WEDNESDAY PREVIEW
For its 2011 home finale, the Wayne State University baseball team will host Saginaw Valley State University in a doubleheader Wednesday afternoon starting at 2:00.

The twinbill completes a home-and-home series with SVSU, as the Warriors lost a pair of narrow results to the Cardinals three weeks ago at University Center.

Wayne State, currently in second place in the GLIAC, was swept in a four-game series by third-ranked Grand Valley State over the weekend. Saginaw Valley State, fighting to secure a playoff spot, won three out of four games against Lake Erie.

The all-time series between the two schools dates back to 1978. The Warriors have won 11 of the last 17 meetings, including a 9-8 comeback victory in the opening round of the 2010 GLIAC Tournament.


AT THE HELM
Ryan Kelley, the 2010 GLIAC Coach of the Year, is in his third season as the head coach of the WSU baseball program and has a career record of 83-61. Kelley guided the Warriors to 25 wins in 2009, the most by any first-year head coach in program history. Last season, Wayne State went 32-20 and won the GLIAC regular-season and tournament championships, advancing to the NCAA Regional for the third time since 2005.

In his 29th season as the head baseball coach at SVSU, Walt Head became the 27th coach in NCAA Division II history to reach 800 wins, as the Cardinals swept a doubleheader March 27 against Hillsdale.


IN THE POLLS
Wayne State was ranked fourth in the most recent NCAA Midwest Regional poll released last Wednesday. The top six teams at the end of the season will play in the NCAA Midwest Regional tournament, with the winner of the GLIAC Tournament receiving an automatic bid.


SCOUTING SAGINAW VALLEY STATE
The Cardinals are 5-6 since sweeping a doubleheader April 13 against the Warriors. SVSU is 18-21 overall with a 13-14 conference record, and is just one-half game ahead of Lake Erie for the fourth and final spot in the GLIAC Tournament.

The catalysts of the SVSU offense are junior shortstop Matt Hunt and sophomore outfielder Kyle O'Boyle. Hunt leads the team in hits (42), batting average (.350), runs scored (27) and walks (25). Hunt is hitting .331 with 20 extra-base hits and a team-best 35 RBI.

Aside from sophomore Carson Beauchaine, who improved to 5-3 with a 1.48 ERA following his complete-game 3-1 victory to open last weekend's series against the Storm, no SVSU starting pitcher has an ERA below 4.80 this season. Sophomore Eric Hummel has allowed 12 hits and nine earned runs in his last two starts since tossing a two-hit shutout versus the Warriors.


WARRIOR NOTEBOOK
By taking two out of three at Ashland two weeks ago, the Warriors leapfrogged the Eagles in the NCAA regional rankings. Despite losing six of its last eight games, Ashland remains in third place in the conference behind WSU.

Prior to last weekend, the last time the Warriors were swept in a four-game series at home was April 26-27 2003, against Ashland.

Between Sunday's games the WSU baseball program recognized its senior class – shortstop Caleb Dalman, pitchers Tyler Loehr, Matt Rustulka and Brett Shankin, and catcher Michael Wiseman.

Dalman went 7-for-9 with four walks in the GVSU series. While just four of WSU's 28 hits on the weekend were for extra bases, three of them came from Dalman as he hit two doubles as well as his first home run of the season.

Wiseman continues his ascension in the record books at Wayne State, as he moved into second place all-time in games played (196) and total bases (358), passing Jon Weisman (2004-07) in both categories. Wiseman is currently second on the team with a .355 batting average and 27 runs scored, and he leads the squad with 32 RBI.

Shankin had six strikeouts Saturday, putting him at 165 for his career which is tied for 11th-most in program history with Bob Kloss (1967-70). Shankin also made his 32nd career start, tied for eighth-most.


LOOKING AHEAD
Wayne State will close out the 2011 regular season this weekend, May 7-8, at Lake Erie. The series is scheduled to be played at Classic Park, home to the Lake County Captains of the Midwest League. Lake County is the Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

The Warriors are hoping to secure a bid in the GLIAC Tournament, which would be their fourth in a row and sixth in the last seven years. Next week's tournament will once again be held at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.


TEAM BANQUET SCHEDULED
The Wayne State University baseball team will hold its annual season-end awards recognition banquet on Monday, May 9 at 6:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Matthaei Center on the Wayne State athletic campus.

The cost for the banquet, which will include a buffet dinner, is $20 per guest. To RSVP, please contact the baseball office at (313) 577-2749 or e-mail baseball alum John Skaggs at aw5485@wayne.edu.

For those unable to attend but interested in sponsoring a WSU Baseball student-athlete, donations of $20 are being accepted. Contact baseball alum and development director Matt Cunningham at (313) 577-0587 or mc10@wayne.edu.


ALUMNI WEEKEND
The Wayne State baseball program is proud to present the annual Dugout Club Golf Outing and Alumni Game on Sept. 24-25. The golf outing will be held at Northville Hills on the morning of Sept. 24, with a gathering to follow in the evening at the Detroit Renaissance Marriott. The alumni baseball game is scheduled for Sept. 25 at the WSU baseball field.

More information will be announced at wsuathletics.com as it becomes finalized.