CANTON, Ohio -- The Malone University baseball program is back in town this weekend, albeit to host a home series at their third different home venue this year. The Pioneers welcome in Ohio Dominican University for a four-game Great Midwest Athletic Conference series.
The entire series will be played at Canal Park in Akron. Canal Park is the home stadium of the Cleveland Indians' AA affiliate, the Akron Rubberducks.
The Matchup: Ohio Dominican University Panthers (13-5, 5-5 G-MAC) vs Malone University Pioneers (9-14, 4-12 G-MAC)
Where: Akron, Ohio - Canal Park
When: Friday - 1:00 p.m. (DH) | Saturday - 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Live Stats: Great Midwest Digital Network
Live Video: Great Midwest Digital Network
Tickets: Akron Rubberducks Ticket Office
COVID-19 PROTOCOLS
Malone University is required to abide by the Akron Rubberducks' COVID-19 guidelines.
All guests at Canal Park will be required to wear a cloth or disposal surgical type face covering/mask at ALL times except while eating and drinking while in ones designated seat. Eating and drinking is not permitted outside designated seating areas. Guests experiencing COVID-related symptoms will be asked not to attend events at Canal Park. Face coverings must be well-fitting to fully cover the wearer's mouth and nose.
Guests will be seated in a manner which allows the practice of social distancing (pods). Guests attending as a group/family who chose to sit together may do so. Groups are encouraged to consist of people who have been in past or frequent contact with other group members. There will be a minimum of 6' of distance between each party of guests.
MALONE-OHIO DOMINICAN ALL-TIME SERIES
These two teams have met 120 times prior to this weekend's series. The Pioneers hold a comfortable 68-52 record in the all-time series.
ODU won the last meeting, a G-MAC Tournament elimination game in May of 2019.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE PIONEERS
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Clay Cooper was phenomenal in game one of last weekend's series at Tiffin. He pitched 7.0 innings of scoreless baseball to improve his ERA to a team-best 2.83. His seven strikeouts pushed his season number out to 44, the second-most in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
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Danny Miller came in from the bullpen on Friday, and had one of his best outings of the year. He finished off the final 2.0 innings to pick up the save and complete the shutout.
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Tyson Gingerich has been red-hot at the plate as of late. He leads the team with a .345 batting average. His 29 hits on the year is sixth-best in the league. He is also fourth in the conference with 24 runs scored this year.
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The Pioneer pitching staff as a whole is second in the conference with 195 strikeouts. Only Hillsdale College (199) has more. Clay Cooper (44), Cooper Davies (33) and Tommy Walker (27) all have more than 20 punchouts this year, and there are nine total pitchers who have at least double-digit strikeouts.
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Offensively for Malone Evan Balzano was 4-6 in the first doubleheader at Tiffin. He had two hits in each game. He also had a pair of RBIs on the afternoon, and now is one of four Malone players who have double-digit RBI totals on the season.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
ODU enters play after winning 3 of 4 games against Cedarville this past weekend. The Panthers also hold a pair of G-MAC wins over Hillsdale.
ODU is hitting .296 as a team, and their pitching staff has a 5.16 ERA. Sophomore RHP Grayson Hamilton leads the G-MAC with a 1.57 ERA.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Pioneers will play their final scheduled non-conference game of the 2021 season next week. Malone travels to the University of Akron on Wednesday for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Malone University athletic programs this year follow the Pioneers on Twitter and Instagram, like Malone University Athletics on Facebook or visit malonepioneers.com.
