The University of Akron Athletics
Baseball to Play at Youngstown State Wednesday
April 16 | Baseball
The University of Akron baseball team will open a four-game road
swing starting Wednesday night with a single contest at Youngstown
State at 7 p.m. The Zips (15-11, 3-6 Mid-American Conference) will
then head to Bowling Green Friday to begin a three-game set against
the Falcons.
Wednesday's game against the Penguins will mark the 145th meeting
between the institutions. Last season, UA and YSU split a pair of
games with the Zips taking an 8-4 decision at Youngstown and
falling 6-3 at Lee Jackson Field. Akron leads the all-time series
83-61 dating back to the 1947 season.
The Penguins enter play with an 11-20 record and have lost four of
their last five games. Infielder Erich Diedrich, who was a
first-team All-Horizon League selection as a sophomore last season,
is hitting .339 and leads the team with five home runs and 26 RBI.
As a team, YSU is hitting .278, has posted an ERA of 6.12 and has
been outscored 207-164. Youngstown State returned 12 players and
added 17 newcomers to a squad that was 26-29 last season and
finished fourth in the Horizon League with a 16-13 mark.
Akron has dropped three of its last four after a 1-2 weekend series
against MAC West Division leading Central Michigan. Junior catcher
Kurt Davidson (North
Canton, Ohio/Hoover) inched closer to the school's all-time home
runs record with a three-run blast last Saturday. It was his
seventh on the season and 26th for his career, leaving him just two
shy of the all-time mark, shared by Mike Doerbecker (1995-99) and
Dick Duncan (1981-84).
Senior pitcher
Pat
Gliha (Euclid, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph) made the 63rd
appearance of his career Saturday against CMU and stands just one
short of matching the all-time mark held by Joe Header, who played
for the Zips from 1995-98.
Live stats will be available for all four games this week via
GoZips.com.
TWO CROSS-TOWN RIVALS, ONE GREAT CAUSE
Tickets are on sale for the inaugural Diamond
Classic for Kids. Come cheer on the Zips as they take on
divisional-rival Kent State University at Canal Park on Tuesday,
April 24, at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students
and youth. All proceeds will benefit the Akron Children's
Hospital.
To purchase tickets, visit the box office at either school or stop
by the Akron Aeros team store located in Canal Park. For more
information, call 1-888-99-AKRON.
