Week 9 Game Notes |
Atlantic Sun Weekly Release
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team returns to Atlantic Sun Conference action this weekend with a three-game series against the University of North Florida at Harmon Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
NKU enters the series 6-27 overall and 1-8 in the A-Sun after capturing back-to-back victories for the first time this season earlier in the week.
Brad Clement finished 3-for-4 with two runs batted in to lead the Norse to an 8-2 win over Morehead State on Tuesday, and
Bradley Vanderglas went 2-for-4 with two RBIs as NKU defeated Indianapolis, 5-4, in 12 innings on Wednesday.
Friday's action is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start, while both Saturday and Sunday are slated for 1 p.m. Live stats, broadcast and ASun.TV information will be available at NKUNorse.com.
North Florida defeated NKU, 8-1, in the only meeting between the two teams, which took place during the 1992 season.
ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA: North Florida holds a 24-11 overall record and a 6-3 A-Sun mark. The Ospreys are currently tied with Florida Gulf Coast University for first place in the conference and have won five of their last six contests, including a 2-0 victory over Florida A&M on Wednesday.
The Ospreys lead the conference in batting average (.321), hits (415) and triples (17). Ryan Roberson boasts a .363 batting average and leads the offense, which has eight players hitting over .300 on the year. He has collected 10 doubles and two home runs. Drew Weeks, the A-Sun Player of the week, has hit a team-high six homers, and Tyler Marincov's four triples lead the league.
Left-handed pitcher Michael Renner, who is expected to face NKU on Sunday afternoon, leads North Florida with a 5-0 record and a 1.12 earned run average, which ranks second in the conference. He has collected 33 strikeouts while only walking 11 batters. Renner has only allowed six earned runs over 48 1/3 innings of work.
Corbin Olmstead was named the A-Sun Pitcher of the Week after collecting a save in each appearance he made last week. He did not allow a run and only surrendered three hits while striking out seven. For the year, Olmstead's five saves is tied for first in the league.
FIRST INNING SIT DOWNS: When
Tim Clark retired the first three Indianapolis batters he faced on Wednesday in order, it marked the ninth consecutive game that NKU has accomplished that feat. The streak began with a 5-3 victory over South Carolina Upstate, and the Norse have won a total of four games during that time. Prior to the current streak, NKU had only retired the first three batters three times in the first 24 games.
MYERS' HOT BAT: Josh Myers has recorded at least one hit in seven straight games and safely reached base the last 10, which are both the longest active stretches on the team. He was moved from the leadoff position to batting fourth against USC Upstate on March 30, and he has since gone 13-for-28 (.464) with 10 runs scored, four RBIs, one double, one home run and seven stolen bases.
Myers is currently second on the team with a .279 batting average. He leads the team in runs scored (19), triples (2), home runs (2) and stolen bases (11).
VANDERGLAS HEATING UP: Over the past four games, Vanderglas has hit .500 and raised his overall average by 40 points. He has scored three times and batted in four runs, including two in NKU's 5-4 victory over Indianapolis on Wednesday. He reached base on a fielder's choice, which allowed Myers to score the winning run.
Vanderglas is batting .275 on the year, ranking fourth on the team.
