Game Notes (PDF)

DETROIT -- Wayne State University baseball will begin GLIAC play at Walsh on Saturday and Sunday. The two programs have never met and both are riding three-game winning streaks. Last weekend, WSU swept a doubleheader with Minnesota-Duluth (12-3 and 7-4). Chris Gebara drove in three runs and Kyle Zimmerman went a solid six innings for the win during game one and Gebara drove in two more runs while A.J. Matos went 3-for-4 in the game two victory.

GAME DETAILS
Dates - March 23-24, 2013
Times - Saturday at 1 & 3 p.m. / Sunday at Noon
Location - North Canton, Ohio
Live Stats - walsh.edu/baseball
Team Information - Wayne State Baseball / Walsh Baseball

SERIES STORYLINES
The Wayne State baseball team (9-6) will begin GLIAC play with a three-game set at Walsh (6-4) starting on Saturday at 1 p.m as it looks to extend its current three-game winning streak. WSU's midweek doubleheader with Ashland was postponed to a later date. The Warriors went 7-5 on its Spring Break trip in Florida. All five of WSU's losses were by one run. This series will be the first meetings between the two programs. Walsh has not played since March 9 but are on a three-game winning streak with two wins over Oakland City and a win over Saginaw Valley State. The Cavaliers' series at West Liberty and Malone were also casualties of poor weather conditions.

AT THE HELM
Ryan Kelley, who served six seasons on the Warriors' staff including three as WSU's pitching coach prior to being named head coach in September 2008, enters his fifth year at the helm in the 2013 season.  Kelley is the ninth head coach in the 72-year history of the Wayne State University baseball program.
In 2011, the Warriors set a school record for wins (35) and advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Midwest Regional for the second time in program history.  Wayne State won 34 games in 2012, qualifying for the GLIAC Tournament for the eighth time in nine years, and for the NCAA Regional for the third straight year.

GLIAC OPENERS
Wayne State has won its last two series to open conference play the past two seasons. In 2012, the Warriors took three of four from Findlay including a 12-1 victory. In 2011, WSU swept the Oilers in a four-game series including another 12-1 thrashing. Dating back to 2003, Wayne State has won six of the 10 conference opening series, split three and lost just one.

SCOUTING WALSH
The Walsh Cavaliers enter the weekend with an overall record of 6-4 and will also be opening its GLIAC schedule. Head coach Tim Mead (Walsh, 1981) is in his 30th season leading the Walsh baseball program and carries a career record of 635-684-6 into this weekend's action. Mead leads the program as it transitions into NCAA Division II and the GLIAC in 2013. In 2007, Mead guided Walsh to its first trip to the NAIA World Series and 29 wins. Sophomore outfielder Andrew Bonnette leads the team with a .563 batting average with 16 at bats. Senior first baseman Forrest Boggs leads the team with 31 at bats, two homerunes, eight RBI and is hitting .419. Junior outfielder Justin Clements is hitting .367 and leads the team with four doubles. Senior right-handed pitcher Zach Speer has thrown a team-high 14.0 innings and carries a 1-1 record with his 2.57 ERA and 10 strikeouts. Junior righty Ian Drapcho is 1-0 with 0.00 ERA in his 10.1 innings and has retired nine hitters via the strikeout.

SPRING BREAK HIGHLIGHTS
Wayne State went 7-5 during its Spring Break trip to Florida. On March 8, the Warriors split with Notre Dame College. In the win WSU scored 15 runs powered by Eric Cunningham and Cameron Walker who both drove in two runs. The Green & Gold knocked off Winona State, 6-3, behind a 3-for-4 and two-RBI performance from shortstop Jeremy Carrell. Ethan Vasiliauskas went eight innings and struck out six for the win. Wayne State hung tough with Tampa (currently ranked No. 5 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper) but fell. 6-5. Kenny Davis drove in two wins while Kyle Zimmerman lasted 6.1 innings but took the loss. The Warriors took both from Charleston, split with No. 20 Slippery Rock and swept a doubleheader with Minnesota-Duluth on March 16.

WARRIORS LEND A HAND
During its trip to Florida, Wayne State baseball partnered with the Westgate Foundation and was again able to help out the Ocoee, Fla. Little League with a instructional camp. This has become an annual event and Coach Ryan Kelley and his team all really enjoyed their experience.

WAYNE STATE SUMMER BASEBALL CAMP
Wayne State baseball will again put on its Summer Camp on July 12-13 where participants will receive instruction from Wayne State coaches, student-athletes and other area coaches. Camp attendees will also have the opportunity to meet select Detroit Tigers' players while also being able to win prizes. For more information, visit WSUAthletics.com or contact Coach Kelley at ryankelley@wayne.edu.

WAYNE STATE'S REGIONAL HISTORY
Wayne State has played in the NCAA Regional three straight years and five times overall, qualifying for the first time in school history in 2005.  The Warriors advanced to the championship game of the 2008 tournament in Crestwood, Ill., losing a 3-0 result to Ashland in the third meeting of the tournament between the two schools. This past season, WSU went 0-2 with losses to Northern Kentucky and No. 15 Indianapolis.
The Warriors went 0-2 in the 2010 regional, including a 2-1 loss to Northern Kentucky in the opening round.  Last year Wayne State recovered from an opening round loss to Grand Valley State by eliminating three consecutive GLVC foes, including NKU, to force a rematch with GVSU in the title game in Normal, Ill.
Over its five NCAA Regional appearances, Wayne State has a 6-10 record.

WARRIOR POWER
In its last three games the WSU offense has scored 35 runs (11.7) per game. On March 15, during game two of a doubleheader, Wayne State bludgeoned  No. 20 Slippery Rock, 16-2. The following day, the Warriors swept a doubleheader with Minnesota-Duluth by scores of 12-3 and 7-4. The 16 runs were the most since April 18, 2012 when WSU beat Hillsdale 17-9. In addition, five Warriors collected multiple-hit games and three drove in two or more runs in the 16-2 win. In the 12-3 win over UMD, Wayne State totaled 11 hits and left just four runners on base.