The University of Akron Athletics
Baseball Opens MAC Tournament on Wednesday against CMU
May 20 | Baseball
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AVON, Ohio – For the first time in nine seasons, The University of Akron baseball team will play in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, beginning on Wednesday at 8 p.m., against Central Michigan at All Pro Freight Stadium.
Wednesday Probables…
Akron: Jr., LHP Pat Dyer (3-4, 4.82 ERA, 52.1 IP, 16 BB, 42 SO)
CMU: Sr., RHP Pat Kaminska (8-2, 2.04 ERA, 92.2 IP, 14 BB, 69 SO)
Zips in the postseason…
This will be Akron's fourth appearance in the MAC Baseball Tournament, with the last berth coming in the 2005 campaign. UA has also made the tournament in 1995 and won it the following year in 1996.
UA finished 12-15 during MAC play at the helm of third-year head coach Rick Rembielak, while totaling a 25-28 overall record in 2014. The Zips have had five 20-win seasons over the past 10 years.
Akron's overall .471 winning percentage is the highest since 2008 when the squad finished at .510 with a 25-24 record. UA last recorded 12 victories in the conference in the 2009 season.
Last week…
Akron played one game against Dayton and three games against Kent State. UA dropped the Dayton matchup, 9-2, despite effective pitching performances by Joe Cochran, Josh Davis, Daulton Mosbarger and Andrew Fanning.
UA and KSU rescheduled Thursday's series opnener for a day-night doubleheader on Friday at the Kent State campus, due to rain the Akron area.
The Zips started the twin bill with an 8-7 win over the Golden Flashes. Redshirt junior Devan Ahart went 4-for-4 with three RBI and a double to lead the squad. Matt Rembielak had two hits and two RBI, while Billy Salem, James Sheltrown and Kris Simonton had two runs scored apiece.
Akron dropped the nightcap, 5-4, despite tying the game at 4-4 in the top of the ninth. Salem recorded the game-tying RBI double in the ninth, with Ahart and Sheltrown registering two hits each in the contest. Sophomore JT Brubaker was effective in 7.0 innings of work with five hits, four runs and one strikeout.
Kent State's offense came out in full force in the finale on Saturday, winning 19-0 and claiming one point in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge. Redshirt freshman Evan Jensen had a strong appearance out of the bullpen with three perfect innings and two strikeouts.
Ahart heating up…
Ahart batted .466 (7-for-15) this past week in games against Dayton and Kent State. The Zips' centerfielder matched career highs in base hits and RBI with a 4-for-4, four-RBI performance in the 8-7 win over the Golden Flashes to open the three-game series on Friday.
The Orchard Lake, Mich., native followed his career game with two hits, including one double, in game two of the day-night doubleheader on Friday. During Akron's midweek matchup against Dayton, Ahart notched one hit and one RBI. He totaled one run, two doubles, one walk and six RBI for the week.
This season for the Zips, Ahart is batting .304 and has the team lead in RBI (28), steals (26) and total bases (84). He finished tied for third in steals in the conference and 20th in the country.
Finding a way on…
Redshirt senior James Sheltrown finished first in the conference with a .459 on-base percentage. Sheltrown has registered 43 hits, 33 walks and 18 hit-by-pitch so far this season. Sheltrown's 33 walks are tied for sixth in the league, while ranking 97th in the nation.
Akron has a .347 team on-base percentage, which is helped in part by 207 walks. The Zips walk total ranks 83rd in the NCAA. The top five players following Sheltrown in OBP on the Akron roster are Ahart (.393), Joey Havrilak (.388), Simonton (.387) and Salem (.356).
Southpaw opens the postseason…
Junior left-hander Pat Dyer will make the start for the Zips on Wednesday night against Central Michigan, which will be his 11th start of the season. This year, Dyer has a 4.82 ERA over 52.1 innings. He has walked just 16 batters while striking out 42, a team high.
Dyer's last outing was an 8.0-inning performance with two runs allowed and five strikeouts on May 11 at Northern Illinois. His record dropped to 3-4 with the loss in that start. Dyer last recorded a win in a non-conference matchup with Western Michigan on April 16, in which he tossed 6.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no walks.
Tournament info…
Information regarding the 2014 MAC Baseball Tournament can be found here. The tournament is held in Avon, Ohio at All Pro Freight Stadium, home to the Frontier League's Lake Erie Crushers.
Directions and a map for the ballpark can be found here.
