Northern Kentucky University Athletics

Week 12 Notes | Live stats | Live video | Live audio

May 2-4
Bill Aker Baseball Complex (300); Highland Heights, Ky.
NKU (13-28, 6-12 Atlantic Sun) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (29-17, 12-6 A-Sun)
Series Record: FGCU leads 3-0
Last Meeting:  FGCU 12, NKU 2 (April 28, 2013)

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team opens a seven-game homestand at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex with an Atlantic Sun Conference series against Florida Gulf Coast this weekend.
 
NKU opens the three-game series against the Eagles on Friday.  First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m., and Saturday's action is slated for a 1 p.m. start time.  The series finale on Sunday will begin at noon. Links to live stats, the ASun.TV broadcast and John Asalon's audio broadcast for all games can be found at nkunorse.com.
 
The Norse enter the weekend with a 13-28 overall record and 6-12 mark in the Atlantic Sun after their midweek games against Cincinnati and Morehead State were both canceled due to inclement weather.  NKU earned a 2-0 victory, the second NCAA Division I shutout for the program, against Lipscomb on Sunday to avoid the series sweep.  The Bisons took the first two games by scores of 5-3 and 4-2, respectively, to ensure the series win.
 
FGCU is 29-17 on the year and 12-6 in the Atlantic Sun.  The Eagles defeated Florida Atlantic, 3-2, in Tuesday's nonconference game.  An RBI double down the left-field line by Blake Berger allowed Cody Hoffner to score in the top of the ninth, adding the insurance run FGCU needed as FAU took advantage of a pair of errors in the bottom of the inning to bring home a run for the final margin of the game.  Last weekend, the Eagles won the opening game against Mercer, 6-5, before dropping the last two contests to the Bears.
 
Colton Bottomley's .373 batting average leads the FGCU offense and ranks fourth in the conference.  He has collected 10 doubles, four home runs, 17 RBIs and 25 runs scored, while Jake Noll is batting .356 with 12 doubles, 20 RBIs and a team-high 37 runs.  Noll provides the speed on the base path, having successfully stolen 21 bases in 26 attempts.  Hoffner boasts a .319 batting average, followed by Zack Tillery's .315.  Michael Suchy has batted in a team-high 33 runs and is batting .298 on the year.
 
Right-handed pitcher Mike Murray is expected to take the mound on Friday against the Norse.  Murray is the nation's leader in wins, boasting a 10-0 record on the season.  His 1.18 earned run average tops the conference and is 13th nationally.  Murray has struck out 65 batters, which also leads the Atlantic Sun, and he is holding opposing batters to a .211 average.  Righty Jack English lands in the top five among the conference in ERA as well with a 2.26 average on the year, and he is expected to start Sunday's finale.  Right-hander Brady Anderson will get the start on Saturday, and he is 2-2 on the mound with a 2.59 ERA and 35 strikeouts.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST FGCU: FGCU took a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series against the Norse last season as the two teams met for the first time during NKU's inaugural season competing at the Division I level.  The Eagles opened the series with a 6-1 victory on April 26, 2013, before an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted FGCU to a 3-2 win the next day.  NKU could not rebound in the series finale and dropped a 12-2 decision to FGCU.
 
Sean Dwyer went 7-for-9 from the plate, scored four times and batted in five runs to lead the Eagles.  Alex Diaz, who is batting .268 this season, finished the weekend 3-for-11 with one run and two RBIs. 
 
Mike Murray allowed just two earned runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts in the Saturday start for FGCU.  Jack English made two appearances out of the bullpen for the Eagles, and he only gave up one hit and struck out seven batters.
 
Zac Asman collected three hits, including a double, one run and one RBI to lead the NKU offense in the series.  Brad Clement and Logan Spurlin each finished the weekend with two hits, and Clement drew three walks.
 
Matt Jefferson surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits over 7.1 innings of work in the second game of the series.  He struck out four batters, while Alex Bolia pitched two scoreless innings of relief in the April 28 finale.
 
NATIONAL RANKING:  As a reclassifying institution, NKU is not eligible to be ranked in the NCAA national statistics.  However, the team would land among the top teams in home runs and doubles if the Norse were able to be included.  NKU has recorded 28 home runs on the season, which would rank 32nd with Alabama State, Richmond and Bryant.  The Norse currently rank fourth in the Atlantic Sun, behind conference-leader East Tennessee State, which has hit 32 homers, and Mercer and North Florida's 31.
 
NKU is also fourth in the Atlantic Sun with 82 doubles, which would be tied for 42nd nationally.  Stetson has recorded 90 doubles to lead the conference, while Florida Gulf Coast and Lipscomb have each collected 87 as a team.  The Norse average 2.0 doubles per game to lead the conference and would be tied for 24th nationally with Morehead State, Florida State and Samford.
 
Jordan Procyshen's conference-leading 10 home runs would place him in a tie for 11th place in the national statistics.
 
TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM:  NKU is currently ranked fifth in the Atlantic Sun in sacrifice flies with 13.  FGCU currently leads the conference in that category with 24, followed closely by Kennesaw State's 23.  Lipscomb has recorded 21 sacrifice flies, while ETSU has collected 18.  Nine of the Norse's 13 on the year have come against conference opponents, and that puts them tied for third in the conference with Kennesaw State and ETSU.
 
David Head has successfully laid down nine sacrifice bunts this season to lead the Atlantic Sun.  His bunts have advanced five runners during conference play, and he is tied for second with North Florida's Kyle Brooks, South Carolina Upstate's Daniel Fickas and Jacksonville's Michael Babb.

CHASING 600:  NKU head coach Todd Asalon has now recorded 599 career victories after the Norse defeated Lipscomb, 2-0, in last weekend's series finale.  He has collected 455 wins as the NKU leader, and he amassed 144 victories at Thomas More College, where he began his head coaching career.  Asalon, who become just the second leader in NKU's program history in 2000, needs one more victory to reach 600 career wins.
 
SATURDAY'S PROMOTION:  NKU will be hosting its annual Bark in the Park event on Saturday, and fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to enjoy the game with them.  Fans will have the opportunity to purchase NKU dog collars and other accessories for their furry friends, and hot dogs will also be sold for $1 with proceeds supporting local animal shelters.