Baseball Travels to Ohio for Three-Game Set This Weekend

April 23 | Baseball

Follow Zips Baseball on Twitter (@ZipsBB) and Facebook

Akron at Ohio Game Notes in PDF Format

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron baseball team (19-19, 9-6 MAC) travels to take on the Ohio Bobcats (23-15, 8-7 MAC) in a three-game Mid-American Conference series this weekend at Bob Wren Stadium in Athens, Ohio.

The three-game set begins on Friday, April 24, with a 6 p.m. first pitch and will continue on Saturday at 3 p.m. The series will conclude on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

Gameday Information:

Friday, April 24 • 6 p.m. - Live Stats | Audio

Akron: Jr., LHP John Valek III (5-3, 3.10 ERA)

Ohio: Jr., RHP Jake Miller (2-2, 3.20 ERA)

Saturday, April 25 • 3 p.m. - Live Stats | Audio

Akron: Jr., RHP JT Brubaker (4-3, 3.12 ERA)

Ohio: Jr., RHP Connor Sitz (4-1, 4.82 ERA)

Sunday, April 26 • 1 p.m. - Live Stats | Audio

Akron: RSr., RHP Jon Pusateri (3-3, 2.42 ERA)

Ohio: So., RHP Jake Rudnicki (2-4, 7.83 ERA)

SERIES ACTION

The Zips and the Bobcats will be meeting on the diamond for the 93rd time.
Akron owns a 40-52 record against Ohio with the first meeting coming in 1917.
Under fourth-year head coach Rick Rembielak, Akron is 5-4 against the Bobcats.
Akron earned a three-game sweep against Ohio at Lee R. Jackson Field last year with scores of 8-0, 7-1 and 5-4. It was one of three conference series victories for UA last season and one of two sweeps.
In Akron's 8-0 victory in game one against Ohio last season, John Valek III, who is slated to start for Akron on Friday, twirled a complete game shutout to earn MAC East Pitcher of the Week honors.

LAST TIME OUT

The Zips last competed in a midweek, non-conference matchup against Western Michigan and cruised to a 7-4 victory at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio.
Sophomore infielder Dom Iero launched a bases-clearing, two-out double in the bottom of the third to put the Zips on the board at 3-0.
Sophomore catcher Brian Lees went 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored and a walk while freshman Alex Dirienzo issued a perfect 3-for-3 performance with an RBI, one run scored and a walk.
Freshman starter Josh Lapiana (1-3) picked up his first collegiate win after allowing one run over 5.0 innings pitched.
WMU came within one run of the Zips in the top of the seventh, but Akron pulled away with a five-hit, three-run inning in the bottom of the frame to seal the victory.
In Akron's last conference series, the Zips dropped a three-game set against MAC East opponent Miami (Ohio), two games to one.

AKRON NOTES

Akron remains tied with crosstown rival Kent State for first place in the MAC East as both teams have posted a 9-6 record in conference action.
Entering the week, the Zips were fifth in the conference in batting average at .276, remained at third in ERA at 3.89 and slipped to third in fielding percentage with a .964 clip.
In conference games only, Akron is second in both batting average (.298) and ERA (2.78).
Akron has recorded double figures in hits in each of the last four games.
Fourteen of Akron's 38 games have come down to one run, accounting for 10 of Akron's 19 losses.
Joey Havrilak is the only Zip to walk more times than he has struck out. The outfielder has struck out only 22 times in 176 plate appearances and has drawn 23 walks.
The Zips have scored 56 of their 197 runs between the first and second innings.
Joey Havrilak and Dom Iero are the only Zips to appear in all 38 games this season. They have each started every contest.
Entering the week, the Zips' pitching staff ranked in the top four in the conference in 10 categories including ERA (3.89), opposing batting average (.250), wins (18), strikeouts (254), saves (11), hits allowed (306), runs allowed (173), earned runs allowed (139), walks allowed (103) and triples allowed (eight).
Akron has walked the fewest batters in the conference at 107. In 21 of Akron's 38 contests, the pitching staff has combined to walk no more than two batters. Meanwhile, the pitching staff has fanned 259 batters.
The Akron bullpen has collected 11 saves this season. Seven of them belong to closer Matt LaRocca who has pitched 12.2 innings of relief and has struck out 20 batters.
Redshirt senior outfielder Joey Havrilak leads Akron at the plate with a .350 batting average (50-of-143). Havrilak also leads the team with a .451 on-base percentage and is first in the league in slugging percentage entering the week at .545.
After a three-RBI double from Dom Iero in midweek action against WMU, the sophomore tied Havrilak with a team-leading 26 RBI.
After taking a starting role on Sundays due to an injury to Pat Dyer, redshirt senior right-hander Jon Pusateri was fourth in the conference in ERA at 2.42 entering the week and is holding batters to a .193 clip, the second-best mark in the conference. He has allowed only 37 hits in 52.0 innings.
Junior left-hander John Valek III has tossed the second-most innings in the conference at 66.2.
Junior right-hander JT Brubaker is fourth in the MAC in strikeouts with 53.
Zips pitchers have held opponents to two runs or less on 13 occasions and are 11-2 in those games.
Joey Havrilak and Daulton Mosbarger each have 15 extra-base hits on the season to combine for 30 of Akron's 69 extra-base hits. Mosbarger leads the team in doubles (10) and Havrilak leads in triples (three) and home runs (five).

SCOUTING OHIO

Ohio enters the weekend with a 23-15 overall record and an 8-7 record in conference action. The Bobcats sit in third place in the MAC East.
The Bobcats are batting .282 as a team with a collective ERA of 4.62. Hitters are averaging .268 against Ohio's pitching staff.
In the Ohio's last conference set, they claimed a 2-1 series victory over Kent State.
Mitch Longo paces the Bobcat offense with a .383 clip (62-of-162). He is the only Bobcat to start in all 38 contests this season and leads in runs (39), hits (62) and RBI (33).
Jake Madsen follows Longo with a .345 average, 23 runs scored, 50 hits and 31 RBI. Madsen has also smacked a team-leading 16 extra-base hits including 13 doubles.
Ohio's projected Friday starter, Jake Miller (2-2), is set to make his fourth start and 18th appearance on the mound. Miller owns a 3.20 ERA in 39.1 innings pitched. He has allowed 36 hits and 14 earned runs while striking out 39 and walking 13.
Ohio's Saturday starter, Connor Sitz (4-1), will make his 12th start this season. Sitz owns a 4.82 ERA and has tossed a team-leading 46.2 innings. He has struck out 37 and walked 21 and has served up 57 hits and 33 runs.
Jake Rudnicki (2-4) is set to make the start on Sunday, his 12th of the season. Rudnicki has accrued a 7.83 ERA across 43.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 38 earned runs and 66 hits, including nine home runs. The righty has fanned 39 and walked 24.
Logan Cozart (4-1) leads the Bobcat bullpen with a 2.21 ERA and seven saves. He has made 20 appearances as has thrown 36.2 innings. He has held opponents to 23 hits and leads in strikeouts with 50 and has walked 12.

ON THE MOUND

Junior John Valek III (5-3) has hurled a team-high 66.2 innings and owns a 3.10 ERA. He is slated to make his 11th start on Friday. Against conference opponents, Valek has allowed just 24 hits and seven earned runs in 39.1 innings. He is holding MAC batters to a .182 clip and has posted a 1.60 ERA in five MAC starts. Valek has gone at least 7.0 innings deep in each of his five conference starts this season, including his last outing against Miami (Ohio) where the southpaw fanned a career-high 12 batters and allowed four hits and one earned run.
Junior right-hander JT Brubaker (4-3) will also be making his 11th start of the season this weekend as he is set to take the mound on Saturday. Brubaker is second on the team with 60.2 innings pitched and owns a 3.12 ERA. He leads the staff in strikeouts and entered the week tied for third in the MAC with 53. He has walked 20. Brubaker has allowed 11 earned runs and has fanned 33 throughout 32.2 innings on the mound against conference opponents. MAC batters are averaging .234 against the righty. He is coming off a 4.1 inning outing where he allowed eight hits and six runs while fanning seven against Miami (Ohio) last weekend.
Akron's Sunday starter, Jon Pusateri (3-3) is making his seventh start after stepping into the Sunday role after an injury to LHP Pat Dyer. Pusateri owns a team-best 2.42 ERA, which is good for fourth in the MAC. He has thrown 52.0 innings, allowing just 14 earned runs and 37 hits. He has recorded 41 strikeouts and 13 walks as batters are averaging just .193 against him – the second-best mark in the conference. In his last outing, Pusateri did not allow an earned run over 6.0 innings on the mound. Three unearned runs crossed against the righty as he fanned four and walked one.

RECORD BOOK

With 244.1 career innings pitched, John Valek III is just 1.2 innings shy of moving into Akron's top-10 career innings pitched and tying Dave Young (1956-59) for 10th at 246.0. The lefty has logged 66.2 innings this season and posted 91.0 innings pitched last year – the eighth-most in a single season in program history.

LaROCCA NAMED TO OLERUD AWARD WATCH LIST

Redshirt senior infielder and right-handed pitcher Matt LaRocca (Stony Brook, N.Y.) is one of 36 players named to the watch list for the 2015 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, presented by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
On the mound, LaRocca (3.55 ERA) leads Akron with seven saves this season after making 13 appearances out of the bullpen. The right-hander has tossed 12.2 innings of relief and has fanned 20 batters while issuing just two walks.
LaRocca, the only Mid-American Conference player on the Olerud Award watch list, has started 18 games at first base and seven at the hot corner. Offensively, the redshirt senior is batting .250 (24-of-96) with 14 runs scored and 11 RBI. He has also launched two homers.

ENDING THE HOME RUN DROUGHT

Prior to the weekend series at home against Miami (Ohio), Akron had recorded just one home run in the last 19 games. Additionally, the Zips had not launched a homer at Akron's Lee R. Jackson Field since a May 7, 2011 contest against Bowling Green.
Joey Havrilak ended the drought with a three-run bomb in game one against the RedHawks. He followed it up with another homer in game two.
Sophomore catcher Brian Lees also belted his first collegiate home run in game two against the RedHawks, his coming on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the fifth inning.

RACKING UP THE K's

Entering the week, Akron moved into the top-five in the MAC in strikeouts with 254 so far this season. The Zips are led by junior righty JT Brubaker with 53 strikeouts, who is also tied for third in the MAC. Following UA's midweek contest against Western Michigan, the team has now tallied 259.
Since opening MAC play on March 22 against Eastern Michigan, the Zips' pitching staff has recorded double-figures in strikeouts in nine of the last 19 games, including five of the last eight.
Junior left-hander John Valek III fanned a career-high 12 RedHawks in the Zips' most recent series and combined with a pair of relievers to post a season-high 14 total in the tilt.

ZIPS' STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Junior starting pitcher John Valek III was named the Zips' Student-Athlete of the Week for April 20.
After pitching at least 7.0 innings for the fifth-consecutive outing, Valek struck out a career-high 12 batters while only walking one to lead Akron to a 7-4 win over Miami (Ohio). Valek allowed two runs, one earned, and held the RedHawks to just four hits. The southpaw struck out the side swinging in the top of the second frame and retired 12-straight batters between the second and fifth inning.
Valek's 12 strikeouts on Friday are the most recorded by an Akron pitcher in a single game since Ross Liersemann struck out 13 in a complete game against Ball State on March 24, 2006.

STREAKING

Joey Havrilak has reached base safely in all but one of the Zips' 38 contests for a team-high .451 on base percentage. He is currently on a 19-game reached base streak to to eclipse his season-opening 18-game streak. Havrilak has also hit safely in 31 games, including a team-leading 14 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI showings.
Brian Lees is close behind as the sophomore catcher is riding an 18-game reached base streak while junior Kris Simonton has reached safely in 16-straight games.

HEAT CHECK

Throughout the last 12 games, redshirt senior infielder Matt LaRocca has seen his batting average climb from .159 to .250. Seventeen of his 24 total hits have come in that span as he has recorded a hit in 11 of the last 13 games, including five extra-base hits, one of which was a home run.

TWO-WAY PLAYERS

In addition to Matt LaRocca's hot streak at the plate, the redshirt senior picked up his seventh save in game one against Northern Illinois. LaRocca has tossed 12.2 total innings as the closer and has fanned 20 batters while issuing just two walks.
Junior Daulton Mosbarger is second on the team in batting average (.294), slugging percentage (.455), on base percentage (.404), runs scored (26) and hits (42) and is third in RBI at 22. He has also contributed 12.2 innings of relief and leads the bullpen with a 2.84 ERA. He has made 13 appearances and has picked up two saves this season.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN

Akron entered the week ranked third in the MAC in stolen bases with 53 after picking up seven last week. The squad averages 1.43 stolen bases per game. Akron's 53 stolen bases have come on 64 attempts. Junior Kris Simonton leads Akron with 13 stolen bases in 15 attempts while Mason Mamarella has 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts. Ten different Zips have recorded at least one stolen base this season.

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 12 games at shortstop to cover for injured Zips. Iero has far and away the most assists on the team with 119 and has a .972 fielding percentage with just five errors in 38 games.

DYER RETURNS

After exiting a March 15 contest against Davidson due to a concussion sustained after being struck by a line drive, left-handed pitcher Pat Dyer made his first appearance back on the mound in a game against Northern Illinois on April 12. 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.

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 was named the Zips' Student-Athletes of the Week for their performances.

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 79-123 at Akron and 592-516-1 in his 20th season overall as a head coach.

ON DECK

The Zips are slated for a pair of midweek games, beginning with a contest at home against Malone on Tuesday, April 28 at 3 p.m. at Lee R. Jackson Field. UA will then travel to take on Youngstown State at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.