HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – A three-game Horizon League series at Milwaukee awaits the Northern Kentucky University baseball team this weekend. The series begins on Friday, April 29 with a 4 p.m. ET first pitch. The weekend set continues on Saturday at 2 p.m. while the finale will be played at Miller Park at approximately 6 p.m. following the conclusion of the Brewers/Marlins game.
Links to live stats are available at NKUNorse.com, while live audio will also be available for Saturday and Sunday's games.
Gameday Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (15-27, 4-15 Horizon League)
at Milwaukee Panthers (18-19, 7-7 Horizon League)
Friday, April 29 – 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT – Henry Aaron Field
NKU: So. LHP Charlie Jerger
Milwaukee: Sr. RHP Brian Keller
Saturday, April 30 – 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT – Henry Aaron Field
NKU: Sr. RHP Tyler Miller
Milwaukee: R-Fr. RHP Elijah Goodman
Sunday, May 1 – 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT – Miller Park
NKU: So. LHP Trey Ganns
Milwaukee: Jr. RHP Adam Reuss
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse last saw action on Tuesday when they fell to Ball State, 13-1. Brad Bohlen went 2-for-4 with an RBI while Aric Harris and Kevin Herren combined for 2.2 innings of relief with one run allowed.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS: Milwaukee sits fifth in the Horizon League with a 7-7 HL record and 18-19 overall mark. The Panthers have played just four home games so far this season and are 3-1 at Henry Aaron Field.
Luke Meeter leads the Horizon League in batting average (.385), on-base percentage (.453), runs scored (36) and hits (57). Daulton Varsho follows with a .369 batting average, the third-best in the League and is tied with Meeter with 29 RBI. As a team, the Panthers are batting .256 and have stolen 66 bases on 79 attempts with the help of Meeter's perfect 16-for-16 mark in stolen base attempts.
The pitching staff has a cumulative ERA of 4.77 and has held opponents to a .266 average. The Friday starter, Brian Keller has a 3.53 ERA, leads the HL in strikeouts with 64 and has tossed 66.1 innings. Opponents are batting just .226 against the Sunday starter, Adam Reuss, who has a 3.34 ERA in 10 starts.
NEW OPPONENTS: The series will serve as the first meeting between the Norse and the Panthers. Milwaukee is the third and final new opponent the Norse will face this season, the others being UIC and Western Illinois. NKU has a 3-5 record against first-time opponents this season.
AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: NKU has a Horizon League-leading 83 doubles in 42 games and a League-best 382 total hits. Entering the week, Logan Spurlin was eighth in the League in batting average at .319, fifth in slugging percentage (.507), sixth in on-base percentage (.413), fourth in RBI (30), second in home runs (six), and has caught a League-high 18 runners stealing.
Defensively, Justin Watts is tied for seventh in the League with 47 strikeouts. Charlie Jerger is third in saves with three, while Tyler Miller leads the League in runners picked off with four.
CONSISTENCY AT CLEANUP: Trey Ganns has started 27 of NKU's 42 games at cleanup. Thirteen of NKU's 15 victories have come with the sophomore batting fourth in the lineup. With a hit against Ball State, Ganns surpassed Logan Spurlin as the team-leader in hits with 45. Since April 5, his average has not dipped below .280 as he has worked his way up to second on the team with a .296 average and 18 runs scored. Ganns also has a team-high 15 doubles, the second-most in the League, and is tied with Tito Montgomery with a team-best 17 walks.
RECENT SUCCESS: Brad Bohlen and Quint Heady have both seen success across the last four games, each recording six hits in that span. Bohlen has also posted two RBI and a run scored while Heady has scored three times in the last four games. On the year, Heady is second on the team in RBI with 21.
ON THE ROAD: NKU opened a nine-game road swing on Tuesday at Ball State as nine of its final 13 games are away. Will Haueter has been successful on opponents' turf this season, batting .359 (23-for-64). The squad plays on the road until the final games of the regular season on May 13 and 15 when NKU hosts Milwaukee and Youngstown State for doubleheaders.
UP NEXT: The Norse will take extended time off due to finals and return to action May 7 and 8 for doubleheaders at UIC and Valparaiso.
