Blake Bagshaw looks to help the Norse to victory this week in games against Lincoln Memorial and Rockhurst.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – After a two-game home stand, the Northern Kentucky University baseball team will return to the road, beginning with a midweek contest at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn., and ending in Kansas City, Mo., where the Norse will take on Rockhurst in a Great Lakes Valley Conference opening doubleheader.
Live stats and audio links, when available, can be found at nkunorse.com.
This past Sunday, the Norse opened up their home schedule in Florence, Ky., due to the improvements being made at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex. NKU swept Ohio Dominican, 2-0 and 5-4, in two seven-inning contests.
Dave Middendorf threw a complete game shutout in Game 1, and
Brad Clement doubled in the game-winning run in the eighth inning for a walk-off win in Game 2.
A LOOK AT LINCOLN MEMORIAL: The Railsplitters come into the week with 26 games under their belt, owning a 14-12 record. This past weekend, LMU took two out of three from Mars Hill, outscoring Mars Hill 25-6 in the first two games before dropping game three, 9-4. John Couch leads the offense, with a .352 average and is second with four home runs and 25 RBIs.
Austin Johnson leads the Railsplitter pitching staff. He owns a 2-1 record with a 3.57 earned run average and 25 strikeouts in 35 innings. Daniel Bollenbacher has appeared in 10 games out of the bullpen and owns an even 3.00 ERA while striking out 14 in 12 innings of work.
LAST TIME AGAINST LINCOLN MEMORIAL: The Norse split the two games last season against LMU. On March 10 the Railsplitters came from behind and walked-off against NKU in Harrogate, Tenn. 7-6, while the Norse took the game in Highland Heights 8-5 on April 6. In the win,
Shannon McCormick drove in two while
Bradley Vanderglas went 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
A LOOK AT ROCKHURST: Rockhurst entered the week with a 4-4 record after its spring break trip to Florida. Rockhurst is scheduled to play Ottawa on Wednesday and Bellarmine on Friday. Scott Bradbury leads the Hawks with a .462 batting average. He has hit one home run and has six RBIs. Mark Sappington is pacing the pitching staff with a 2-0 record and a 2.92 earned run average.
LAST TIME AGAINST ROCKHURST: The Norse swept a doubleheader in Kansas City last year on March 13, winning Game 1, 7-1, and Game 2, 12-2. Middendorf struck out 12 batters in Game 1to get the win, and the offense pounded out 14 hits in Game 2's victory.
NORSE IN THE POLLS: NKU dropped one spot to No. 27 in the Collegiate Baseball poll. In the NCBWA poll NKU jumped one spot to No. 19 after spending at week as No. 20.
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 five games, and has tossed seven scoreless innings for NKU. He now leads the pitching staff with three wins and opponents are hitting a cool .083 against him.
SCHEDULE CHANGE: 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.
