HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky baseball team will play its fifth home game in the last seven days when it welcomes Eastern Kentucky to Bill Aker Baseball Complex for a 3 p.m. first pitch on Tuesday.
The Norse look to avenge a 10-8 loss to the Colonels from Tuesday, March 21 in Richmond, Kentucky. Links to live stats and live audio are available at NKUNorse.com.
Gameday Information
Eastern Kentucky Colonels (17-12, 4-5 OVC)
at Northern Kentucky Norse (10-16, 5-1 Horizon)
Tuesday, April 4 – 3 p.m.
Highland Heights, Ky. | Bill Aker Baseball Complex
EKU: Jr. LHP Casey Collins
NKU: RSr. LHP
Charlie Jerger
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse won their second-straight Horizon League series, taking 2-of-3 games against Youngstown State at home this past weekend. NKU won the opener, 15-8, scoring nine of its 15 runs off five different home runs including two from
TJ Alas. The Norse pitching staff struck out 10 and walked none in the opener. Northern Kentucky fell in game two, 8-7, despite nearly erasing an 8-2 deficit with five runs across the sixth and seventh innings. In the finale, Norse pitchers
Pat Kelley and
Cameron Ross combined for 8.2 innings pitched with two runs, one earned, as NKU claimed a 6-3 victory.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES: Against the Penguins,
Trey Ganns batted .455 (5-for-11) with a double, two homers, three RBI and five runs scored. He slugged 1.091 and posted a .571 on-base percentage. In NKU's five games last week,
Mike Moffatt batted. 400 on 8-for-20 hitting with four doubles and a home run. He drove in three, was 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts and scored five runs for NKU.
Ross also continued his stellar play last week as the reliever has tossed 18.1 innings with two runs allowed, one earned, for a 0.49 ERA in his last 11 appearances dating back to a March 4 contest at Georgia State. Ross ranks ninth in the NCAA in pitching appearances with 17.
SCOUTING THE COLONELS: Eastern Kentucky is 17-12 overall and has won seven of its last 10 contests. EKU posted a series sweep over UT Martin this past weekend. The Colonels out-scored UTM 17-5 across three games.
The Colonels are a strong power-hitting team as they rank in the top-20 nationally in numerous offensive categories including doubles (13th, 66), doubles per game (15th, 2.28), hits (14th, 316), home runs (16th, 34), home runs per game (20th, 1.17), runs (16th, 222) and slugging percentage (19th, .480). Ben Fisher leads the nation in home runs with 15, belting 0.52 per game, which ranks second nationally behind Youngstown State's Andrew Kendrick (0.55 per game) who the Norse just faced this past weekend. Fisher also leads the NCAA in RBI with 44 and runs scored with 43.
Fisher is batting .412 on the season and is one of seven Colonels hitting .306 or better for a .308 team batting average. Four different players have at least 20 RBI as EKU averages 7.7 runs per game.
The squad owns a 7.18 team ERA. Opponents are averaging .311 against the EKU pitching staff. Left-hander Casey Collins is the anticipated starter. He has appeared in five games this season, all starts and owns a 4.29 ERA and 2-0 record in 21.0 innings pitched. Collins started against NKU earlier this season and got the win after tossing 4.0 scoreless innings with three hits, one walk and five strikeouts.
SERIES HISTORY: Eastern Kentucky owns a slight edge in the all-time series against NKU at 16-12-1. The series dates back to NKU's first season of baseball in 1972 when EKU won two games against the Norse. NKU head coach
Todd Asalon is 2-3 against Eastern Kentucky as the teams have met five times since 2014.
EKU won the last meeting, 10-8, on March 21 this season. Thirteen of the game's 18 total runs came off six different home runs with each team belting three apiece. Freshman
Brendan Alas made his first collegiate start and registered the first hits of his collegiate career, with his second knock being a three-run home run. The outfielder went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
ON DECK: This weekend, the Norse are set to travel to Valparaiso (9-16, 1-5 Horizon) for their first away Horizon League series of the season. The series begins with a 4 p.m. ET first pitch on Friday and continues with a 2 p.m. first pitch on both Saturday and Sunday at Valpo's Emory G. Bauer Field.
