HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team is set to face Oakland this weekend at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex in Highland Heights. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon and will wrap up the series with a single game on Sunday starting at noon.
TAKING A LOOK AT THE NORSE
The Norse are 10-34 on the year and 8-13 in Horizon League play. The team most recently dropped a pair of midweek nonconference games to Eastern Kentucky and Xavier.
Will Haueter leads the team with a .293 batting average. He has 10 doubles, six homers, 29 runs and 25 RBI on the season. Haueter ranks second at NKU in career doubles (56), and he is tied for fourth in career hits (233).
Jayden Wakeham is hitting .267 this season with seven doubles, 11 runs, and six RBI.
Andrew Bacon is batting .258 with 10 doubles, two triples and five homers. He also has knocked in 23 RBI and scored 20 runs.
Griffin Doersching leads the team with 11 homers and 33 RBI. In Horizon League play, Doersching is hitting at a .324 clip.
SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Will Haueter was named one of 10 finalists for the 2019 baseball Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
During his time at NKU, Haueter has volunteered his time with a number of organizations including the Children's Hospital, Down Syndrome Association, American Cancer Society, Team Impact, Read Across America, and the Disabled American Veterans.
Haueter graduated last spring with a degree in finance, maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA in the process. He was selected as the U.S. Bank/Haile School of Business Most Outstanding Student in Finance. In addition, he was named the recipient of NKU's prestigious Regents Award, which is given to one senior student from the university who has demonstrated professionalism and leadership within the university's community and who has an emphasis on continuation of graduate-level work. The award is sponsored by the Northern Kentucky University Board of Regents.
Haueter was named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-America First Team, as selected by CoSIDA. He also earned Horizon League All-Academic Team honors and was named the 2018 Horizon League Male Spring Scholar-Athlete. Currently, Haueter is currently working on his master's degree in integrative studies at NKU.
In addition to his success in the classroom, Haueter was named to the All-Horizon League First Team last season. He hit for a .360 average in 2018, which ranked first in the Horizon League. He was second in the league in doubles (19), on-base percentage (.451), and slugging percentage (.600).
HORIZON LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Bacon was named the Horizon League Batter of the Week, and
Joe Martin earned Horizon League Pitcher of the week honors on Monday, March 18.
Bacon went 6-of-11 (.545) at the plate from March 15-17 with a home run, six RBI, and three runs scored. In the 13-5 victory over Youngstown State, Bacon batted 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs. One of his hits in the game was a home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
He followed that performance with another 3-for-4 outing in the 7-6 win over the Penguins on Saturday, March 16. Bacon scored a run and had two RBI in the contest to help NKU get the victory. Bacon leads the team with a .315 average this season.
Joe Martin helped the Norse get two out of their three wins against Youngstown State. In the 13-5 win on March 15, Martin pitched 3.0 scoreless innings and picked up a save. He didn't allow a hit or walk to the 10 batters he faced, and he also struck out four hitters.
On Saturday, March 16, Martin earned the win on the mound in NKU's 7-6 victory. He threw 2.0 innings, giving up an unearned run and two hits. He also struck out three batters.
SCOUTING OAKLAND
Oakland enters the weekend with a 10-27 record on the season and an 8-10 mark in league play. The Golden Grizzlies haven't play since April 23, as their series with Youngstown State was cancelled last weekend due to inclement weather. Matt Dileo leads the team with a .308 batting average. He has also recorded three doubles, two triples, three homers, 25 runs and 18 RBI. Blake Griffith is hitting .281 with six doubles, a triple, four homers, 23 RBI and 17 runs scored. Drew Demumbrum leads the team with five homers and 28 RBI. As a team, the Golden Grizzlies are hitting .235 on the season and the pitching staff has an ERA of 7.88.
BOBBY FONG AWARD
The NKU baseball team was named the recipient of the Horizon League's Bobby Fong Award in 2018. 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.
UP NEXT
The Norse travel to Wright State next weekend for a Horizon League series. The series begins on Friday, May 10 at 6 p.m.