NKU baseball opens the home half of its schedule on Sunday in a doubleheader against Ohio Dominican.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University baseball team returns to the Northern Kentucky area on Sunday after a season-opening nine-game road trip, hosting regional foe Ohio Dominican for a twin-bill. First pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
NKU's “home” opener will not occur at home, as renovations to the Bill Aker Baseball Complex continue through uncooperative weather conditions. Instead, the games against Ohio Dominican will be played at Champion Window Field in Florence, Ky. The Norse previously played at the facility from 2006-2008.
The games will be broadcast over-the-air on “Real Talk 1160 AM” and on the internet at nkunorse.com.
NKU faced tough competition on the road this past weekend in Magnolia, Ark., taking on No. 29 Southern Arkansas. The Muleriders took two out of three from the Norse, including a 6-3 win in the series finale. NKU won Game 2, 11-3, after dropping Game 1, 9-1. The weekend dropped Northern Kentucky's record to 5-4 on the season.
A LOOK AT THE PANTHERS: The Panthers, new to Division II, just took down top-ranked Georgia College on Tuesday 11-3. ODU holds a 2-2 record through Tuesday's game and is scheduled to take on Columbus State in a two-game series before arriving in Northern Kentucky for their matchup with the Norse. Germaine McAlpine leads the Panther offense with an even .500 average (7-14). Tyler Zaidel is only hitting .167 but leads the team with four RBIs. Sophomore Alex Borgan is the ace for Ohio Dominican. He owns a 1-0 record with a 1.59 earned run average. The Pickerington, Ohio native has struck out seven in 11 innings of work.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE PANTHERS: Jason Cisper and
Jeff Bohlen each had a pair of doubles to help the Norse to an 8-1 victory over the Panthers on March 24, 2010. The Norse pitching staff combined to allow just one run on two hits, with
Jarrett Casey getting the win in the one-inning scheduled start.
Josh Blaum,
Jay Hale and
Andy Heston combined for six innings of shutout baseball. The nightcap saw the Norse surrender five runs in the second inning and fall by a 5-1 score. Alex Borgan got the complete-game victory, striking out four.
NORSE IN THE POLLS: Despite the 1-2 week, NKU held relatively firm in the NCAA Division II national poll, falling just one spot to No. 26.
A RECORD PERFORMANCE: Zac Asman is just a freshman, but on Sunday he placed his name in the Norse record books by recording five hits in a game. He also scored four runs. The Elder graduate did so in NKU's 11-3 win. Asman is hitting .424 on the season, and owns a .487 on-base percentage.
PERFECT IN RELIEF: Senior
Andy Heston has stepped into the role of anchor in the bullpen for the Norse very well. The Wilmore, Ky. Native has appeared in four games and has tossed six scoreless innings for NKU. Heston has recorded eight strikeouts and opponents are hitting .095 against him.
CLEMENT EARLY TEAR: Sophomore shortstop
Brad Clement continued his early season tear this past weekend. The Kansas State transfer leads the team with a .548 batting average and 14 RBIs. Clement has also scored seven runs and sports a .632 on-base percentage.
SCHEDULE CHANGES: Due to the improvements being made at home, several schedule changes have been made to accommodate the delays. NKU's games with Lincoln Memorial have swapped locations, as the Norse will now travel to Harrogate, Tenn. on March 16th. The Railsplitters will come to Northern Kentucky on April 12th.
Additionally, home contests against Urbana, Drury and Missouri S&T have been relocated to Champion Window Field in Florence, Ky. Only the Drury game has seen a time change, with the doubleheader scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
