DETROIT -- The Wayne State University baseball team (15-6 overall, 4-0 GLIAC) will play its first home GLIAC game of the season on Wednesday afternoon when it plays host to Saginaw Valley State (14-6 overall, 3-1 GLIAC). First pitch against the Cardinals at Harwell Field is slated for 2 p.m.
Wayne State comes in riding a six-game winning streak, a run that has seen the Warriors outscore their opponents 56-8. For Saginaw Valley State, the Cardinals have been victorious in two of their last three outings and four of the previous six. SVSU opened league play with a split against Grand Valley State (6-2, 2-10) in Crestwood, Ill. on Sunday before sweeping Parkside (14-6, 27-4) in Kenosha, Wis. on Monday.
When looking at the all-time series between Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State, the Warriors have won two-straight meetings, 10 of the last 12 and 20 of the previous 23. WSU is 30-26 at home all-time against SVSU with five victories in a row at Harwell. Wayne State was picked to win the league while Saginaw Valley State was selected to tie-for-second with Davenport.
Statistically, the Warriors' offense has been paced by a quartet of players hitting above the .300 mark. Those four are reigning GLIAC Player of the Week
Bennett Hitzelberger (.413 average),
Tony Hatzigeorgiou (.386),
Drew Hill (.333) and
Kyle Ray (.325). On the mound, WSU's four-man starting rotation has included
Griffin Kilander (2.36 ERA),
Karter Fitzpatrick (3.16),
Seth Marano (3.20) and
Ashton Potts (3.80).
While Wayne State has hit .290 as a team (second in the GLIAC), Saginaw Valley State enters with a league-best clip of .342. That mark features the conference's top three individual batting averages in Colin Cornwell (.487), Hayden Jatczak (.480) and Reed Raymond (.431). The Cardinals' Brady Carpenter (.405) and Brandon Scheurer (.394) are also among the top eight. Pitching wise, SVSU's team ERA of 5.33 (WSU - 4.11) is spearheaded by Jatczak's 1.29 mark.
