Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Closes Road Slate at Michigan
5/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
| NORTHWESTERN Wildcats (15-33) MICHIGAN Wolverines (29-20) | |
| Date | Time | Friday, May 8 (5 p.m. CST) Saturday, May 9 (11 a.m. CST) Sunday, May 10 (12 a.m. CST) |
| Location | Wilpon Complex | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Media |
Game 1: Watch | GameTracker Game 2: Big Ten Network | GameTracker Game 3: Watch | GameTracker |
| Social | @NUCatsBaseball | @NU_SportsLIVE |
| Pitching Matchups | Game 1: RHP Brandon Magallones (3-4, 6.01 ERA) vs. LHP Evan Hill (0-1, 5.40 ERA) Game 2: LHP Matt Portland (2-6, 3.81 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Nutof (4-3, 2.95 ERA) Game 3:LHP Reed Mason (2-8, 5.74 ERA) vs. LHP Brett Adcock (6-4, 3.77 ERA) |
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
• Michigan enters the weekend with a 29-20 overall record and 12-9 Big Ten mark.
• The Wolverines are fresh off a midweek set that saw a 1-1 split against UIC and Central Michigan. Michigan was shutout at UIC 7-0 before defeating Central Michigan 6-5 in 10 innings.
• Michigan has only lost four games at home this spring.
• The Wolverines lead the Big Ten in batting average (.297), on-base percentage (.385), hits (497) and doubles (105) heading into Friday's game.
• On the mound, U-M is seventh in ERA (3.70) and is second in strikeouts (390).
• Sophomore Carmen Benedetti leads the Big Ten in doubles (22) and RBI (55) and is second in hits (67) and batting average (.366). Senior Jackson Glines is fourth in batting average (.362) and ranks second in the league in on-base percentage (.459).
PORTLAND NAMED BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK
For the first time this season, a Northwestern Wildcat has been named the Big Ten pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday. This week's accolade goes to junior Matt Portland, who shut down Nebraska on Saturday, May 2. This marks the first weekly honor for the Victor, N.Y., native.
The high-powered Huskers entered the weekend with the second highest RPI ranking in the conference and sat just below Ohio State at No. 12, but that did not deter the junior southpaw.
Portland tossed 132 pitches in his 12th start this spring to fire his first career complete-game shutout. He tied a career-best eight strikeouts and walked just one batter to boost Northwestern to a 5-0 win over the Huskers.
HOME SWEET HOME
Northwestern finally returned home to the newly renovated Rocky Miller Park on Tuesday, April 21, when it hosted Milwaukee in its home opener. The Wildcats played 37 road games before opening play in Evanston. NU is 9-18 in true road games this year and is currently 4-7 at home.
DOUBLING UP
Junior Zach Jones ranks second in the Big Ten with 20 doubles so far this spring. Fifth-year senior Scott Heelan sits fourth with 17, while classmate Kyle Ruchim is fifth (16). As a team, the Wildcats are second in the league with 103 doubles on the year and average 2.36 doubles per game to rank 11th in the country.
SUPER SCOTT
Super senior Scott Heelan has been a key contributor to the Wildcats' offense this spring. Hitting .342, he has only struck out nine times in 187 at bats this year, to rank him as the fifth toughest batter to strike out in the country.
ZACH ATTACK
Junior first baseman Zach Jones has played a critical role in the Wildcats' offense this year. The Glenview, Ill., native is hitting .326 and has tallied 23 runs on 63 hits, including 28 RBI and 20 doubles. On March 20, Jones tied a school record for hits in a single game when he recorded seven against UNLV. Jones hit his first career home run in a 9-5 win over Milwaukee on Tuesday, April 21.
HOT BATS
Northwestern ranks among the Big Ten top five in multiple offensive categories including second in doubles (103) and hits (488), and fourth batting average (.276). On Sunday, March 29, the Wildcats clinched their first Big Ten series with a commanding 19-7 win over Minnesota. The 19 runs scored were the most by NU since 2006 when the squad edged past Illinois in a 19-18 slugfest. The Wildcats have registered double-digit hits in 26 games this year.
MILESTONE MAGS'
Senior Brandon Magallones recorded his 200th-career strikeout in a 19-7 win over Minnesota (March 29). The right-handed pitcher earned the win after pitching five innings and fanning five batters. On Friday, April 17th, Magallones pitched seven shutout innings and cracked Northwestern all-time top 10 for career strikeouts against Iowa. The senior now sits eighth all-time with 218 career strikeouts.
NEXT UP FOR THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats will host Maryland, beginning Thursday, May 14, for their regular-season finale.
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