HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team hosts Youngstown State this weekend for the final home series of the season. The series begins Friday at 3 p.m., and all of the games will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Before Saturday's contest, the team will receive the Bobby Fong Award, and the Norse will recognize its seniors before Sunday's game.
 
Northern Kentucky Norse vs. Youngstown State Penguins
Friday, May 11 – 3 p.m. – Bill Aker Baseball Complex – ESPN3
Saturday, May 12 – 1 p.m. – Bill Aker Baseball Complex – ESPN3
Sunday, May 13 – 12 p.m. – Bill Aker Baseball Complex – ESPN3 (Senior Day)
 
LAST TIME OUT
NKU went 1-2 this past weekend against Milwaukee. The Norse fell in the first two games by scores of 9-3 and 10-9, before winning Sunday's contest, 7-1. NKU nearly won Saturday's game. Chad Roberts hit a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning to bring the Norse within one run, but the Panthers held on to get the victory.
 
 In Sunday's matchup, Sam Williams was dominant on the mound. He pitched seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out nine batters. Mike Moffatt hit a solo home run in the game, and Andrew Bacon added a three-run shot to help the Norse get the victory. 
 
SCOUTING YOUNGSTOWN STATE
The Penguins enter the contest at 15-31 overall and 8-15 in the Horizon League. The team most recently defeated Ohio in nonconference action on Wednesday evening by a score of 10-9. YSU has won three of its past four games. Blaze Glenn leads the team with a .329 average. He also ranks first on the team in home runs (10) and RBIs (40). As a team, the Penguins have a 7.12 ERA. Greg Dunham and Alex Bellardini are likely to start on the mound Friday and Saturday, respectively. Dunham is 4-6 on the year with a 6.47 ERA in 11 starts. Bellardini has a 3-2 record with a 6.81 ERA in three starts and 17 appearances.
 
LAST MEETING
NKU and YSU met earlier this season in March. The Penguins won both games of a doubleheader on March 24, and the Norse earned a 12-5 victory on March 25.

BIG WIN IN MARCH
The Norse defeated No. 6 Kentucky earlier this season on March 7 by a final score of 8-6. It was NKU's second win over a ranked program since its move to Division I. The Norse also defeated UK on March 29, 2016. The Wildcats were ranked No. 12 in that matchup.
 
BOBBY FONG AWARD
The NKU baseball team was named the recipient of the Horizon League's Bobby Fong Award. The award encompasses the league's values of integrity, respect and stewardship and is presented to one current Horizon League student-athlete or team. The award is named for the late Dr. Bobby Fong, a former Butler University president who served on the Horizon League Board of Directors from 2001-2011. The NKU baseball team has historically been the leader of the athletic department in the area of community service and impact. The team participates in a number of volunteer opportunities throughout the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati areas. This is the second consecutive year that NKU has received the award, as former NKU women's soccer student-athlete Sami Rutowski was named the recipient of the award last year. The Bobby Fong Award will be presented before the team's game against Youngstown State on Saturday, May 12.
 
GOOGLE CLOUD ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Will Haueter was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He earned the honor in District 2, which is comprised of NCAA Division I institutions in Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.
 
Haueter has a 4.0 GPA as a Finance major at NKU. He was recently named the Most Outstanding Student in Finance by the U.S. Bank/Haile College of Business, and he was also the recipient of NKU's prestigious Regents Award.
  
TAKING A LOOK AT THE STATS
Haueter leads the team in batting average (.349), slugging percentage (.592), on-base-percentage (.448), runs scored (32) and doubles (15). He also ranks second in the Horizon League in doubles, doubles per game, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Haueter has 16 multi-hit games this season, and he has reached base in 24 consecutive contests. He also has 42 doubles in his career, which puts him in a tie for ninth place in the NKU record book with Chris Helfer, Shannon McCormick and Steve Walton. 
 
Roberts is hitting .284 on the year. He leads the team in runs scored (32), RBIs (46), and home runs (12). He ranks second in the Horizon League in home runs, home runs per game, and RBIs.