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March 7-9
Los Angeles, Calif. – Page Stadium (1,000)
NKU (3-8) vs. Loyola Marymount (5-7)
Series Record: First meeting
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team makes its second trip to the west coast in three weeks and will face West Coast Conference opponent Loyola Marymount for a three-game series at Page Stadium in non-conference action.
First pitch on Friday is scheduled for a 9 p.m. Eastern start time, with Saturday also scheduled to start at 9 p.m. Sunday's series finale is slated for 4 p.m. Links to live stats, video and John Asalon's audio broadcast will be available at nkunorse.com.
NKU improved to 3-8 on the year after earning its first NCAA Division I non-conference series win last weekend at Georgia State.
Brad Bohlen scored on a Panthers error on Friday to give the Norse a 6-5 victory in 11 innings, before NKU used a four-run ninth inning for a come-from-behind 4-3 win the next day. Georgia State avoided the series sweep on Sunday by defeating the Norse, 13-2, in the series finale.
Cody Kuzniczci went 6-for-13 to lead the NKU offense over the weekend. The sophomore from Madeira, Ohio, hit his first home run of the season in the series opener and added two runs and two RBIs over the three games. Freshman
Kyle Colletta went 4-for-10 with a run and an RBI and was hit by a pitch three times to reach base, while junior
Cole Bauml collected his first double and home run in a Norse uniform on Sunday.
LMU is 6-7 overall after defeating Cal State Northridge, 12-11 in 13 innings on Wednesday night. The Panthers enter the weekend having won four consecutive games, winning two of three games against Utah last weekend and defeating No. 13 UCLA, 6-1, on Tuesday. Against the Bruins, right-handed pitcher Patrick McGrath, who is projected to start Sunday's finale with the Norse, earned the victory after only allowing one run in seven innings of work. On Wednesday, Tanner Donnels went 6-for-6 for LMU with two runs and two RBI, while Tommy Cheeks finished 5-for-6 with an RBI and two runs.
Freshman centerfielder Austin Miller leads the LMU offense, batting .348 with four doubles and two triples on the year. He tops the team with 12 runs scored and has successfully stole six bases in as many attempts for the Panthers, who have stolen 22 bases in 29 tries as a team. Donnels, a junior outfielder, boasts a .321 batting average, while Cheeks, the senior first baseman, has hit four doubles and batted in a team-high 10 runs.
Senior right-handed pitcher Bret Dahlson boasts a 2.19 earned run average over 12.1 innings of relief work for LMU. He has recorded 11 strikeouts while walking just two batters and surrendered just three earned runs on six hits. Junior right-hander Colin Welmon has struck out a team-high 19 batters in his three starts for the Panthers and has collected a 2.53 ERA and a 1-1 record.
NKU and LMU have never met in baseball.
AGAINST THE WEST COAST CONFERENCE: Prior to this season, NKU had never faced a member of the West Coast Conference. The Norse traveled to San Diego for a four-game series Feb. 21-23. NKU dropped each game that weekend to fall to 0-4 against WCC teams.
IN THE GOLDEN STATE: NKU is 2-7 all-time against teams from the state of California after dropping four games to San Diego Feb. 21-23. During the 2005 season, the Norse traveled west for five games as part of their spring break trip March 7-10. NKU split a pair of games with UC San Diego as the Norse took the first game by a 6-4 score and the Tritons won the second, 4-2.
NKU then traveled to Cal Poly Pomona for a single game, and the Norse picked up their second victory of the trip by defeating the Broncos, 9-8. The trip ended with NKU dropping two games to Azusa Pacific, 4-2 and 3-2 respectively.
LEADING SENIOR: Lone senior
Zac Asman has made his leadership known through the first 11 games of the NKU schedule. After batting just .192 last season, Asman has started his final season with the Norse with a .316 batting average. He has recorded five doubles, eight RBIs and four runs, while he successfully stole the only base he has attempted.
The Cincinnati, Ohio, native gave NKU a 3-2 advantage in the top of the ninth inning against Georgia State on Saturday with a three-run double to left field, and the Norse held on for a 4-3 victory. It marked the second time this season Asman has cleared the bases with a double. On Feb. 23, he gave NKU an 8-6 advantage over San Diego with a double that scored redshirt freshman
Ryan LeFevers, freshman
Kyle Colletta and sophomore
Logan Spurlin.
With his single in the third inning in the series finale against Georgia State on Sunday, Asman stretch his hitting streak to 10 games.
Over his career with NKU, Asman has recorded 38 doubles, including 15 as a sophomore, with 85 runs scored and 72 RBIs.
SHINING SHAW: Freshman relief pitcher
Jake Shaw has made an immediate impact out of the NKU bullpen this season. He has made five appearances on the mound for the Norse, and he has amassed a 1-1 record with two saves.
The Grand Bay-Westfield, New Brunswick, right-handed pitcher earned his first collegiate win against Georgia State on Friday night. He pitched 3.2 scoreless innings and struck out two Panthers as NKU defeated Georgia State, 6-5, in 11 innings.
Shaw followed that performance with his second save of the season on Saturday. He pitched the bottom of the ninth inning and only surrendered one run on one hit, while ending the game with his 12th strikeout of the season.
On the year, Shaw holds a 4.38 ERA, and his strikeout total leads the team. He has allowed just six earned runs in 12.1 innings of work, including 4.2 scoreless innings. He is holding the opposing batter to a .195 batting average, which ranks third in the Atlantic Sun.
COLLECTING HITS: NKU has two of the top five hitters in the Atlantic Sun. Sophomore
Logan Spurlin leads the Norse with a .410 batting average, which lands third in the conference, while freshman
Kyle Colletta ranks fourth in the Atlantic Sun, hitting at a .400 clip through the first 11 games of the season.
With his eighth-inning double on Sunday afternoon, Spurlin has now safely reached base in the last 15 NKU games, dating back to last season. The Evanston, Ill., native has recorded hits in 10 of NKU's 11 games this season, and he leads the team in several categories, including hits (16), home runs (2), slugging percentage (.692), on-base percentage (.511) and runs (7).
Colletta has collected two doubles, three RBIs and four runs scored this season. He has been hit by a pitch four times, which leads the Norse. The Lincolnwood, Ill., native has started all but one game at shortstop this season, and he was the starting pitcher for the last game against Troy as well.
OVER THE WALL: NKU has collected five home runs already this season, which is tied for second in the Atlantic Sun with Lipscomb. Mercer leads the conference with 15 homers and an 11-2 record.
The five home runs have come from four different players. Sophomore
Logan Spurlin leads the Norse with two, notching one against Troy and San Diego. Junior
Jordan Procyshen hit the first NKU homer of the season in the opening game of a doubleheader against Troy on Feb. 15, before sophomore
Cody Kuzniczci hit his first of the season at Georgia State on Friday. Junior
Cole Bauml sent a shot over the wall down the left-field line for his first home run in an NKU uniform against Georgia State on Sunday.
Last season, the Norse did not collect their fifth home run until April 3 when Spurlin recorded his first collegiate grand slam in a 10-9 road victory over Ball State.
Brad Clement recorded NKU's first NCAA Division I hit, a home run, to open the season on Feb. 15 against Lamar.
