The University of Akron Athletics
Baseball Battles Kent State in Final Series of the Regular Season
May 17 | Baseball
Akron (17-35, 10-14) at Kent State (34-17, 21-3)
Thursday, May 17, 6:30 p.m.
Sixth Annual Diamond Classic for the Kids | Canal Park
RHP Andrew Brown (6-7, 3.29) vs. LHP David Starn (7-3, 2.02)
Friday, May 18, 3 p.m.
Kent, Ohio | Schoonover Stadium
LHP Pat Dyer (3-4, 4.13) vs. RHP Ryan Bores (6-2, 3.32)
Saturday, May 19, 1 p.m.
Kent, Ohio | Schoonover Stadium
RHP Alex Loftin (3-3, 3.22) vs. RHP Tyler Skulina (8-2, 4.14)
Game Notes (PDF)
PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge
Zips Looking to Lock Up MAC Tourney Spot
The Akron baseball team is looking to secure its first MAC Tournament berth since 2005 when it faces rival Kent State this weekend in the final series of 2012. The opener of the three game set is the sixth annual Diamond Classic for the Kids.
A Look at Kent State
Kent State has already locked up the regular season MAC Championship with a 21-3 league record. The Golden Flashes are 34-17 overall.
KSU bats .312 as a team and is led by Jimmy Rider (.369, 39 RBI, 53 R). George Roberts (.363, 44 RBI) and Evan Campbell (.356, 34 RBI) also hit above .350 and David Lyon (.304, 34 RBI) leads the club with eight homers.
The Golden Flashes have a team ERA of 3.83 and have had the same rotation for the length of the season. The bullpen is highlighted by Brian Clark (4-0, 0.47 ERA, 15 app., 3 sv.) and Eric Dorsch (1-1, 3.50, 19 app.). Casey Wilson leads the team with five saves and has made a team-high 22 appearances. Opposing teams are hitting .254 against the KSU staff.
Storylines
• The magic number for Akron to secure it's spot in the 2012 MAC Tournament is two. The Zips have a 1.5 game lead on Buffalo for the eighth and final seed in the tournament. Bowling Green is two games back, while NIU is three games behind.
• Senior Andrew Brown throw another complete game last weekend, his sixth in eight MAC starts. Brown is holding a 1.64 ERA in league play and MAC hitters are batting just .204 against the senior righty.
• Brown is closing in on his second straight 100.0-plus inning season. Brown - who tossed 103.0 innings in 2011 - has thrown 93.0 so far this season. He is Akron's career record holder in innings pitched with 355.0.
• Thursday's game is the sixth annual Diamond Classic for the Kids. Over the past five years, the game has raised over $56,000 for Akron Children's Hospital.
• UA baseball donated over $7,800 to the Akron Children's Hospital on Monday. The team also had their heads shaved in the hospital lobby.
• Akron is 53-98-1 all-time against the Golden Flashes. KSU won the first two games in last year's series, but UA closed the season with a 13-4 win in Kent.
• Freshman Matt Rembielak is the only Zip who has started all 52 games this season.
• The series is part of the inaugural PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge between the two schools.
The Series with Kent State
Kent State leads the all-time series 98-53-1 and took two out of three last year. Akron won the finale, 13-4, but dropped the first two games by a run each.
Recapping Last Weekend's Action
Akron was swept at home by Ohio, losing all three games by one run. Andrew Brown tossed his sixth complete game of the season in Friday's 4-3 loss. The Zips then saw a comeback effort fall short in an 9-8 Saturday game. Alex Loftin tossed eight innings in Sunday's 3-2 loss. Darius Washington batted .462 in the series.
It's a Magic Number
The magic number is two for Akron to secure its first MAC Tournament berth since 2005. UA currently holds the eighth and final seed in the tournament and is 1.5 games ahead of Buffalo. Any combination of 2 Akron wins or Buffalo losses will secure Akron's tourney spot. Bowling Green and Northern Illinois are also still in the running for the eighth and final tournament seed.
PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge
The series is the final match-up of the inaugural PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge between rivals Akron and Kent State. The Golden Flashes clinched the competition with its first-place finish at the women's MAC Track and Field Championship last weekend. KSU now has 8.0 points in the challenge, while UA has collected 6.0 points.
Record Watch
Career Innings Pitched
1. Andrew Brown 355.0
2. Ross Lierseman 334.0
3. Alex Loftin 282.0
Career Strikeouts
1. Dave Young 315
4. Jim Barton 254
5. Andrew Brown 250
9. Mike Birkbeck 209
10. Alex Loftin 197
Career Appearances
1. Benjamin Danziger 78
2. Scott Foster 76
Season Innings Pitched
1. Ross Liersemann (2006) 113.0
5. Ross Liersemann (2005) 95.1
Tom Dobos (1988) 95.1
6. Andrew Brown (2012) 93.0
Season At-Bats
1. Drew Turocy (2010) 265
9. Kyle Hallett (2010) 213
10. Devan Ahart (2012) 211
Getting a Shave
The Akron baseball team shaved their heads on Monday afternoon to raise awareness for th Akron Children's Hospital. The Zips presented the hospital with donations totaling over $7,800. Kent State also participated in the event, raising over $1,700.
Brown on the Mound
Andrew Brown is 6-4 with a 1.64 ERA in his last ten starts on the mound. During that time the senior righty has limited opponents to a .206 batting average and has gone the distance six times. UA has completed shutouts in four of those 10 games. Six of Brown's eight conference starts have been complete games.
Streaking
Four Zips have had hitting streaks of 10-plus games this season, with Brady Stewart's 13-game streak being the longest. Tyler Begun has the longest reaching base streak of the year (27 games).
Diamond Classic for the Kids
Akron is 2-3 all-time in the Diamond Classic for the Kids, last winning in 2009. The game was a non-conference contest in its first three seasons, but has been a part of the conference schedule since 2010.
Rembielak in the MAC
Akron first-year coach Rick Rembielak is making a return to the Mid-American Conference, where he went 200-100 (.667) in conference play in 11 seasons as the head coach at Kent State (1994-2004).
Up Next
The Zips are aiming to qualify for the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2005. The 2012 MAC Tournament will start on Wednesday, May 23 at All-Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The tournament runs through Saturday May 26 with the tourney champion receiving the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
