The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Wright State
Zips Travel To Wright State For Non-Conference Action
March 18 | Baseball
Akron, Ohio – The Akron baseball team takes on Wright State out of the Horizon League for a non-conference battle on Tuesday, March 19.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Stats
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
Wright State Leads 26-11
First Meeting: Akron 7- WSU 2 (Apr. 27, 1975 | Akron, Ohio)
Last Meeting: Akron 9 – WSU 5 (Apr. 30, 2014 | Dayton, Ohio)
SCOUTING REPORT
Wright State is 11-8 overall and 2-1 in the Horizon League so far this season. Along with Akron, the Raiders will face Toledo this week in non-conference action. WSU has faced Toledo once this season and won 22-9 on March 13 at home.
The Raiders are coming off a conference series with Milwaukee that saw Wright State go 2-1. The Raiders won the first game 9-8, lost the second 19-6, and responded with a 12-6 win to conclude the series.
Through 15 games and 13 starts, Drew Baker leads the way with a .411 batting average. He is one of two players to hit. 400 or better and one of seven to hit .300 or better.
Jay Luikart had a team-high 34 hits this season with five doubles, seven home runs, and 28 RBI. Four other Raiders have 20 or more hits. Sammy Hass has a team-high nine doubles while adding 27 hits, four home runs, and 23 RBI to his name. As a team, WSU has hit 31 home runs.
On the mound, Mychal Grogan and Chet Laz both have two wins while nine pitchers have recorded one win. Brayden Schoetzow has two saves. Jake Shirk has thrown 29 innings and stuck out 21 in five starts.
ZIPS AT A GLANCE
Akron will look to build on its win to conclude the series with NIU on Sunday, March 17. The Zips battled the entire game and took advantage of a passed ball with the bases loaded to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth and claim a 2-1 win.
Nicky Sackett leads the Zips with a .324 batting average through 14 games played this season. He has 11 hits, three doubles and three RBI. Max Bowman has a team-leading 17 hits along with seven runs, three doubles, two triples, one home run, and eight RBI. Sam Seeker has 15 hits, four doubles, a team-high two home runs, six RBI, and three stolen bases. Jack Poist and Evan Bottone each have six stolen bases this season while Bottone's 10 RBI lead the Zips in that category.
Sean Perkins and Yassir Kahook have an era of 3.07 and 3.65 out of the pen while combining for two wins. Among starters, hitters are only hitting .235 against Spencer Atkins who also has 17 strikeouts. Dawson Tourney leads the Zips with 21 strikeouts while Jared Schaeffer is close behind with 20.
LAST TIME OUT (MAR. 17, 2024)
AKRON, Ohio - The Akron Zips rallied to score one in the ninth inning to secure a 2-1 victory over the Northern Illinois Huskies Sunday.
Yassir Kahook (1-0) got the win out of the bullpen for Akron (4-14, 1-5). The right-hander went 2.1 shutout innings, giving up two hits, no walks, and striking out one. Spencer Atkins started the ballgame and went 6.2 innings, surrendering one run on six hits, walking one, and striking out eight.
At the plate, the Zips were led by M. Bowman, who went 2-for-4 on the day.
The Zips put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring in the second inning. Bowman came across to score the lone run of the inning for Akron and get them on the board.
Northern Illinois then rallied to tie the ballgame at 1-1 before Akron walked it off in the bottom of the ninth when Sam Seeker came across to score on a passed ball with the bases loaded.
COMMON OPPONENTS WITH WSU
Miami (OH) (MAC), Toledo (MAC), Oakland (HORIZON), Youngstown State (HORIZON), Ohio State (B1G), Pittsburgh (ACC)
PERKS OF THE JOB
Sean Perkins was named the MAC Pitcher of the Week on March 4 after picking up a win over No. 10/12 Duke.
Coming in down 2-1 against Duke in the second game of the series, Perkins pitched five innings of near-spotless baseball as the Zips defeated the No. 10/12 Blue Devils 4-3 on March 2. Throwing the final five innings, Perkins held his own with just two hits allowed along with one run and two strikeouts to earn the win. He sent Duke three-up-three down in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings and ended the ninth with a strikeout. Perkins also held Duke's hitters to a combined .118 batting average over the five innings of work.
ONE TO REMEMBER
Head coach Bryan Faulds collected his first win leading the Akron Zips in the second game of a doubleheader against Illinois on February 14. Down 4-2 heading to the bottom of the seventh, Akron battled to force extra-innings when Max Bowman sent a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to give the Zips a 5-4 victory.
ON DECK
Akron travels to Bowling Green for a conference series starting Friday, March 22
