The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Close Out Season Against Kent State
May 19 | Baseball
Games #53-55
May 20-22, 2010
Akron Zips (21-31, 3-21 MAC) vs.
KSU Golden Flashes (31-22, 19-7 MAC)
Canal Park/Lee Jackson Field • Akron, Ohio
Following an intense battle with Cleveland State in midweek
action, the Akron baseball team will look to end the season on a
positive note against archrival and MAC East Division leading Kent
State in a three-game set this weekend.
The Zips and Golden Flashes will face off in the fourth annual Diamond Classic For Kids on Thursday (May 20) at Canal Park, home of the Akron Aeros at 6 p.m. The series will then shift back to Akron's campus at Lee Jackson Field on Friday (May 21) for Senior Day activities and a 3 p.m. start. The season finale wraps up the series on Saturday (May 22) at 1 p.m.
Akron Recap
Akron (21-31, 3-21 MAC) will look to send its senior class out in
style this weekend when they face off against division leading Kent
State. The Zips battled Cleveland State and came out on top with a
5-4 victory at All Pro Freight Stadium on Tuesday evening and will
look to utilize that momentum heading into the weekend.
The Zips' offense is firing on all cylinders with six starters batting well above .300 including Drew Turocy (.360, 91 hits, 56 RBI) who shattered UA's single season at-bats record with 253 formerly held by Steve Sada (226). Turocy is now just three hits shy of tying Akron's single-season hits record also held by Steve Sada (94, 1988). Senior catcher John Turk (.352, 68 hits, 24 RBI) saw his career-long hit streak halted at 16 games but has eclipsed his career hits tally by 16 base knocks with three games remaining on the year. Kevin Haas (.329, 68 hits, 31 RBI) became Akron's career hit leader a few weeks ago and has since added the single season assists record (200) and career at-bats record (830) to his impressive resume. The red-hot trio will look to help improve Akron's team .308 batting average and improve a program-high 600 hits.
Sophomores Andrew Brown (4-5, 4.05 ERA, 63 Ks) and Alex Loftin (4-7, 4.34 ERA, 60 Ks) will each look for their fifth win on the season. The duo pace the UA staff which currently boasts a collective 5.89 ERA.
Scouting Kent State
Kent State enters the series with a 31-22 record overall and a 15-9
mark in MAC play to tie Bowling Green for the top spot in the East
Division. The Golden Flashes are batting .313 as a team with 373
RBI on 609 hits. Led by senior outfielder Anthony
Gallas (.379, 82 hits, 67 RBI) the Flashes' leading home
run man with 15 round-trippers on the year represents just one of
many offensive targets this weekend. Junior outfielder Ben
Klafczynski (.355, 75 hits, 42 RBI) and sophomore
infielder Jimmy Rider (.345, 78 hits, 37 RBI) will
also try to propel KSU to victory this weekend. Kent State's entire
lineup is deadly with seven starters boasting at least 40 hits and
30 RBI.
Kent's pitching staff holds a 5.20 ERA as a team having surrendered 320 runs on 496 hits. The staff led by sophomore lefty David Starn (6-2, 5.56 ERA, 61 Ks). Akron will face a pair of junior RHPs to close out the series in Robert Sabo (4-4, 4.60 ERA, 62 Ks) and Brett Weibley (3-1, 3.48 ERA, 31 Ks).
Tuning In
The entire series will be broadcast on the Akron ISP Network while
Thursday and Saturday's games will also air on Fox Sports 1350 AM.
Live stats will be provided on www.GoZips.com.
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