AKRON, Ohio – The Zips (14-28, 8-10 MAC) prepare for a momentous Mid-American Conference series this weekend as the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks (23-18, 11-7 MAC) visit Lee Jackson Field for a three-game set. The series opener is set for Friday, May 1 at 3 pm while Saturday (May 2) and Sunday (May 3) are scheduled to start at 1 pm.

Fans can tune into Friday and Saturday's games will be featured on Sports Radio 1350 AM with Bill Morgan's call while Sunday’s game will be broadcast on the Akron ISP Network via www.GoZips.com which fans can tune into with a valid subscription to Zips Zone on the UA website. Live stats will also be available for all three games online.

Since the teams’ first meeting back in 1988, Miami holds a 36-23 advantage in the all-time series between the two. Akron took the series from Miami last year at McKie Field at Hayden Park with the Zips picking up 16-8 and 14-10 wins in the first two games before falling, 7-8 in the series finale.

Zips Recap

Akron enters the series with a 14-28 mark overall and 8-10 record in the Mid-American Conference. The Zips dropped a tough 7-3 midweek decision at Ohio State Wednesday night after a series win at home over Buffalo last weekend. The Zips took the series against Buffalo at Lee Jackson after downing the Bulls 7-1 and 4-1 in the first two games but falling 3-2 in the rubber match.

Junior designated hitter Jake Plata currently paces the UA lineup with a .377 batting average, adding 22 RBIs.  Plata has 49 hits on the year, including the second-most doubles with 11 and three home runs. Senior Matt Roberts is second on the squad with a .347 clip, tallying 58 hits and has knocked 10 doubles, two triples and three home runs while driving in 30 runs on the season. Junior Brian Kordal is batting .336 and leads the Zips in RBIs with 36, adding 51 hits with eight doubles, four triples and three round-trippers on the year. The Zips are batting .305 on the season with 84 doubles, 13 triples and 42 home runs with 252 runs batted in.

Akron freshman Andrew Brown is 2-3 on the season with a 5.20 ERA in 12 appearances after tossing a complete game for his first career MAC win against Buffalo.  In 45 innings pitched Brown has struck out the third-most batters on the staff with 39 and surrendered just 26 earned runs. Sophomore Benjamin Danziger has registered a 2-4 record with a 5.31 ERA in 59.1 innings pitched on the season.  Danziger has tallied the second-most strikeouts on the year with 44, allowing the fewest walks among starters with 11 on the year.  Reigning MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week Alex Loftin is 1-1 record in eight games pitched with a 6.14 ERA after picking up his first career win over Buffalo last week.  In 22 innings of work, Loftin has amassed 25 strikeouts. As a staff Akron holds a 6.42 ERA with 278 strikeouts on the year and are just four Ks away from matching last year’s total of 282.                                                                        

Scouting Miami (Ohio)

The Redhawks enter the contest with a 23-18 overall mark and 11-7 record in the Mid-American Conference where they are third in the East Division. The Redhawks picked up a come-from-behind baseball 8-7 win on Wednesday over Eastern Kentucky to extend its current winning streak to three games. Miami dropped the first game of a three-game set against Bowling Green, 18-15 before taking the series from the Falcons with 15-10 and 14-12 victories in the high-scoring series.

The Redhawks are led by senior infielder Tommy Nurre who leads the lineup in hitting this season with a .379 batting average. Nurre has knocked 58 hits, including the second-most doubles on the squad with 14 doubles and team-high nine home runs and has the second-most RBIs on the season with 37. Sophomore outfielder Adam Eaton currently sits second on the Miami lineup with a .378 clip, tallying 59 hits with 11 doubles, five triples and eight homers on the year.  Jordan Petraitis is third in batting average on the season with a .352 clip, registering 56 hits with 10 doubles, three triples and five round-trippers while also leading the Redhawks in RBI’s with 40. As a team Miami is hitting .314 with 471 hits, including 96 doubles, 18 triples, 44 home runs and 292 RBIs.

On the hill for Miami, senior lefty Matt Earwood (4-2, 4.83) paces the staff with 54 innings pitched, tallying a team-high 44 strikeouts while allowing 29 earned runs on 70 hits this season. Sophomore lefty Tyler Melling (4-1, 5.25) has surrendered 51 hits and 28 earned runs, fanning 31 batters in 48 innings pitched. Freshman righty Jordan Jankowski (5-1, 4.05) has thrown 33.1 innings on the year, surrendering 15 earned runs on 28 hits, striking out 33 batters on the year. Miami’s pitching staff holds a combined ERA of 5.67, having surrendered 430 hits while picking up 264 strikeouts and have given up 158 walks and 226 earned runs in 359 innings pitched.

The annual Diamond Classic For Kids between Akron and MAC rival Kent State is up next for Akron and will be held on Tuesday, May 5 at 6 pm at Canal Park. All proceeds benefit the Akron Children’s Hospital and Coach Bangtson and the baseball team would appreciate your support!