The University of Akron Athletics
Baseball Hosts Ohio for Three-Game Series Beginning Friday
April 10 | Baseball
Follow Zips Baseball on Twitter (@ZipsBB) and Facebook
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron (16-14, 6-3 MAC) baseball team welcomes Ohio University (5-24, 1-8 MAC) to Lee R. Jackson Field for a three-game Mid-American Conference series this weekend, opening on Friday at 3 p.m. The series will continue with contests on Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m., on both days.
Gameday Information
Friday – 3 PM
Ohio: Fr., RHP Jake Roehn (2-4, 4.73 ERA, 45.2 IP, 17 BB, 38 SO)
Akron: So., LHP John Valek III (2-2, 2.76 ERA, 42.1 IP, 12 BB, 18 SO)
Saturday – 1 PM
Ohio: Fr., RHP Jake Rudnicki (2-1, 4.03 ERA, 38.0 IP, 20 BB, 28 SO)
Akron: So., RHP JT Brubaker (2-2, 4.41 ERA, 32.2 IP, 14 BB, 21 SO)
Sunday – 1 PM
Ohio: So., RHP Connor Sitz (0-7, 6.12 ERA, 32.1 IP, 9 BB, 19 SO)
Akron: R-Jr., RHP Myles McVeigh (1-1, 1.77 ERA, 20.1 IP, 10 BB, 18 SO)
Coverage: Video and play-by-play coverage with Bill Morgan will be available here throughout the weekend. Live stats can be found here.
Midweek matchups…
Akron won both games during the week at Pittsburgh and Canisius. UA notched a come from behind 7-5 win over Pitt on Tuesday, thanks to a three-run eighth inning.
The Zips travelled to Canisius on Wednesday, and did not trail during the 8-5 road victory. Sophomore Billy Salem highlighted a five-run fifth with a bases-loaded triple, while senior Grant Alvarez had a career-high two runs scored and two doubles.
UA's win at Canisius also hands the Golden Griffs their first home loss of the 2014 season. Akron has won three of the past four non-conference games.
Last weekend…
Akron baseball travelled to Miami (Ohio) this past weekend, and suffered their first MAC series loss of the season. Despite a 7-5 comeback win in the weekend opener, the Zips dropped the Saturday and Sunday matchups by scores of 6-0 and 5-3, respectively.
In last Friday's win, junior shortstop Matt Rembielak set a career high with five hits to go along with a double, a run scored and two RBI. Sophomore Kris Simonton and redshirt junior Devan Ahart had three walks apiece in the game, career marks for both players.
Home, sweet home…
Following road contests in nine of the past ten games, the Zips are set to return home to Lee R. Jackson Field for a MAC series. Akron's home ballpark has treated them well so far this season, as the squad owns a 4-0 home record and registered a three-game series sweep of Eastern Michigan to open conference play.
UA played one game in downtown Akron last week, a midweek matchup on Wednesday against Canisius at Canal Park. Redshirt senior Brady Stewart provided a walk-off RBI single in the tenth inning to propel the Zips to a 2-1 win.
The rotation…
Sophomore John Valek III has provided consistent success in the Friday role for head coach Rick Rembielak's starting rotation. Valek will be making his eighth start of 2014, following his longest outing of the season in last Friday's 7-5 win over Miami. The southpaw tossed 6.2 innings with six hits allowed, three earned runs and zero walks.
Valek has allowed three runs or less in six out of his seven starts, accumulating a rotation-leading 2.76 ERA. He ranks eighth in the MAC in ERA.
Sophomore JT Brubaker will take the hill for the seventh time this season on Saturday. The right-hander's record fell to 2-2 in his last start at Miami (Ohio). Brubaker tossed 4.1 innings with five runs allowed – three earned – to go with three walks and a strikeout.
Overall this season, Brubaker has a 4.41 ERA over 35.2 innings with 21 strikeouts and 14 walks. His strongest start of the campaign came on March 15 at Cincinnati, where he completed six scoreless innings with four hits allowed and three strikeouts.
Redshirt junior Myles McVeigh is set for his fourth consecutive start in the Sunday role for Coach Rembielak's rotation. McVeigh's last outing was on Sunday at the RedHawks, and he turned in 5.1 innings with one earned run allowed and five strikeouts.
A Cheyenne, Wyo., native, McVeigh owns a 1.65 ERA in MAC games, which ranks eighth in the conference heading into the fourth weekend of league play. McVeigh's first start in the conference was in the sweep-clinching win over EMU on March 22, posting nine strikeouts with one hit allowed over 6.0 scoreless frames.
The Zips pitching staff as a whole ranks third in MAC play with a 3.20 ERA.
Offense regaining consistency…
Following an 11-hit outburst in Friday's series opener at Miami (Ohio), the Zips lineup registered hit totals of four, six and six in the next three games. However, the team had nine base hits in the 8-5 win over Canisius on Wednesday, which is on target with team average of 9.06 hits per game.
Akron has totaled 14 games with 10 hits or more, to go along with 18 games at nine hits or more. UA's top five hit leaders include Devan Ahart (36), Joey Havrilak (34), James Meeker III (27), and three players tied at 23 hits apiece.
Overall in 2014, Ahart, Havrilak and Stewart have been the strongest run producers in the Zips lineup. Havrilak and Stewart are tied for the team lead in RBI (18), with Ahart (15 RBI) not far behind. Ahart and Havrilak share the team-high in runs (21).
Along with raking up the hits, the Zips have drawn a total of 117 walks this season, which ranks fourth in the MAC. The Zips top four walk drawers are Ahart (20), Sheltrown (15), Havrilak (13) and Meeker (11). Ahart is first in the conference with 12 walks in MAC play, and tied for second with teammate Havrilak at five steals in league matchups.
Scouting the Bobcats…
Ohio University baseball comes into the weekend series with an overall record of 5-24 and 1-8 within the conference. The Bobcats own a 3-11 record on the road, while also accumulating a .252 overall batting average this season. Mitch Longo, who is batting .404 with seven doubles, two homers and 16 RBI, leads the squad.
The OU pitching staff has accumulated a 6.48 ERA and a .307 batting average against. Jake Roehn, Jake Rudnicki and Connor Sitz are the scheduled starters for the three-game set.
Schedule change to future home series…
Due to festivities surrounding Football's spring game, Baseball's home contest with Bowling Green State University has been moved to 2 p.m., on Saturday, April 19, which was originally slated to start at 1 p.m. The game will still be held at Lee R. Jackson Field.
