Blue & Gold Weekend Features Akron Hosting Rivalry Series

Blue & Gold Weekend Features Akron Hosting Rivalry Series
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Akron battles the the rival to the east as Kent State visits Skeeles Field for a four-game Mid-American Conference series on Friday through Sunday, April 29–May 1.

Akron Zips [11-29, 9-19 MAC] vs Kent State [15-20, 10-12 MAC]
Friday-Sunday, April 29-May 1 | Skeeles Field | Akron, Ohio

GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats - https://bit.ly/3efnu22

Watch GM1 – https://gozips.com/watch/
Watch GM4 – https://gozips.com/watch/

WHAT'S AHEAD
Akron baseball continues Mid-American Conference play after securing its ninth league win, eclipsing the Zips MAC win total from last season with a 9-19 mark. Akron is 11-29 overall and hosts Kent State for the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge on Friday through Saturday, April 29-May 1 at Skeeles Field. First pitch on Friday, April 29 is slated for 3 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, April 30, and the series finale on Sunday, May 1, both days starting at noon. Fans can watch Friday's and Saturday's game on Zips Digital Network and follow all four games via live stats on GoZips.com.

Under the guidance of third-year head coach Chris Sabo, the Zips look to end a five-game setback streak, falling in four games to top-ranked Central Michigan and No. 12 Baldwin Wallace.

Akron is hitting .245 as a team with 303 hits, including a .243 in league average with 204 hits. Justin Barr (Pensacola, Fla.) returned to the line-up after a hamstring injury and is hitting a team-best .325 in league played through 11 games. He is 13-for-40 with seven RBI and five runs scored. Freshman Cameron Benson (Farmington Hills, Mich.) adds with .277 BA, distributing second-best 26 hits in 94 at-bats with a team-high three homeruns and five doubles and14 RBI with 12 runs scored. Graduate student Nick Arrivo (Ann Arbor, Mich.) owns .274 BA on with a second-best 26 hits in 95 at-bats, including one homerun, three doubles with 13 RBI and 10 runs scored. Senior Bryant Shellenbarger (Mount Vernon, Ohio) owns a team-high 27 hits in league play with a .267 BA, including a homerun, two triples and three doubles for 16 RBI and 10 runs scored.

The Series
Last season, the Kent State claimed 3-of-5 games The Zips won the final game of the season, 9-6.

Kent State Golden Flashes
Kent State won their last two-game winning streak in a series split with Miami. The Flashes are 15-20 on the season and 10-12 in MAC play. Kent State is hitting .301 as a team in league play with 41 homeruns to lead the MAC. Josh Johnson (.357), Collin Mathews (.323) and Justin Kirby (.294) lead the Flashes with 30 hits each. Mathews and Kirby have six homeruns each, while Michael McNamara owns a team-best seven bombs.

MAC PREDICTIONS
Central Michigan was selected to win the 2022 Mid-American Conference title in a preseason poll conducted by the league's 11 head coaches.

The MAC baseball season begins on Friday, February 18, while conference play starts up Friday, March 11. For more information visit getsomemaction.com or follow the MAC on Twitter at @MACSports.

2022 MAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Michigan — 115 points (6 first place votes)
2. Ball State — 103 points (1)
3. Kent State — 102 points (2)
4. Western Michigan - 75 points
5. Toledo — 73 points (1)
6. Miami — 68 points (1)
7. Ohio — 58 points
8. Eastern Michigan - 45 points
9. Bowling Green — 40 points
10. Northern Illinois — 36 points
11. Akron — 11 points

Tournament Champions: Central Michigan (4), Kent State (3), Ball State (2), Miami (1), Toledo (1)

Blue & Gold Weekend Features Akron Hosting Rivalry Series

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Players Mentioned

Nick Arrivo

Justin Barr

Cameron Benson

Bryant Shellenbarger

The University of Akron Athletics