DETROIT -- After over two weeks without a game, the Wayne State University baseball team (2-2 overall) will be in action on Monday and Tuesday against Ohio Dominican (0-4 overall). The Warriors and Panthers will play back-to-back seven-inning doubleheaders at Wright State University's Nischwitz Stadium in Dayton, Ohio.
WSU split its four games at Newberry thanks to wins by scores of 11-9 in game one of a doubleheader on Feb. 8 and 6-3 on Feb. 9. Individually, the Warriors were paced by
Reagan Paulina (Highland, Mich. / Detroit Catholic Central [Oakland]) at the plate (.455, 5-for-11) and
Gavin Nash (Howell, Mich. / Hartland) on the bump (0.00 ERA, 5 IP).
Drew Hill (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North) joined Paulina in the five-hit department (.357, 5-for-14) while Hill's high school teammate
Rocco Cardinale (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North) came out of the bullpen twice (0.00 ERA, 3.2 IP).
Like Wayne State, Ohio Dominican has played four games, but was swept in a four-game set at Coker on Feb. 14-15. The scores of those four contests were 6-4, 18-1, 15-8, and 4-3. The Warriors and Panthers have faced off 32 times in the all-time series with the good guys holding a 12-win edge, 22-10.
Starting at the plate, Ohio Dominican is hitting .258 as a team with 32 hits in its 124 at-bats. Individually, the offensive ringleader has been senior third baseman Jake Scherette at .400 (6-for-15) with one double and five RBI. The other regular that's been thriving in the box is senior left fielder/second baseman Drew Emerson at .385 (5-for-13).
The Panthers' pitching staff has struggled with a 13.18 ERA through 28 innings pitched. With that being said, Trayce Mercer has surrendered just one earned run through his six frames with three hits allowed, four walks and three strikeouts. Just a sophomore, Mercer had freshman ERA of 6.06 in 49 innings with a 2-3 win-loss record in 13 appearances.
In the preseason, Ohio Dominican was picked to finish second in the South Division of the 12-team Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). The Panthers are coached by eighth-year head coach Christopher Antonides, who's in his 11th campaign at ODU. In those eight-plus seasons, the Findlay alum has gone 200-167 (.545 winning percentage).
