Game Notes (PDF)

DETROIT -- Wayne State baseball (16-10, 7-4) will hit the road after eight consecutive games in Midtown and play three games at Northwood on Saturday and Sunday. Last season, WSU took three of four a home against Northwood.

SERIES DETAILS
Dates - April 6-7, 2013
Times - Saturday at 1 & 3 p.m. / Sunday at Noon
Location - Midland, Mich. / Gerace Stadium
Team Information - Wayne State Baseball / Northwood Baseball
Live Stats - Click Here

SERIES STORYLINES
The Wayne State baseball team (16-10, 7-4)  collected its first three-game sweep of the season against Malone this past weekend. It was the first ever meetings between the two programs and two of the three games came down to the final inning. The Warriors won game one 6-0, game two 6-5 and the series finale 1-0. Over the eight-game homestand, WSU went 5-3. Wayne State will travel to Midland, Mich. for three games with Northwood (9-11, 4-5). The Timberwolves are coming off a three-game set with Walsh, where the Cavaliers took two of three.  The Warriors lead the all-time series 72-41.

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, is 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 won its last three series to open conference play the past three seasons following the series win at Walsh (March 23-24). 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.

ZIMMERMAN'S DOZEN
In the series finale with Malone on Wednesday, sophomore Kyle Zimmerman went 8.0 innings and struck out a career-high 12 Pioneers. It was the most Ks for a Wayne State pitcher since Brady Cooper's 12-strikeout performance at Tiffin on April 18, 2010. Zimmerman now is tied for fifth in the GLIAC with 26 punchouts in his 24.1 innings pitched.

SCOUTING NORTHWOOD
Cody Rogers leads the team with a .385 batting average (15-for-39). Eric Altman is hitting .308 with nine RBI while Jak Oard leads the team with 10 RBI. Tyler Beatty is hitting just .150 but has the only two home runs on the team. As a team, Northwood is hitting .256. Jake Winicki is 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA on the season and leads the team with 25 strikeouts. Andrew Joseph is also 3-1 with a 5.06 ERA. Steven Latos has two of the team's three saves. As a staff, NU carries a 5.16 ERA. Head coach Joe Di Benedetto (FAU, 1985) is in his 13th season with the program.

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 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
On Friday, Wayne State outscored Lake Erie 22-2 in the two games. In game one, the Warriors won 14-2. Kasey Koster and  Eric Cunningham both turned in three-hit afternoons while Koster drove in three runs. Jeremy Carrell was the offensive hero in game two, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. In support of a strong offensive showing, Wayne State turned in a pair of stellar pitching performances on Friday. In game one, Ethan Vasiliauskas collected his third win of the season with 6.0 innings of work, allowing two earned runs and striking out five. In game two, Alex Pierse pitched a complete game shutout while striking out a career-high nine batters. He also retired 14 of the last 15 hitters including 11 straight.