Game Notes (PDF)

DETROIT -- Wayne State University baseball won another GLIAC opening series (7 of last 11) on Sunday with a 5-3 victory following a 5-1 defeat of Walsh in game two on Saturday. The Warriors will host Ashland (14-4, 3-0) on Thursday for a doubleheader as the two teams make up for one of the games postponed from March 20. The Eagles are coming off a sweep of Saginaw Valley State.

GAME DETAILS
Dates - March 28, 2013
Times - Thursday at 2 & 4 p.m.
Location - Detroit, Mich. / WSU Baseball Field (500)
Team Information - Wayne State Baseball / Ashland Baseball

SERIES STORYLINES
The Wayne State baseball team (11-7, 2-1) opened GLIAC play with a series win at Walsh. The Warriors took games two and three of the series. Kasey Koster led the offense in game two with a two-run home run in the first inning as WSU collected all five of its runs in the first two innings. Also in game two, Alex Pierse went a solid six innings for the win, allowing just one earned run. In game three, David Frederick went seven innings and a two-run seventh inning gave the Warriors the lead and Clayton Ruch closed it out for his fifth save of the season. Ashland is off to a fast start following a three-game sweep of SVSU. The Eagles lead the all-time series 45-31-1.

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, in 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 now won its last three series to open conference play the past three seasons following the series win at Walsh this past weekend. 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 seven of the 11 conference opening series, split three and lost just one.

SCOUTING ASHLAND
The Ashland Eagles are 14-4 and 3-0 to start GLIAC play after a sweep of SVSU. Austin Erb is hitting .488 with six doubles and seven RBI. Austin Walts is hitting .405 with eight RBI. Wade Kaido and Tyler Gray both have driven in nine runs while Alex Sortwell is hitting just .234 but leads the team with 13 RBI, he also has the team's only HR. As a team, AU is hitting .283 and scoring 5.2 runs per game. The Ashland pitching staff is paced by Eric Vaughan and Brad Thomas. Vaughan is 3-0 with a 2.76 ERA and Thomas is 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA. Zach Botjer has two saves on the season. As a staff, AU carries a 4.81 ERA.

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.