The Week In Baseball (4/10 - 4/17)
Hussein Murray/Rochester University
It's a busy week for Warrior Baseball, as the team faces four opponents this week, including cross-town NCAA DI Oakland University on Monday afternoon. The Warriors are looking to get a win this week after losses to UNOH, Cornerstone, and Aquinas previously. With a likely debut at Bill Shinsky Field and senior day on Saturday, there's plenty to get excited about for Warrior Baseball.
@ Oakland University - Monday, April 10 - 2:30 PM - Nine Innings
Getting things started for the Warriors will be a five-minute drive to Walton Boulevard for a single game against NCAA DI Oakland University (17-13, 7-5).
Earlier in the season, the Golden Grizzlies defeated the Michigan Wolverines in Ray Fisher Stadium, 4-1. OU is led by Thomas Green, who's started in all 30 games and has hit a team-leading six homers in the process.
When compared to the rest of the Horizon League, OU trends towards the middle of the pack in most major statistics. For pitching, the team's ERA sits at 7.58, which places the team in the bottom half of the conference. OU also allows a league-leading amount of home runs with 45.
Rochester will need to capitalize on hitting opportunities while limiting errors to pull off the win for Monday's game. For the Warriors, a win here could break a 15-game skid.
vs. Madonna University - Tuesday, April 11 - 1:00 PM - Doubleheader
The wait may be finally over for the Warriors to make their Bill Shinsky Field debut, as the weather forecast for this week projects extremely well. Rochester will be taking on the Madonna Crusaders (17-12, 11-4) to return to WHAC play.
Entering Tuesday, the Crusaders are fourth in the WHAC standings, having previously played the Warriors on March 28th. In those games, the Crusaders won both by double-digits. Madonna has had a very up-and-down last few weeks, with the team going 3-1 against #22 Indiana Tech (19-9, 7-6) and trading games with (RV) Concordia (28-4, 13-3), but also being swept by the Cleary Cougars (19-14, 8-7).
Jace Matkin leads the Crusaders and the WHAC in a variety of hitting statistics. Matkin leads the league in home runs while being top five in RBI. On the other side of the field, pitcher Nate Blain is among the top pitchers in the conference in wins and strikeouts.
@ Cleary University - Friday, April 14 - 4:00 PM - Doubleheader
To begin the weekend, Rochester will make the drive up to Howell to face Cleary at Lake Trust Stadium. The Cougars come into the week on a four game winning streak, including the aforementioned wins against Madonna.
The Cougars' Kristian Scalf currently ranks among two other Warriors in the WHAC stolen base leaders at 14. Rochester will need to keep tabs on him, as the Cougars have done a solid job of getting on base and scoring frequently all year.
Senior Catcher Billy Flohr leads the Cougars in plenty of batting statistics, with a batting average of .313 and 30 hits on the season. Infielder Ben Cerven is right up there with Flohr, leading the team with 32 hits.
vs. Concordia (AA) University - Saturday, April 15 - 1:00 PM - Doubleheader
Rochester will return home on Saturday to celebrate the careers of six seniors against the Concordia Cardinals. The Cardinals have been red-hot this season, but have hit a rough patch entering the week, going 1-3.
The Cardinals have several players among the WHAC leaders in several statistics, with a very talented pitching core. Outfielder Caleb Harmond is third in the WHAC in batting average at .394, while pitcher Tyson Kleinfelter leads in strikeouts by a wide margin at 83.
Despite the recent losses, the Cardinals' year so far has been quite excellent, with the team gunning for a serious shot at a WHAC title.
During the day, the Warriors will be acknowledging seniors Cameron Tupper, Colton Maher, Dominic Scalzo, Gabe Matti, Justin Siegel, and Nick Gajewski.
(Featured Image: Hanna Swanson/Rochester University)