The Malone University baseball team makes the short trip to North Canton this weekend for a crucial three-game series against Walsh University beginning with a nine-inning game on Friday, April 20th at 4:00 pm followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, April 21st starting at 1:00 pm. The two squads enter the weekend with identical 12-6 records in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) as they share fourth place in the North Division standings.
 
GameDay
4/20 Malone at Walsh – 4:00 pm
4/21 Malone at Walsh (DH) – 1:00 pm
Twitter: @BaseballMaloneU
 
Series History
The Pioneers are 83-47 in 130 all-time meetings with the Cavaliers, but are just 2-6 over the last two seasons.

Team Comparison

Malone	Category	Walsh
23-13 (12-6 G-MAC)	Record	19-14 (12-6 G-MAC)
.286	Avg	.301
.392	OBP	.393
5.8	Runs/Gm	6.5
9	HR	35
70	SB	29
4.46	ERA	4.86
1.39	WHIP	1.52
7.5	K/9 IP	6.9

Malone Notes - Roster | Schedule | Stats

• Freshman Turner Hill, who gets his first taste of the rivalry this weekend, is hitting a team-high .353 in G-MAC this season. He leads the team and ranks 8th in the conference with a .452 on-base percentage this season.
• Sophomore leadoff Nate Cobb is 10th in the G-MAC with a .449 OBP as he ranks second with 29 walks. He also ranks second in the league in stolen bases (24) and sixth in runs scored (33).
• Hill and Cobb have effectively set the table for cleanup hitter Austin White, who leads the team with 12 RBI in conference play. White, coming off of a two-hit game at Gannon, is batting .326 and leads the team with a .474 slugging percentage.
• Junior catcher Matt Noel has reached base safely in 13 straight games. Noel went 8-for-12 (.667) and hit his first collegiate homerun against Walsh last season.
• First baseman Todd Ropp, a .325 hitter, comes into the series on a five-game hitting streak. He has seven RBI and six runs scored over the stretch.
• Senior starting pitchers Roscoe Blackburn (6-2, 1.62 ERA, 51 K, 61.0 IP) and Joshua Hurford (3-3, 2.17 ERA, 40 K, 6 BB, 0.88 WHIP) will look to bounce back after both suffering losses to Ohio Dominican last weekend. Blackburn has never started a game against Walsh. Hurford held the Cavs to two runs over six innings in a 2016 win.
• Sophomore starter Eric Mullet went five strong innings while striking out seven as a freshman in Malone's win over Walsh last season. This season, Mullet is 5-0 and leads the G-MAC with a 1.45 ERA. He's struck out 50 in 49.2 innings.
• Sophomore Christian Specht (2-1, 4.18 ERA) has emerged as the Pioneer closer, earning saves in three of his last four outings.
• The Pioneers are 22-1 when leading after six innings this season, 20-6 when they score first, and 16-2 when they out-hit their opponents. Malone is, however, just 1-4 in true road games.
   

Walsh Notes - Roster | Schedule | Stats

• The Cavaliers are 12-3 at home this season and they enter the week with wins in five straight conference games. During those five wins, the Cavs are averaging 11.6 runs per game.
• First baseman Andrew Czech (.404, 12 HR, 38 RBI), centerfielder Eric Conner (.398, 8 HR, 38 RBI), and third baseman Avery Janning (.362, 7 HR, 34 RBI) anchor the Walsh lineup. Czech leads the G-MAC, and is 4th in DII, in slugging percentage (.849) while Janning is the defending G-MAC North Player of the Week.
• Righthanders Nick Bebout (4-0, 2.82 ERA) and Hyatt Shenefield (3-2, 3.65 ERA) lead a Walsh pitching staff that ranks first in the conference in fewest walks per nine innings.