KENT'S STREAK AT EIGHT:
The Kent Golden Flashes increased their win streak to eight straight
after winning five straight following a non-conference win over
Cleveland State and two victories each over Toledo and Eastern
Michigan. Kent, which has also won eight consecutive league games, has
won 15 of its last 17 MAC games, dating back to last season.
A LOOK AT FALCON NUMBERS:
Bowling Green's game one win on Monday at Western Michigan was the
400th Mid-American Conference regular-season victory for the Falcons. BG
is also one win shy of recording the 1,200th triumph in school history.
BG head coach Danny Schmitz is two wins away from #250 in his Falcon
coaching career. The Falcons have won five in a row overall following a
3-2 win over Cleveland State on Tuesday in 11 innings. It was also their
sixth win in their last seven to move above .500 mark for the first time
this year. BG started the year 0-5-1, but is 13-7 in its last 20 games.
HOME RUN DERBY AT NIU:
The Launching Pad' moved from Atlanta to DeKalb on Sunday as Ohio and
Northern Illinois played Home Run Derby in the second game of their
doubleheader. The two teams combined to hit nine homers in the Bobcats'
18-12 win over the Huskies. Ohio batters were responsible for six of
them, three of which came off the bat of Chuck Lombardy. In addition to
Lombardy, who went 5-for-5 with six RBIs in the contest, Mike Arbinger,
Jeff Rook and Scott Brownlee also homered for Ohio.
BROCK IGNITES HUSKIES:
Sophomore leadoff hitter John Brock is part of the reason why Northern
Illinois has won nine of its last 13 games. Brock hit .667 last week
with 10 hits in 15 at-bats and also scored 10 runs. The outfielder
increased his batting average 67 points to .397, which is sixth in the
league. Brock also added three stolen bases last week, improving his
league-leading total to 16, and is on a nine-game hitting streak.
REMBIELAK BREAKS RECORD:
Kent head coach Rick Rembielak (212-143-1)
became the Golden Flashes' all-time winningest baseball coach when his
team defeated Toledo 14-7 April 9, breaking the
previous record of 208 set by Danny Hall (1988-93). In fact, Rembielak
was Hall's assistant coach for each of his 208 victories.
MILESTONE FOR HERD PLAYERS:
Marshall players Eric Pinkerton and Sean Reeder both moved up the
career ladders in Thundering Herd history. Pinkerton, who had a
four-hit doubleheader against UNC Asheville, became only the seventh
player in school history to reach the 150-hit plateau. Pinkerton is two
hits away from sixth place and is 22 shy of the top spot of 175, which
is held by Greg Hill.
Reeder moved up to second all-time in career strikeouts with 235
following an eight strikeout performance against Ball State. The senior
is 41 strikeouts shy of equaling J.R. Watts' total of 276.
THE DOUBLES MACHINE:
Toledo senior Jason Stuecher smacked five two-baggers last week in six
games, improving his season total to 12, which is third in the MAC.
Stuecher had back-to-back games where he had a pair of doubles. In
addition to the doubles, he drove in 10 runs and hit two home runs.
PAIR PICK UP VOTES:
In the latest Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll that was released on
Monday, two MAC schools received votes. Miami, which had its five-game
winning streak snapped last week, picked up three votes, while Central
Michigan received one vote.
THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL ZIP:
Akron junior outfielder Mark Malaska turned into a multidimensional
factor that helped the Zips to a 4-2 mark last week. Malaska picked up
his first win of the season on the mound with 1.1 innings of relief
against Youngstown State last Tuesday, in addition to hitting .348 for
the week with 11 runs batted in and eight runs scored. He also hit a
pair of home runs and drove in six runs as part of a 4-for-5 day against
Toledo.
PEREZ SHUTS DOWN MIAMI:
Western Michigan sophomore Keith Perez fanned 11 Miami batters and
scattered six hits over seven innings, helping the Broncos hand the
RedHawks their first loss in league play. In league games, Perez sports
a 1.93 ERA and has fanned 16 batters in 14 innings of work.
PAIR OF LEAGUE SHOWDOWNS:
Three key league divisional battles take place this weekend, two in the
East Division and one in the West Division. Undefeated Kent hosts Ohio,
which won twice at Ball State on Monday, while Akron hosts Miami. In
the West, division-leading Central Michigan travels to Ball State. The
Chippewas are 14-8 away from home, while the Cardinals are 8-3 at home
after it was swept by Ohio.
THOMAS SHINES FOR EMU:
Eastern Michigan junior Vince Thomas enjoyed a 15-for-23 performance
last week for the Eagles, who lost five ofsix games. Thomas, who had
three home runs and three doubles, scored nine runs and drove in eight.