DETROIT -- The Wayne State University baseball team (20-11 overall, 9-5 GLIAC) will hit the road to take on Parkside (14-15 overall, 3-8 GLIAC) in a four-game set this Friday through Sunday. Friday and Sunday's games will be played at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Ill. while Saturday's doubleheader will be held at the Rangers' Augie Schmidt Field in Kenosha, Wis.
Wayne State swept Parkside in a double dip earlier this season at Harwell Field, 6-2 and 10-1, on Friday, March 29. Taking a look at the all-time series, the Warriors have won 18 straight against the Rangers dating back to April of 2019. Since that double dip on March 29, UWP split a pair at Davenport and took two of four at Grand Valley State.
GLIAC Player of the Week
Redshirt senior catcher
Kyle Ray was named GLIAC Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Monday. Ray hit .583 (7-for-12) in three games against league-leading Saginaw Valley State last week with a .643 on-base percentage and 1.167 slugging percentage. All seven of those hits came in the final two games of the series.
In game two on Saturday and in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career, Ray finished with a personal-best four hits (4-for-5, 3 R, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 5 RBI), a double shy of the cycle. Trailing 7-0 at one point, the Warriors were down 8-7 in the seventh before Ray hit the go-ahead three-run home run down the right-field line. Then on Sunday, hitting out of the top spot for WSU again, Ray went 3-for-4 in the Warriors' victory with two runs scored, a pair of doubles, one walk and a stolen base.
Tuesday Trip
Wayne State was at Saginaw Valley State on Tuesday for the two teams' regular-season finale. Three and a half hours, 29 runs, 35 hits, 10 pitchers and 395 pitches later, the Cardinals walked off the Warriors with a solo home run to center field in the bottom of the ninth.
Wayne State was ahead by six runs, 8-2, halfway through the game before Saginaw Valley State put up a 10 spot in the bottom of the fifth to lead by four, 12-8. The Warriors punched right back with five runs of their own in the top half of the sixth to take back the advantage, 13-12. The Cardinals then deadlocked the score for a fourth time at 13-13. Both teams tallied a run in the eighth for the fifth tie, WSU stranded a pair of baserunners in the top of the ninth and then SVSU's Jeff Reseigh went deep with one out recorded in the home half.
Leading the Warriors
Statistically, the Warriors' offense (.295 average) has been paced by six players hitting close to or above the .300 mark. Those five are
Bennett Hitzelberger (.387 average - seventh in the GLIAC),
Tony Hatzigeorgiou (.368 - ninth),
Kyle Ray (.359 - 10th),
Mason McGuire (.317),
Drew Hill (.313) and
CJ Maury (.294).
On the mound, WSU's (5.05 ERA) four-man starting rotation has included
Karter Fitzpatrick (3.35 ERA),
Ashton Potts (3.37),
Griffin Kilander (3.42) and
Seth Marano (3.96). Outside of those four arms,
Evan Langlois has been the most dependable with a 5.06 ERA through 21.1 frames.
Scouting the Rangers
Parkside hits .266 as a team with an ERA of 7.28 on the mound. Offensively, the Rangers are paced by Andrew Harris (.442, 18 R, 6 2B, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 13 HBP) and Peter Fusek (.359, 33 R, 8 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 15 BB, 17-18 SB). UWP's most reliable pitcher has been Kaleb Schulist and his 2.97 ERA through 30.1 frames of work. That ERA is good for third in the GLIAC with a 4-0 record, 32 strikeouts and 10 walks.
