Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Week 8 MIdweek Notes | Live stats | Live audio

Wed., April 2
Highland Heights, Ky. – Bill Aker Baseball Complex (300)
NKU (7-18, 2-4 Atlantic Sun) vs. Ball State (18-9, 4-1 MAC)
Series Record: NKU leads 3-0
First Meeting: 1980 DH – NKU 12, BSU 6; NKU 8, BSU 2
Last Meeting:  NKU 10, BSU 9 (April 3, 2013)
 
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team begins a nine-game homestand at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex with a nonconference contest against Ball State on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
 
NKU improved to 7-18 overall and 2-4 in the Atlantic Sun Conference after avoiding a three-game series sweep to East Tennessee State with a 13-11 victory on Sunday.  The Bucs took the first two games of the weekend by identical 6-3 scores, before the Norse held off a late ETSU rally in the finale for the win.
 
Cody Kuzniczci, Logan Spurlin and Jordan Procyshen each recorded three-hit games to lead NKU on Sunday.  Kuzniczci went 3-for-6 with four RBIs and three runs, while Procyshen saw a similar day at the plate, batted in three runs and scored twice.  Spurlin finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored for the Norse. 
 
Ball State is 18-9 on the year and 4-1 in the Mid-American Conference prior to hosting Indiana Tech on Tuesday.  The Cardinals split the first two games against conference opponent Buffalo over the weekend before the final game of the series was canceled due to snow in Rochester, N.Y.  Ball State dropped an 11-inning slugfest, 14-13, on Friday afternoon but rebounded with a 5-2 victory on Saturday.  The Cardinals enter Tuesday's contest having won eight of their last nine games..
 
Alex Call leads the Ball State offense, batting .356 with six doubles, 13 RBIs and 11 runs scored, while Sean Kennedy is hitting .329 with two doubles and one triple for the Cardinals.  Sean Godfrey is the only Ball State player to appear in every game this season, and he holds a .306 batting average.  Godfrey has collected a team-leading 12 doubles, four home runs, 34 hits, 26 RBIs and 21 runs, and he has successfully stolen 13 bases in 14 tries. 
 
Right-handed pitcher Zach Plesac's 2.48 earned run average is tops among the Ball State pitching staff.  He has struck out 35 batters and only allowed 10 earned runs over 13 appearances and three starts.  He also leads the team with four saves and holds a 6-2 record over 36.1 innings of work.  Right-handed reliever Tyler Jordan has made 13 appearances out of the bullpen for the Cardinals, and he has posted a 4.18 ERA with 18 strikeouts, one win and two saves in 28 innings.
 
Links to live stats and John Asalon's audio broadcast will be available at nkunorse.com.
 
NKU/BALL STATE SERIES:  NKU and Ball State have met just three times in the past with the last meeting coming on April 3, 2013, in Muncie, Ind.  The Norse hold a 3-0 lead in the all-time series after holding on for a 10-9 victory last season.
 
NKU began the series with two victories during the 1980 season, Norse head coach Todd Asalon's freshman year.  The Norse cruised to a 12-6 win in the first meeting and then defeated the Cardinals, 8-2, in the second game that season.
 
LAST GAME AGAINST BALL STATE: Logan Spurlin's first collegiate grand slam in the sixth inning sparked NKU's 10-9 victory over Ball State at the Ball Diamond on April 3, 2013, in Muncie, Ind.
 
The Norse jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second inning. Josh Myers reached base on an error by Billy Wellman and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Conor Ledger.  Clay Manering walked Cody Kuzniczci and Pat Hyde to load the bases, and Myers scored when Quint Heady drew a walk.
 
Four NKU errors led to eight runs for Ball State (12-13) in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Cardinals an 8-1 advantage.
 
The Norse added two runs in the top of the fifth to spark their comeback.  An error by Elbert DeVarie put Brad Clement on first base, and he advanced to second on a single by Myers.  Ledger singled to right field to score Clement and send Myers to third.  Ryan Hinz followed with the third consecutive single, bringing Myers home to cut the Cardinal lead to 8-3.
 
Five of the first six Norse batters reached base in the sixth with Caleb Lonkard and Bradley Vanderglas both scoring on bases-loaded walks, setting the stage for Spurlin's grand slam, which gave NKU a 9-8 lead.
 
Both teams tacked on one more run to their totals in the eighth inning for the final margin of the game.
 
Spurlin finished 3-for-5 with five RBIs to lead the Norse offense, while Ledger went 2-for-4 and scored three times.  Cody Cooper earned the win after pitching three innings and not allowing an earned run and only surrendering two hits.
 
Jarrett James went 2-for-2 to lead the Cardinals.  He added a run and an RBI, while Wellman and Cody Campbell both finished 2-for-5.  Wellman collected three RBIs and a run scored, while Campbell recorded two runs and two RBIs.
 
AGAINST THE MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE:  NKU is 6-24 all-time against members of the Mid-American Conference.  The Norse hold winning records against Akron (1-0) and Ball State (3-0) and are tied with Ohio (1-1), but they have not fared as well against the rest of the league.  Bowling Green (1-0), Eastern Michigan (4-0), Kent State (2-0), Miami (Ohio) (15-1) and Northern Illinois (1-0) each have winning records against NKU.
 
NKU has already faced two MAC teams this season.  Eastern Michigan swept a doubleheader against the Norse on March 15 by scores of 13-3 and 13-2, respectively, at the UC Health Stadium in Florence, Ky.  The two teams' series final was canceled due to inclement weather.  Miami used a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth to take a 7-6 victory over NKU on March 18.

SETTING A NEW BAR:  Junior Jordan Procyshen added two home runs over the weekend to increase his season total to six.  His six homers sets a new NCAA Division I season record, surpassing the four hit by Logan Spurlin and Josh Myers last season. 

Procyshen hit the first home run of the season for the Norse with a solo shot over the right-field wall against Troy on Feb. 15.  He recorded a two-homer game against Loyola Marymount on March 9.  The catcher from Okotoks, Alberta, has now sent shots over the outfield wall in the last two games.
 
This season, Procyshen is batting .290 with five doubles, 14 RBIs and 16 runs scored for the Norse.  He is one of three NKU players to start every game this season, and he has seen action behind the plate, at first base and as the designated hitter.
 
STARTING SUCCESS:  Caleb Kellogg has earned a spot in the starting lineup in the last nine games for NKU.  Over that time, he recorded a .414 batting average with four doubles, one triple and one home run.  He has batted in 10 runs and scored five times, and he has drawn seven walks.  Kellogg went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and his first collegiate homer to lead the Norse to an 8-6 victory over North Florida on March 22 at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
 
The freshman from Goshen, Ky., has gone 14-for-38 from the plate this season for a .368 batting average to lead the NKU offense over his 13 appearances.  He collected his first career hit against Loyola Marymount on March 9, which was also his first start in the outfield for the Norse.