28 innings with four or more goals this season.
BASHING AND MASSING Eastern Michigan players have recorded 129 multi-hit performances in their first 42 games. The team averages 3.1 attempts per game. This is the highest number of multi-hits in modern statistics (1998-Pres.). In 60 games in 2009, the EMU team had 164 multi-hit attempts. This is averaging 2.73 hits per game.
Josh Kross Eastern Michigan leads the league with 23 multi-hit games in this season. Matt Kirk (20) Taylor Hopkins (16).
TOP-5 WATCH: Taylor Hopkins Has already climbed into the top five all-time list of EMU’s batters, but could add to it in multiple other categories. Lee Longo, who had 233 hits during his legendary career from 2011-14, is just 18 away with 215 of his own. Hopkins (125) needs 13 RBIs in order to crack the list and is currently six longballs (currently 26,) away from fifth place. Matt Kirk The current leader in home runs is currently at 27 and could easily make the top 5.
ALL TIME (MICH) VS CONCORDIA Concordia Cardinals are an EMU regular over the past few years. They reside in Ann Arbor (Mich.), a neighboring city. Eastern has won every game in their eight previous encounters. Eastern won the last meeting 11-6, on March 27, 2019 All of the games were played at Oestrike Stadium.
ON THE HORIZON Eastern travels to Mount Pleasant in Michigan for a pivotal Mid-American Conference matchup against the Central Michigan Chippewas. The three game set begins on Friday, 5 May, with games scheduled for Saturday 6 May and Sunday 7 May.
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