Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Week 11 Midweek Notes | Live video | Live audio | NKU live stats | Xavier live stats

April 22 – Bill Aker Baseball Complex; Highland Heights, Ky.
April 23 – Hayden Field; Cincinnati Ohio
NKU (11-25, 5-10 Atlantic Sun) vs. Xavier (21-17, 7-2 A-Sun)
Series Record: XU leads 25-16
Last Meeting:  XU 8, NKU 0 (March 30, 2005)

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team will face Xavier for a pair of back-to-back non-conference midweek games this week.
 
Tuesday's action will take place at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex at 3 p.m. On Wednesday, NKU will travel across the Ohio River to again face the Musketeers, this time at Hayden Field in Cincinnati at 3 p.m.  Links to live stats, Tuesday's ASun.TV broadcast and John Asalon's audio broadcast will be available at nkunorse.com.
 
NKU enters the week with an 11-25 overall record after dropping all three games to Mercer in Atlantic Sun Conference action last weekend in Macon, Ga.  The Norse jumped out to an early 4-0 advantage in the first game of the series before the Bears responded with 12 unanswered runs for the win.  After Friday's game was postponed to due to rain, Mercer used a 10-3 victory in Saturday's opener and an 8-2 win in the nightcap of the doubleheader for the sweep.  NKU is 5-10 in the Atlantic Sun.
 
Kyle Colletta and Zac Asman each recorded three hits over the weekend to lead the Norse offense.  Jordan Procyshen added his team-leading eighth home run of the season in the opener, while Logan Spurlin extended his on-base streak to 36 games, dating back to last season.  Spurlin collected two hits, including one home run, drew one walk and was hit by a pitch over the three games.
 
Xavier is 21-17 on the year and 7-2 in the Big East Conference, which ranks second in the league, after losing two games at Butler over the weekend.  Butler cruised to an 8-0 victory in the three-game series opener before holding on for a 2-1 win on Friday.  The Musketeers avoided the weekend sweep with a commanding 16-2 victory over the Bulldogs in the finale.
 
Designated hitter Chase Hasenbeck leads the Xavier offense, holding a .312 batting average.  Hasenbeck is just one of two Musketeers to have started every game this season, and he ranks second in the Big East with 48 hits.  Hasenbeck has recorded four doubles, three home runs, 23 runs and 18 RBIs for the Musketeers.  Joe Forney is the other player to start each game for Xavier, primarily at first base and in left field, and he is hitting .278 on the year.  He leads the team with 24 runs scored and his 45 hits ranks third in the conference.  Forney's 14 doubles top the Big East, and he has collected five stolen bases in seven attempts.
 
Left-handed pitcher Trent Astle is expected to take the mound against NKU on Tuesday.  He is 2-3 on the year with a 4.15 earned run average.  Astle has struck out 14 batters and given up 18 earned runs over 39 innings of work.  Wednesday's probable starter is right-hander Eric Stiene.  Stiene holds a 2.23 ERA and 2-1 record, and he has recorded just eight earned runs while striking out 16 batters in 32.1 innings for Xavier.
 
NKU/XAVIER SERIES: Xavier holds a 25-16 advantage in the all-time series against NKU.  The two teams first met during the 1973 season when the Musketeers defeated the Norse, 12-4.  After dropping the first three contests to Xavier, NKU won nine of the next 10 matchups over a five-season span. 
 
Between the 1981 and '85 seasons, the Musketeers rattled off 12 consecutive wins.  Xavier has also won the previous four meetings between the two teams, including an 8-0 victory over NKU in Cincinnati on March 30, 2005, the last contest in the series. 
 
The Musketeers also won the last game that occurred at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex, taking a 21-10 victory during the 1998 season.
 
AGAINST THE BIG EAST CONFERENCE:  NKU holds an 18-30 overall record against members of the Big East Conference.  In addition to Xavier's 25-16 lead, Butler is 5-2 against the Norse.  NKU faced the Bulldogs three times last season, with Butler taking each win – two at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex and one in Indianapolis. 
 
After NKU faces Xavier for two games this week, the Norse will close out non-conference play against Butler later in the season.  NKU welcomes the Bulldogs to the Bill Aker Baseball Complex on May 7, looking to snap a four-game losing streak to Butler.
 
SLUGGING AWAY:  NKU has two players in the top 10 among Atlantic Sun opponents in slugging percentage this season.  Logan Spurlin currently ranks fifth with his team-leading .554 average, while Jordan Procyshen is eighth at .517.  North Florida's Drew Weeks leads the conference with a .667 slugging percentage, having collected 10 doubles, four triples and six home runs.
 
As a team, the Norse rank fifth, holding a .396 slugging percentage.  Mercer leads the Atlantic Sun at .419 as the Bears have recorded 395 hits, including 70 doubles, five triples and 30 home runs.  North Florida is second at .409 with East Tennessee State (.408) and Lipscomb (.407) following closely behind the Ospreys.
 
COLLECTING EXTRA BASES:  NKU ranks fourth in the Atlantic Sun in both doubles and home runs.  The Norse have collected 74 two baggers and 24 home runs on the year.  Lipscomb leads the doubles category, having recorded 83 this season, followed by Florida Gulf Coast's 79 and Stetson's 77.  The Norse are also averaging 2.06 per game to lead the conference.
 
Mercer is tops in the conference in home runs with 30 on the year.  ETSU has sent 27 shots over the outfield wall to rank second, while North Florida rounds out the top three with 25 homers. 
 
Two Norse players land within the top 10 in the conference in doubles.  Logan Spurlin leads the team with 13 doubles for a share of fifth place in the Atlantic Sun, while Cody Kuzniczci is tied for seventh at 12.  Kennesaw State's Max Pentecost and FGCU's Nick Rivera lead the conference with 15 doubles apiece.
 
Jordan Procyshen, who belted his team-best eighth home run of the season in the series opener against Mercer, is tied for second in the Atlantic Sun.  He is just one shy of conference leader Clinton Freeman of ETSU, who has collected nine homers this season.
 
TUESDAY'S PROMOTION:  NKU will hold an Earth Day celebration at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex on Tuesday.  The day's events will feature Go Green Giveaways, which include an NKU reusable grocery bag and hand sanitizer.