Baseball is Home Wednesday, Visits Aquinas This Weekend

COMPLETE WEEK SEVEN GAME NOTES (PDF)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15
Marygrove (2-31, 1-21 WHAC) vs. Siena Heights (14-20, 9-12 WHAC)
Time: 2 p.m. (DH) 
Location: Ilitch Ballpark at the Madonna Athletic Complex – Livonia, Mich.
Coverage: Live Video | Live Stats (1:50 p.m.)

SATURDAY, APRIL 18
Marygrove (2-31, 1-21 WHAC) at Aquinas (12-21, 7-14 WHAC)
Time: 1 p.m. (DH)
Location: Kimble Stadium – Wyoming, Mich.
Coverage: Live Audio (12:50 p.m.)

SUNDAY, APRIL 19
Marygrove (2-31, 1-21 WHAC) at Aquinas (12-21, 7-14 WHAC)
Time: 1 p.m. (DH)
Location: Kimble Stadium – Wyoming, Mich.
Coverage: Live Audio (12:50 p.m.)

BY THE NUMBERS
25: Freshman third baseman David Chung (Warren, Mich./Bishop Foley High School) has turned up his play midway through the season. Part of one state championship team at Foley, Chung has adjusted well to the college game, as evidenced by the freshman’s team-leading 25 hits as of April 11. Chung has posted a team-high .396 on-base percentage to go along with nine RBIs.

8: Pitching at the collegiate level as a freshman rarely ends in the favor of a young hurler. Freshman Jacob Baker (Berkley, Mich./Berkley High School) is doing his best to change that en route to posting a solid freshman campaign. Baker has given up two or less earned runs in eight (8) of his 11 appearances this season and has not yielded a run in his last two outings.

3: As the season nears a close, three (3) Mustangs have played their respective positions cleanly, earning a perfect fielding percentage for the effort. Pitchers Daniel Bailey (Harrison Twp., Mich./L’Anse Creuse High School) and Tyler Sykes, and catcher D.J. Wade (Southfield, Mich./University High School) have been stellar defensively, each posting a 1.000 fielding mark.

A LOOK BACK: PITCHING IMPROVES
The first-year Mustangs dropped to 2-31 on the season and 1-21 in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play after falling to the Cornerstone Golden Eagles in four straight last weekend. Despite being swept, the Mustangs left Grand Rapids an improved squad on the mound as freshmen Daniel Bailey and Ryne Underwood (six scoreless) tossed complete games against the Golden Eagles on Saturday (April 11). 

REMAINING HOME GAMES/SERIES
The inaugural season has been full of highs and lows for the Mustangs as the program embarks on a future that promises to be very bright. As we enter mid-April, only a few home games remain on the 2015 calendar, including Wednesday’s doubleheader opposite Siena Heights at Madonna’s Ilitch Ballpark. The Mustangs will be home April 25-26 (Indiana Tech) and April 30-May 1 (Lourdes).

PLAYING THE BEST OF THE BEST
Head coach Ryan Kottke and the Mustangs have not backed down from day one, facing some of the NAIA’s top teams, including No. 3 Northwood (Fla.), No. 23 St. Thomas (Fla.), No. 24 Northwestern Ohio and lastly No. 2 Davenport (Mich.). With their recent series against Davenport, the Mustangs finished a stretch of games that included the other top two teams in the WHAC, Madonna and Northwestern Ohio. Davenport, Madonna and Northwestern Ohio own a combined WHAC record of 57-7 heading into this week’s action.

YOUNKIN RETURNS TO THE LINEUP
Welcome back! Sophomore Chase Younkin (Macomb, Mich./Culver-Stockton College) made his return to the lineup last weekend against Cornerstone after missing 14 games due to injury. Younkin, now the team’s designated hitter, has hit safely in seven straight games dating back to March 18.

DID YOU KNOW?
Tyler Sykes, a late addition to the inaugural baseball squad, is primarily a basketball player at Marygrove. Sykes appeared in all 30 contests and averaged 8.6 points per game.

A LOOK AT SIENA HEIGHTS
Coming off a decent weekend in which the team earned a win against No. 24 Northwestern Ohio, head coach John Kolasinski and the Siena Heights Saints enter Wednesday’s doubleheader with a record of 14-20 overall and a 9-12 mark in conference action. Zach Dunlop paces the Saints with a .371 batting average through 89 at bats while  Joe Williams leads the way in the runs batted in department with 20 in 112 at bats.

A LOOK AT AQUINAS
Led by Doug Greenslate in his 14th season, the Aquinas College Saints enter the week with a 12-21 overall record and a 7-14 mark in WHAC play. Coming off a disappointing sweep at Madonna, the Saints find themselves two games out of the WHAC playoff hunt behind sixth place Indiana Tech. Michael Priest leads the Saints with a .355 batting average while Casey Wila follows closely with a .353 mark.

JOHNSON HAS SPEED TO BURN
Freshman outfielder Drew Johnson (Trenton, Mich./Trenton High School) is one of a few freshmen Mustangs who has taken a step forward lately as the young Green and Gold adjusts to life at the college level. Johnson saw his batting average climb .033 points last weekend at Cornerstone after he reached base or sent in a run via sac fly in all four games. A speedy outfielder, Johnson currently holds the team-lead in steals with six, two more than teammates James Edwards and Raleigh Wilson.

BASEBALL VS.  OTHER FIRST YR TEAMS
At 2-31, the Mustangs are on target to achieve similar first-year status compared to other Marygrove teams outside of the year-one national champion women’s soccer team. Now a perennial power in the WHAC, the Mustang men’s soccer team finished their inaugural campaign 4-11 with no NAIA wins.

EXTENDED COVERAGE ALL SEASON!
Join Jeremy Otto, Jimmy Stewart and Brendan Johnson as they bring you Marygrove baseball on the Mustang Sports Network at marygrovemustangs.com/live!

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