HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky Baseball team is set to host Horizon League foes Valparaiso and UIC at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex this weekend in a pair of doubleheaders. The Norse take on the Crusaders on Friday at noon before hosting UIC on Sunday at noon.

Both doubleheaders will consist of two nine-inning games with approximately 30 minutes between games one and two.

Live stats will be available for all games while a live audio broadcast will be available for game two on Friday and both games on Sunday.

Gameday Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (13-22, 6-6 Horizon)
vs. Valparaiso Crusaders (14-20, 4-8 Horizon)
Friday, April 21 (DH) – noon
Valpo: Sr. RHP Mario Losi / Fr. RHP Jon Tieman
NKU: RSr. RHP Jean-Francois Dionne / Jr. RHP Brody Basilone

Northern Kentucky Norse
vs. UIC Flames (25-8, 13-2 Horizon)
Sunday, April 23 (DH) – noon
UIC: TBA / TBA
NKU: TBA / TBA
 
LAST TIME OUT: NKU snapped a three-game losing skid with an 8-1 victory at Ohio State on Wednesday. Trey Ganns led the Norse on both sides of the ball, pitching 5.0 innings with one run and three hits allowed while also driving in four RBI and knocking two doubles and a home run. OSU's lone run came in the second inning as four different Norse pitchers held the Buckeyes scoreless throughout the remainder of the contest. NKU out-hit Ohio State, 11-6.

OUT OF THE 'PEN: The bullpen has totaled 25.1 innings of work in the last six games with just four runs (three earned) allowed. NKU's relievers have a collective 1.07 ERA in that span. Seven different relievers have appeared in those games as opponents have managed 19 hits in the last 25.1 relief innings. Norse relievers have walked five and struck out 18. The Norse pitching staff as a whole has posted a 3.71 ERA in the last six games.

In his 11 total relief appearances this season, sophomore Jordan Menfee has a 2.60 ERA in 17.1 innings pitched. He has held foes to a .145 average out of the bullpen. In his last five appearances, Travis Rowland has totaled 9.0 innings pitched without allowing an earned run. Opponents have posted just three hits against him in that span. Additionally, Cameron Ross, who ranks 17th in the NCAA in appearances with 21, has given up four earned runs in his last 26.0 innings pitched for a 1.38 ERA across his last 15 appearances. Ross leads the bullpen with a 3.44 ERA in 34.0 innings pitched.

QUICK HITS:

• Trey Ganns has 16 RBI and four home runs in the last six games. Eight of those 16 RBI and three of those home runs came in a single game against Valpo on April 9. He leads the Horizon League with 36 RBI this season.
• TJ Alas has reached base in 26-straight games. He has started every game for the Norse and has been aboard in all but two of Northern Kentucky's 35 games.
• Ross's 1.50 ERA in Horizon League games is ranked second in the HL.
• Dominic Mercurio has consistently led NKU in batting average all season and enters the weekend hitting .330. Meanwhile, Ganns is the leader in on-base percentage (.444) and slugging percentage (.588) with a team-high nine homers.
• Jake Richmond has shined offensively in Horizon League games. The outfielder is batting .365 with a .692 slugging percentage and .450 on-base percentage in NKU's 12 HL games, each of which are good for the top-six in the League.
• NKU is ranked 24th in the NCAA in doubles per game with 2.17. The Norse are also 33rd in doubles (76), 32nd in home runs per game (32) and 35th in home runs (38).
• On Friday against Valpo, RHP Jean-Francois Dionne, a Quebec, Canada native, will be making his sixth start of the season in game one, followed by fellow right-hander Brody Basilone who will be making his fourth start and 12th overall appearance in game two.

SCOUTING THE FLAMES: The Flames travel to Youngstown State for a doubleheader on Friday before making the trip to Highland Heights. UIC is second in the Horizon League behind Wright State (25-10, 11-1 HL) and leads the League in batting average (.297) and ERA (2.69). The Flames are also League leaders in slugging percentage (.438), on-base percentage (.383), opposing batting average (.219) and fielding percentage (.934). The Flames have won 13 of their last 14. Six of their eight total losses came in the first 10 games of the season.

UIC has out-scored its foes, 211-107. The Flames rank in the national top-10 in double plays per game (1.15), ERA, fielding percentage and hits allowed per nine innings (7.03). David Cronin is second in the League in hits with 46 and is batting .362 this season with 10 stolen bases. Rob Calabrese follows with a .345 average and 31 RBI with a .603 slugging percentage. Calabrese is tied with Valpo's Jake Hanson and NKU's TJ Alas for the League-lead in doubles with 12. Cody Bohanek is the team's RBI leader with 32.

Each of UIC's starting pitchers has an ERA of 3.80 or better while Alex Padilla has a team-high 15 appearances out of the bullpen and four saves with a 0.72 season ERA in 25.0 innings pitched. The staff has fanned 240 and walked 105.

SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS: Valpo enters the weekend sitting fifth in the Horizon League and has won four of its last eight games including 1-of-3 against Oakland at home last weekend.
Valpo ranks third in the League in batting average at .269 and fourth in ERA at 5.16. Chad Jacob leads the Crusaders at the plate with a .370 overall average, having playing in 22 of Valpo's 34 total games. Sam Shaikin has started every game and is the only other Crusader batting over .300. Shaikin is averaging .311 at the dish. Jake Hanson is tied for the League-lead in doubles with 12 and is also tied with teammate Nate Palace for the team lead in RBI with 20. Valpo has stolen 32 bases on 46 attempts led by James Stea's 17 steals on 23 attempts.

Right-hander Mario Losi will toss game one and owns a 5.08 ERA with 26 strikeouts and 20 walks in a team-high 51.1 innings. Freshman Jon Tieman, another righty, will get the start in game two. Tieman enters the weekend with a 2.95 ERA and will be making his first collegiate start after making 15 appearances out of the bullpen. He leads the Horizon League in saves with seven and has finished 11 games for Valpo.

SERIES HISTORY: NKU is 1-7 all-time against UIC. The teams met for the first time in program history last season. The Norse faced the Flames last weekend and struggled against the League-leading pitching staff. The Flames swept NKU in a three-game series by scores of 5-2, 2-0 and 7-2 in Chicago.

NKU is 5-7 against Valpo all-time and took 1-of-3 from the Crusaders on the road in a three-game set April 8-9. Ganns' three homers, including a grand slam, and eight RBI lifted NKU to an 18-7 win in the finale on April 9. TJ Alas also had two homers and five RBI in the win. Valpo took the first two games by scores of 8-7 and 10-9.

Six of the teams' 12 total meetings came last season, including a May 25, 2016 meeting in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament. Valpo claimed a 10-7 victory.

ON DECK: NKU travels to No. 2 Louisville on Wednesday, April 26 for a 6 p.m. first pitch at Louisville Slugger Field.