The University of Akron Athletics
Baseball Hosts Miami (Ohio) for Three-Game Set This Weekend
April 16 | Baseball
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Akron vs. Miami (Ohio) Game Notes
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron baseball team (17-17, 8-4 MAC) is set to host Miami (Ohio) (6-27, 4-8 MAC) for a three-game series this weekend beginning with a 3 p.m. first pitch on Friday, April 17 at Lee R. Jackson Field.
The series will continue with a 3 p.m. game on Saturday, April 18 and will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Gameday Information
Friday, April 17 • 3 p.m. - Live Stats | Video
Miami: Sr., RHP Ryan Powers (3-6, 4.64 ERA)
Akron: Jr., LHP John Valek III (4-3, 3.32 ERA)
Saturday, April 18 • 3 p.m. - Live Stats | Video
Miami: So., RHP Jacob Banks (2-6, 3.88 ERA)
Akron: Jr., RHP JT Brubaker (4-3, 2.40 ERA)
Sunday, April 19 • 1 p.m. - Live Stats | Video
Miami: TBA
Akron: RSr., RHP Jon Pusateri (3-3, 2.74 ERA)
FOLLOW ALONG
- Live stats will be available for each game this weekend along with a live video stream with David Suntup on play-by-play and former Akron infielder James Sheltrown on color analysis via GoZips.com.
SERIES ACTION
- This will be the 78th meeting on the diamond between the Zips and the RedHawks as Akron holds an all-time series record of 26-51 against Miami.
- A series win would give Akron its first series victory over the RedHawks since 2008.
- The Zips have gone 2-7 against Miami under fourth-year head coach Rick Rembielak. The Zips took one game off the RedHawks in last season's three-game set.
LAST TIME OUT
- Akron split a pair of midweek contests with a win at home against Marshall and a loss to Dayton on the road.
- Sophomore pitcher Josh Davis led Akron to a 7-0 shutout over the Thundering Herd on Tuesday. Davis twirled 6.0 scoreless innings and allowed just three hits while fanning eight and walking one for his third win of the season.
- Meanwhile, redshirt junior catcher Derek Carmichael collected a game-high three RBI with Gerrad Rohan and Matt LaRocca recording multi-hit games. LaRocca went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI as Rohan went 2-for-3 with three runs scored.
- On Wedneday, the Zips fell 2-1 to Dayton after holding a 1-0 lead through the first six and a half innings. Freshman starting pitcher Josh Lapiana held Dayton scoreless through his first 6.0 innings on the mound, allowing just three hits in that span.
- Dayton broke through in the bottom of the seventh with a pair of runs to defeat Akron 2-1. The Zips stranded the go-ahead run on base to end the game.
- Lapiana pitched a total of 6.1 innings and served up five hits and two runs.
AKRON NOTES
- Akron is tied with crosstown rival Kent State for first place in the MAC East as both teams have posted an 8-4 record in conference action.
- Overall, the Zips are sixth in the conference in batting average at .271, third in ERA at 3.78 and second in fielding percentage at .968.
- The Zips' pitching staff is holding opponents to a .250 batting average, the second-best mark in the conference. Batters are averaging .200 against Jon Pusateri and .212 against John Valek III.
- Akron has walked the fewest batters in the conference at 89. In 20 of Akron's 34 contests, the pitching staff has combined to walk no more than two batters. Meanwhile, UA has fanned 219 batters.
- The Akron bullpen has collected 10 saves this season. Six of them belong to closer Matt LaRocca who has pitched 11.1 innings of relief, allowing four earned runs while striking out 17 and walking two. He owns a 3.18 ERA.
- The Zips' pitching staff ranks in the top three in the conference in nine categories including ERA (3.78), opposing batting average (.250), wins (17), saves (10), hits allowed (277), runs allowed (150), earned runs allowed (122), walks allowed (89) and triples allowed (seven).
- Redshirt senior outfielder Joey Havrilak leads Akron at the plate with a .367 batting average (45-of-127), which is also good for 10th overall in the MAC.
- In league action, Akron has a conference-best ERA of 2.06 and is third in the MAC in batting average at .290.
- In 105.0 innings of MAC play, Akron's pitchers have allowed just 24 earned runs. The staff has fanned 90 and walked 25 in conference action.
- Joey Havrilak has reached base safely in all but one of the Zips' 34 contests for a team-high .454 on base percentage. He is currently on a 15-game reached base streak. Havrilak has also hit safely in 27 games, including a team-leading 13 multi-hit games.
- Brian Lees is on a 14-game reached base streak of his own followed by Kris Simonton, who has reach in 13-straight games.
- Sophomore infielder Dom Iero has been Akron's RBI leader all season. The sophomore has 21 total RBI, as 14 came in the first month of the season. Iero is trailed closely by Joey Havrilak with 20.
- Zips pitchers have held opponents to two runs or less on 13 occasions and are 11-2 in those games.
- Twelve of Akron's 34 games have come down to one run, accounting for eight of Akron's 17 losses.
- Joey Havrilak (13) and Daulton Mosbarger (12) combine for 25 of Akron's 57 extra-base hits. Each are tied at three home runs apiece.
- After recording four-straight games with a home run earlier this season, the Zips have now clubbed just one home run in the last 19 games.
SCOUTING MIAMI
- The RedHawks are 6-27 overall and sit in sixth place in the MAC East with a 4-8 record throughout conference play.
- Miami won its series against Western Michigan but fell to Central Michigan, Bowling Green and Buffalo. The RedHawks are coming off a pair of midweek losses to Wright State and Xavier.
- Miami has a team batting average of .255 and a collective ERA of 6.17. Opponents are batting .283 against the RedHawks.
- Matt Honchel leads Miami at the plate with a .374 average, the third-best in the conference. Honchel has a team-high .456 on base percentage, 46 hits and 18 RBI. He is followed by Chad Sedio who is batting .330 with 30 hits and nine RBI.
- Senior RHP Ryan Powers is slated to start Friday's game. He is 3-6 on the season and has yet to pitch a no-decision. Powers has accrued a 4.64 ERA in 52.1 innings pitched. He is second on the team with 41 strikeouts and owns a .234 batting average against.
- Sophomore RHP Jacob Banks has pitched the fifth-most innings in the conference at 55.2. He is 2-6 on the season with a 3.88 ERA after making nine starts. Banks leads the RedHawks in strikeouts with 46 to go with 21 walks. Opponents are batting .241 against the righty.
THE ROTATION
- John Valek III has pitched a team-high 59.2 innings and is 4-3 on the season with a 3.32 ERA. Valek's 59.2 innings is the second-most in the MAC. He has tossed at least 7.1 innings against each MAC opponent so far this season. In his most recent start against Northern Illinois, Valek gave up just two hits and one earned run in 8.0 innings for his fourth win of the season. The southpaw has allowed just six earned runs in 32.1 innings against conference opponents. He is holding MAC teams to a .183 batting average.
- JT Brubaker is fourth in the MAC in innings pitched with 56.1 and leads Akron with 46 strikeouts. The righty has made nine starts and is 4-3 with a 2.40 ERA. Brubaker was named the MAC East Pitcher of the Week this week for his performance against Northern Illinois where he struck out a career-high 11 batters in 7.0 innings on the mound, allowing just four hits and one earned run. In MAC play, Brubaker has allowed five earned runs over 28.1 innings pitched and is holding conference batters to a .206 clip.
- Jon Pusateri is 3-3 on the season with a 2.74 ERA. He has pitched 46.0 innings in five starts and nine total appearances. Pusateri is second in strikeouts with 37 to just 12 walks. He is third in the MAC in opposing batting average at .200 and fourth in hits allowed with just 34. In 24.2 innings of MAC play, Pusateri has allowed six earned runs and holds conference batters to a .183 clip. In his last start, Pusateri twirled 5.1 innings against NIU and allowed four hits and four earned runs while fanning five and walking two.
FRIENDLY CONFINES
- With a 7-0 victory over Marshall at home on Tuesday, the Zips are now on a six-game win streak at Lee Jackson Field.
- Overall, UA has posted a 6-2 record at home this season.
- The Zips pitching staff has allowed only 14 earned runs at home and has an ERA of 1.75. The staff has allowed 52 hits in 72.0 innings pitched at Lee Jackson Field and has fanned 75 batters for 9.38 strikeouts per game.
RECORD BOOK
- Last season, John Valek III threw 91.0 total innings, the eighth-most in a single season in program history. With 59.2 innings logged this season and 237.1 career innings pitched, the junior is 8.2 innings shy of moving into Akron's top-10 career innings pitched and tying Dave Young (1956-59) for 10th at 246.0. The career innings pitched leader is Andrew Brown (2009-12) with 360.2.
BRUBAKER NAMED MAC EAST PITCHER OF THE WEEK FOR SECOND TIME
- Junior right-hander JT Brubaker led Akron to a 6-2 victory over Northern Illinois on Saturday and recorded his third-straight win as he also tossed at least seven innings for the third consecutive outing. The New Carlisle, Ohio, native struck out a career-high 11 batters without issuing a walk in 7.0 innings pitched to combine with the bullpen for a season-high 13 strikeouts. The 13 fanned batters are the most the Akron pitching staff has recorded in a single game since 2011.
- Brubaker held the Huskies to four hits and two runs, one earned. He struck out the side in order in the top of the first inning and was not responsible for allowing a Huskie to reach base until the top of the fifth. A runner reached base on an error in the top of the fourth, but Brubaker worked around the miscue to strand the runner at second. The only earned run Brubaker allowed crossed on a ground out in the sixth. The junior threw 96 pitches, 72 for strikes.
DYER RETURNS
- After exiting a March 15 contest against Davidson due to a concussion sustained after being struck by a line drive, right-handed pitcher Pat Dyer made his first appearance back on the mound in Sunday's game against Northern Illinois. Dyer pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win. He allowed three hits and struck out three to improve to 3-0.
- Dyer owns a 2.25 ERA on the season after starting in four Sunday games for the Zips and pitching 24.0 innings. The southpaw has allowed six earned runs while fanning 17 and walking six.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
- Akron ranks fourth in the MAC in stolen bases with 46 after picking up five in its pair of midweek games, including four against Dayton. Akron's 46 stolen bases have come on 55 attempts. Junior Kris Simonton leads Akron with 11 stolen bases in 13 attempts while Joey Havrilak has stolen nine bases in as many attempts. Mason Mamarella has nine stolen bases in 10 attempts.
HEAT CHECK
- Throughout the last nine games, redshirt senior infielder Matt LaRocca has seen his batting average rise from .159 to .241. LaRocca has recorded a hit in seven of the last nine contests. The infielder went 4-of-11 (.364) at the plate with a pair of multi-hit performances and a multi-RBI showing in the Zips' last three-game series against Northern Illinois. In a doubleheader against the Huskies, LaRocca went 4-for-7 with two doubles, three RBI and one run scored. His hot streak continued in midweek action this week with a 3-for-4 performance against Marshall with two runs scored and an RBI.
STEPPING UP
- After starting at second base in each of the first 13 games this season, sophomore infielder Dom Iero moved to third base where he started in 13 games and has now started the last eight games at shortstop to cover for injured Zips. Iero has far and away the most assists on the team with 109 and has a .969 fielding percentage with just five errors in 34 games.
TWO-WAY PLAYERS
- In addition to Matt LaRocca's hot streak at the plate, the redshirt senior picked up his sixth save in game one against Northern Illinois. LaRocca has tossed 11.1 total innings as the closer and has fanned 17 batters while issuing just two walks.
- Junior Daulton Mosbarger is second on the team in batting average (.298), slugging percentage (.452), on base percentage (.420), runs scored (23) and hits (37) after starting in 33 contests. He has also contributed 11.0 innings of relief with a bullpen-leading 2.45 ERA. He has made 12 appearances and has earned a pair of saves this season.
FRESHMEN FINDING SUCCESS
- Redshirt freshman outfielder Mason Mamarella has exploded during conference play. After making just two non-conference starts, Mamarella has started in all 12 conference games this season. The outfielder has posted a .300 batting average throughout MAC play and has recorded 12 hits and nine runs scored, including the walk-off run in a 5-4 win over Northern Illinois. Against Toledo, Mamarella went 4-for-10 with a pair of RBI. He saw a six-game hit streak come to a close in the series finale against the Rockets. The redshirt freshman recorded five multi-hit games in that span.
- True freshman Alex Dirienzo posted a successful weekend against Ball State, going 4-for-9 (.444) with four runs scored, two RBI and a stolen base. His weekend included a 3-for-4 showing in game two where he posted two RBI and crossed the plate three times for Akron in a 13-5 win. Additionally, he clubbed his first collegiate double in game three against Northern Illinois.
TRIPLE THREAT VS. TOLEDO
- In the Zips' second consecutive Mid-American Conference series win starting pitchers John Valek III, JT Brubaker and Jon Pusateri combined for 23 total innings pitched without an earned run in a three-game set against Toledo. In their 23 innings pitched, the trio held the Rockets to just 11 total hits. Each of the three pitchers tied or set a new single game career record for strikeouts as they posted 24 total on the weekend. The 24 strikeouts came with just three walks for an 8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. They led the pitching staff to hold Toledo to a .170 batting average on the weekend.
- The trio has been named the Zips' Student-Athletes of the Week for their performances.
MAC WEEKLY HONORS
- Junior starting pitcher JT Brubaker (New Carlisle, Ohio) was named Mid-American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week on March 30 for his performance in a 10-1 win over Toledo in game one of a doubleheader. The New Carlisle, Ohio native, threw 8.0 scoreless innings for the Zips to tie his career-high innings pitched and pick up his second win of the season. He allowed just two hits and fanned a career-high seven batters while walking two.
- OF Joey Havrilak was named the MAC East Player of the Week on March 23. Havrilak posted four multi-hit games and a pair of multi-RBI performances as he batted .500 (10-for-20) on the week, while registering eight RBI, and a .750 slugging percentage. The outfielder's strongest performance came on March 17 at West Virginia where he went 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI, one run scored, a walk and two stolen bases. Three of his four RBI came from a one-out, three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning. He raked in a pair of RBI in the 13-7 loss and crossed the plate twice for Akron. Against EMU, Havrilak went 5-for-11 with two RBI, one run scored and two walks. His week increased his team-leading on-base percentage to .472.
- LHP John Valek III was named the MAC East Pitcher of the Week on March 23 after twirling a complete game in the series opener against Eastern Michigan to lead the Zips to a 6-2 victory on Friday to open Mid-American Conference play. The left-hander held the Eagles to eight hits and allowed just two runs, while walking one and striking out four. While Akron held a 5-2 lead through six full, Valek allowed just one EMU hit throughout the final three frames to seal the UA victory. Valek set the Eagles down in order three times as he faced 32 batters and threw 100 pitches, 67 for strikes. It was the fourth complete game of his collegiate career.
- LHP Pat Dyer was named the MAC East Pitcher of the Week on March 11 for his eight shutout innings against Michigan in the Zips' 2-0 victory. The Columbus, Ohio, native allowed five hits while walking three and striking out two. He faced 31 batters and only allowed a runner to advance into scoring position on three occasions. He gave up one extra-base hit, a two-out double, and struck out the next batter to end the scoring threat. He is currently eighth in the MAC in ERA at 1.89 over 19.0 innings pitched.
ROOKIE ZIPS GET A STARTING NOD
- In Akron's midweek game against Pittsburgh, two freshmen posted their first collegiate start. Left-handed pitcher Josh Lapiana started on the mound and pitched 4.0 innings, allowing eight runs, six earned while walking three and striking out one.
- Infielder Alex Dirienzo also started in the game and launched a triple to right-center field on his first pitch. He went 2-for-4 with a run scored in his debut.
NEARING 600
- After leading the Zips to 28 victories last season, head coach Rick Rembielak started this year's campaign 27 wins shy of reaching 600 in his career. He stands 77-121 at Akron and 590-514-1 in his 20th season overall as a head coach.
ON DECK
- Following the series against Miami, Akron will turn around to face Western Michigan at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio on Tuesday, April 21 at 4 p.m. The Zips then return home to take on Canisius at 3 p.m. at Lee Jackson Field on Wednesday to round out the midweek action.
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