Baseball Hosts Buffalo for Three-Game Series This Weekend

May 07 | Baseball

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Akron vs. Buffalo Game Notes in PDF Format

AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron baseball team (22-24, 10-11 MAC) hosts Buffalo (14-29, 6-15 MAC) this weekend at Lee R. Jackson Field for a three-game Mid-American Conference series.

Game one of the set begins on Friday, May 8 at 3 p.m. The series will continue on Saturday with a 1 p.m. first pitch and will conclude Sunday at 1 p.m.

Gameday Information:

Friday, May 8 • 3 p.m. – Live stats | Video

Buffalo: So., RHP Brent Cleland (3-5, 5.26 ERA, 53.0 IP)

Akron: Jr., LHP John Valek III (5-5, 3.12 ERA, 80.2 IP)

Saturday, May 9 • 1 p.m. – Live stats | Video

Buffalo: Sr., RHP Anthony Magovney (2-7, 5.13 ERA, 52.2 IP)

Akron: Jr., RHP JT Brubaker (5-4, 3.47 ERA, 72.2 IP)

Sunday, May 10 • 1 p.m. – Live stats | Video

Buffalo: Sr., LHP Mike McGee (3-5, 5.32 ERA, 44.0 IP)

Akron: RSr., RHP Jon Pusateri (3-5, 3.12 ERA, 60.2 IP)

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.

PREGAME CEREMONY

Prior to Friday's first pitch, Akron's six graduating seniors, Andrew Fanning, Joey Havrilak, Zak Knettel, Matt LaRocca, Matt Rembielak and Darius Washington will be recognized with a special diploma presentation on the field. UA Provost Mike Sherman will be on hand to present the degrees.

MAC STANDINGS

With a 10-11 record in conference action, the Zips are in fourth place in the MAC East. Kent State (26-19, 13-8 MAC) sits atop the East Division.
The West Division is led by Central Michigan (30-17, 15-6 MAC).
Overall, Akron is ranked eighth in the conference. The top eight teams will compete in the 2015 MAC Tournament May 20-23 at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio.
Buffalo is currently ranked sixth in the MAC East.

SERIES ACTION

The Zips own a 23-21 all-time record against Buffalo and are slated to clash with the Bulls for the 45th time on the diamond.
Akron's last meeting against Buffalo came in last year's MAC Tournament when the Zips took a pair of games against the Bulls. Akron won the first game by a score of 7-1, behind a complete game from starting pitcher John Valek III. The Zips then posted a 5-4 semi-final victory in 12 innings against Buffalo to advance to the MAC Championship against Kent State.
In last year's regular-season three-game series, Akron was swept by the Bulls.

SEVEN-GAME HOMESTAND

With this weekend's three-game set, the Zips embark on a seven-game homestand which includes a midweek matchup against Canisius on Tuesday, May 12 and a three-game MAC series against crosstown rival and MAC East leading Kent State. Game one of the Kent State series will be played at Canal Park in downtown Akron in the Diamond Classic for Kids game.

LAST TIME OUT

The Zips last competed in a three-game set on the road against Bowling Green. The set served as the final regular-season road games on the season for Akron as UA dropped the series, 2-1.
Akron opened the weekend with a 7-4 loss to the Falcons. An RBI double from sophomore infielder Dom Iero and a two-run single from junior outfielder Kris Simonton in the ninth inning was not enough for Akron to overcome its deficit.
UA's lone victory came in game two on Saturday at Steller Field as it defeated BGSU, 6-4. A pair of RBI singles from junior infielder Gerrad Rohan and junior outfielder Kris Simonton gave Akron a three-run eighth for a comeback victory. Redshirt senior closer Matt LaRocca was awarded his ninth save of the season after 2.0 scoreless innings.
The Zips fell, 9-2, in the series finale after the Falcons posted a five-run fifth inning. Redshirt senior outfielder Joey Havrilak and redshirt junior infielder Gerrad Rohan each collected one RBI on the day. Havrilak led the Zips' offense, recording three of Akron's nine total hits. Relievers Evan Jensen and Zach Beaver each posted a scoreless inning of relief.

AKRON NOTES

Akron owns a staff ERA of 3.94 and is batting .273 as a team.
Among MAC staffs, Akron pitchers have consistently ranked in the top five in multiple categories this season, including top-five stats in ERA (3.94), opposing batting average (.263), wins (22), saves (14), runs allowed (218), earned runs allowed (174), walks allowed (125) and triples allowed (nine).
Akron pitchers have also posted a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.38, which ranks 63rd in the NCAA. They have walked the fewest batters in the conference at 125 while striking out 296.
In 26 of Akron's 46 contests, the pitching staff has combined to walk no more than two batters. Additionally, UA issues 2.83 walks per nine innings, the 36th-best mark in the NCAA.
With nine saves this season, redshirt senior Matt LaRocca is second in the MAC and 32nd in the NCAA out of 132.
Redshirt senior Joey Havrilak ranks in the top-five in the MAC in both runs scored (38), hits (62) and total bases (93). He leads Akron is each category as well as slugging percentage (.529), on base percentage (.443), batting average (.348), triples (three), home runs (five) and stolen bases (14).
Sophomore infielder Dom Iero is Akron's RBI leader with 31. He is followed by Joey Havrilak with 29 while Daulton Mosbarger and Kris Simonton are tied with 22.
Joey Havrilak leads the team in plate appearances with 212, and has struck out just 24 times. He has also drawn 24 walks.
The Zips own a .469 clip in successfully advancing runners with the help of 35 sacrifice bunts. Since an April 4 contest at Ball State, Akron has posted 13 sacrifice bunts. The runner that advanced on a sacrifice bunt has gone on to score nine times in that span.
Fifteen of Akron's 46 games have come down to one run, accounting for 11 of Akron's 24 losses.
Joey Havrilak and Dom Iero are the only Zips to appear in all 46 games this season. They have each started every contest.
Junior starter John Valek III is second in the MAC in innings pitched at 80.2, narrowly edged by Ball State's Zach Plesac (84.2).
Joey Havrilak (18) and Daulton Mosbarger (15) combine for 33 of Akron's 80 extra-base hits.

SCOUTING BUFFALO

The Bulls are 14-29 overall and 6-15 in the MAC.
In their last MAC series, the Bulls took one of three games against Kent State, to drop their third-straight three-game conference set.
Buffalo is batting .248 as a team and owns a 5.45 ERA. Batters are averaging .271 against Bulls pitchers.
UB is led at the plate by Nick Sinay (.336) with 51 hits and 36 runs. Bobby Sheppard is the RBI leader with 29, followed by Vinny Mallaro with 22.
Buffalo baserunners are a threat to steal as they have recorded 60 stolen bases on the season, coming on 78 attempts. Sinay leads with 36 steals.
Ben Vey has shown the most power at the plate, registering a team-leading 13 doubles.
Buffalo's Friday starter, Brent Cleland (3-5) owns a 5.26 ERA and is set to make his 10th start this season. Cleland has logged a team-high 53.0 innings this season, allowing 53 hits and 31 earned runs. He was recently named the MAC East Pitcher of the Week after tossing six innings against Kent State in his most recent outing, allowing just four hits and one run, which scored on a balk. The righty has gone 3-1 in his last four starts and leads the Bulls in strikeouts with 56.
Anthony Magovney (2-7) is set to make his ninth start on the mound on Saturday. Magovney owns a 5.13 ERA, the best of the weekend rotation. He has tossed 52.2 innings, allowing 30 earned runs and 65 hits. The righty has walked 22 and fanned 37. Hitters are averaging .300 against him.
Left-hander Mike McGee (3-5) will be making his team-leading 12th start on Sunday. McGee has twirled 44.0 innings, allowed 33 hits and 26 earned runs. The lefty is second on the team in strikeouts with 52 and leads in walks with 41. He has held opponents to a team-best .213 clip.

THE ROTATION

Akron's Friday starter, junior LHP John Valek III (5-5), will be making his 13th start on the mound. He has collected a team-leading 80.2 innings pitched, the second-most in the conference. The lefty has held opponents to a .225 clip, including .216 in conference play. He owns a 3.12 ERA and has allowed 28 earned runs and 67 hits and has a second-best 50 strikeouts and 23 walks. Against conference opponents, Valek has allowed 12 earned runs in 53.1 frames. In his last outing, Valek tossed 5.2 innings to mark his first conference outing shorter than 7.0 innings. He allowed 12 hits and five runs, four earned.
Junior RHP JT Brubaker (5-4) is set to start on the mound on Saturday for the 13th time. Brubaker leads Akron with 58 strikeouts to just 22 walks. He has accrued a 3.47 ERA over 72.2 innings pitched. Hitters are averaging .250 against Brubaker, who has allowed 18 earned runs in 44.2 innings pitched against conference opponents. In his last start, the righty turned in 7.0 innings against Bowling Green to pick up his fifth win. He allowed eight hits and four runs while striking out four and walking none.
Redshirt senior RHP Jon Pusateri (3-5) will take to the mound on Sunday for his eighth start after taking over in the Sunday role following an injury to Pat Dyer. Pusateri is tied with Valek with a 3.12 ERA. Pusateri has held opponents to a .222 clip to rank in the top five in the MAC. He has tossed 60.2 innings and has allowed just 21 earned runs and 51 hits. Pusateri has fanned 46 and walked 17. In conference action, Pusateri has allowed 13 earned runs in 39.1 innings. In his last start, the right-hander threw 4.0 innings and allowed eight hits and five runs, three earned.

FRIENDLY CONFINES

Akron owns an 8-4 record at home, which included a six-game win streak highlighted by a series win over Toledo and a three-game sweep against Northern Illinois.
Akron has posted a .296 average in 12 games at home, compared to its .273 average overall.
Zips pitchers own a 3.13 ERA on the bump at Lee Jackson Field and average 9.32 strikeouts per home game versus 5.89 on the road. The staff has allowed 39 earned runs and 93 hits in 112.0 innings pitched at home.

COMING OFF A STRONG WEEK

After going 10-for-18 (.556) with three doubles, eight runs scored and two RBI throughout Akron's five games last week, sophomore catcher Brian Lees has moved up to second on the team in batting average at .297 (46-of-155).
Redshirt junior infielder Gerrad Rohan posted a .471 batting average (8-of-17) this week after appearing in all five of Akron's games and starting in four. Rohan added three runs scored and a team-high four RBI while also posting a .500 on base percentage.

ZIPS' STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Junior left-handed pitcher John Valek III (Parkland, Fla.) has been named the Zips' Student-Athlete of the Month for April.
Throughout the month of April, Valek made four starts against Mid-American Conference opponents, totaling 30.2 innings on the mound. Valek held opponents to just 18 hits and eight runs, six earned, to post a 1.76 ERA on the month. He fanned 19 total batters and issued eight walks.
Valek tossed at least 7.0 innings in each start and allowed a single earned run in three of his four outings. Additionally, Valek allowed no more than five hits in three out of four starts. At the conclusion of the month, Valek was second in the MAC in innings pitched and batting average against, as he had held opponents to a .204 clip.

20 WINS

Fourth-year head coach Rick Rembielak led Akron to its 20th win, which came in the Zips' midweek match-up at Youngstown State on April 29.
Rembielak has now led the Zips to their second-straight 20 win season.
Prior to last season's 28-29 record under Rembielak, Akron had not recorded 20 wins since the 2010 season when the squad went 21-34.
Additionally, the Zips have claimed 10 conference victories, nearing last year's mark of 12 MAC wins.
Akron has not eclipsed 12 wins in conference play since 1997 when the Zips went 14-17. In addition to last year, UA has notched 12 league game victories in 2000 and 2003.

RECORD BOOK

After logging 8.1 innings on the mound in game one against Ohio, junior lefty John Valek III moved his way into the Akron record book. Valek has pitched 258.1 innings in his career as a Zip, the eighth-most in program history. He is .1 inning shy of moving into seventh. Andrew Brown (2009-12) leads the category with 360.2 innings pitched.
The junior has logged 80.2 innings this season and posted 91.0 innings pitched last year – the eighth-most in a single season in program history. Valek needs 7.1 more innings pitched to log a top-10 stat for Akron in innings pitched for the third-straight season.

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 owns a team-best 2.87 ERA and leads Akron with nine saves this season, the second-most in the MAC. He has made 15 appearances out of the bullpen. The right-hander has tossed 15.2 innings of relief and has fanned 22 batters while issuing just three walks.
LaRocca, the only Mid-American Conference player on the Olerud Award watch list, has started 21 games at first base and eight at the hot corner. Offensively, the redshirt senior is batting .250 (28-of-112) with 16 runs scored and 14 RBI. In conference play, LaRocca has a .268 average.

HIT PARADE

Between Akron's three-game series against Miami (Ohio) and a non-conference midweek matchup against Western Michigan, the Zips posted four-straight games with 10 or more hits.
Additionally, Akron has 10 or more hits in seven of the last 12 games.
The Zips have recorded double figures in hits on 18 occasions this season, with a single-game high of 19 against Toledo on March 29.

STREAKING

Joey Havrilak has reached base safely in all but two of the Zips' 46 contests for a team-high .435 on base percentage. Havrilak opened the season on an 18-game hit streak and rode a season-best 23 game streak from March 22 to April 28. Havrilak has also hit safely in 38 games, including a team-leading 18 multi-hit games.
Sophomore infielder Dom Iero is on a team-best seven-game hit streak and 12-game reached base streak.

RUNNING WILD

Akron is ranked 64th in the NCAA with an average of 1.33 stolen bases per game. The Zips' 60 stolen bases ranks third in the MAC. Three Zips have double figures in stolen bases led by redshirt senior outfielder Joey Havrilak who is 14-of-15 in steal attempts. Junior outfielder Kris Simonton (13-of-15) and redshirt freshman outfielder Mason Mamarella (12-of-15) follow.

PLAYING THE FIELD

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 then moved to shortstop for 17 games to cover for injured Zips. In the Zips' last series of Bowling Green, Iero moved back to third base to bring his total to 16 at the hot corner. Iero has far and away the most assists on the team with 140, the third-most in the MAC.

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 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.
In his first four appearances since returning, Dyer pitched 12.1 innings, allowing four earned runs and 12 hits. He pitched 3.0 scoreless innings of relief in game three against Ohio and allowed one hit.

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 at 82-128 at Akron and 595-521-1 in his 20th season overall as a head coach.

ON DECK

The Zips continue their homestand when they play host to Canisius at home on Tuesday, May 12 in the final midweek game of the 2015 slate. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
Following Tuesday's game, Akron turns around to host Kent State in the final regular-season series of the season. The three-game set includes the Diamond Classic for Kids to be played on Thursday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Canal Park with all proceeds benefitting Akron Children's Hospital. Tickets are $5.