EMU hires new top man for baseball

Eastern Michigan has hired Jay Alexander to run the resurgent EMU men's baseball program as former head man Jake Boss left for Michigan State after only a year. Mr. Alexander comes to Ypsilanti from Wayne State where he compiled a 161-148 record. He also took Wayne State to the NCAA Division II regional championship game, and a 34-19 record overall this past year.

Alexander was a standout player for Wayne State in the mid-90's. We wish him nothing but the best. EMU as you'll recall are riding a two year consecutive MAC tournament and MAC West regular season title win streak.

EMU Head baseball coach Jake Boss is now the former EMU baseball coach

Jake is off to bigger (not better) things as he has been named top man at Michigan State. This is not surprising, Jake Boss is one helluva good baseball coach. It should validate his hiring by EMU Athletic Director Dr. Derrick Gragg. He was indeed the right man to take over for the disgraced Roger Coryell.

Boss ended his single season at Eastern Michigan with an overall record of 25-34, 15-8 in the MAC West. Boss led EMU to both the regular season and tournament titles.

We wish him well and it's too bad his stay in Ypsilanti couldn't have been longer. Boss will be announced at MSU head man in a presser this morning in East Lansing.

Chris Hoiles, you're up.....

EMU bows out of the NCAA baseball tourney with a 4-3 loss to Kentucky

EMU fought hard, even outhitting the Kentucky side 9-7 but on the left side of the ledger where it matters it was Kentucky one better today. Whereas yesterday the pitching gave up too many runs, today the pitching was excellent. Matt Shoemaker went 7 and a third strong innings giving up 7 hits, striking out 4 and walking only 1. EMU's offense was paced by Steve Bradshaw and Jeff Davis. Senior Andrew Albers was most effective in relief for Kentucky. Eastern finishes up the 2008 campaign with a 25-34 record and back to back MAC crowns.

So Kentucky's Wildcats await the loser of tonight's 7 pm tilt between Michigan and Arizona. That'll be the first game on the morrow.

NCAA baseball regionals tomorrow at U-M

Buy Johnny some peanuts and Cracker Jack, we're talking college baseball and specifically the regional starting tomorrow featuring Eastern Michigan, Michigan, Kentucky and Arizona. Eastern Michigan plays Arizona's Wildcats at 2 pm and Michigan plays Kentucky's Wildcats (what, couldn't Northern Michigan have been invited too?) at 7 pm.

#1 seed Arizona actually started out ranked #2 overall at the beginning of the season. They finished 38-17 (12-12 Pac-10, fourth place). Fourth place? Seriously? And they are the #1 seed here?

#2 Michigan won the Big Ten and has Big Ten player of the Year 1B Nate Recknagel. Michigan finished 45-12 (26-5 Big Ten, first place).

#3 Kentucky who starts a Canton product, Chris Rusin, started the season at 19-0 before finishing at 42-17 (16-14 SEC, third place in East Division).

#4 Eastern Michigan started the season the opposite way of Kentucky, at 0-17 before rallying to win both the MAC West regular season title and the MAC tournament. EMU finished at 25-32 (15-8 Mid-American Conference, first place in West Division).

OK, we like Michigan to beat Kentucky. Michigan is a solid offensive team, has been playing extremely well of late, get to sleep in their own beds and play at home. We also like EMU to spring a huge upset over Arizona in game 1. Why? Simple, EMU has been tearing the hide off of the ball and if you think Eastern is going to see Arizona's top two pitchers in what to them is a walkover game, you're fooling yourself. Arizona will save their aces for later games vs teams they think will give them trouble. We're not picking EMU to come out of this region (we pick Michigan) but we DO think they can steal game 1. Incidentally this would set up a game between U-M and Eastern, their third this year, one was close, won by the Wolverines on a Nate Recknagel walkoff home run and Michigan destroyed EMU in the other. Hey, Eastern beat Arizona last year after all so why not tomorrow?

Michigan to win the region, EMU to upset Arizona in game 1. Past that you're gonna have to watch.

All games are being played at the University of Michigan's Wilpon Baseball Complex. Ticket info available HERE

Eastern Michigan AND U-M both start the NCAA baseball tourney Friday, in Ann Arbor

More on this later in the week but the four team in Ann Arbor this weekend's regional action are #1 Arizona who will play #4 seed EMU at 2 pm Friday and #2 seed Michigan vs #3 seed Kentucky at 7 pm. Winners play winners and losers play losers in this double elimination event.

Eastern Michigan baseball--MAC CHAMPIONS!! NCAA Tounament here we come!

EMU started the season 0-17. That's not very good ya know? 0-17. Cripes. But it's not how ya start, it's how you finish and EMU won the MAC West regular season crown and by merit of a 12-4 pasting of Kent State, they have won the MAC Tournament title as well and are off to the NCAA Tournament. Eastern won their fourth tournament title and first since 2003. Eastern skipper Jake Boss becomes only the second MAC head coach to win the title in their first year. Zack Leonard hit a home run so hard it almost knocked the scoreboard over.

Eastern Michigan will await the NCAA tournament show on ESPN2 tomorrow at 7 pm to find out their fate.

ROCK ON!

AND some pics from EMU's 6-5 victory over Western

Which means a SWEEP of the Sissy Broncos and Eastern Michigan is now 9-2 in MAC West play, alone in first.

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention the softball win yesterday

The softball team bounced the Zips of Akron yesterday in the second game of their doubleheader 7-1. Heather Han mashed a three run home run in the second inning and Eastern was in control after that. Jaclyn Caro went the distance for the win, even after taking a nasty looking shot off her leg. Eastern improved to 10-23 overall and 2-6 in the MAC.

EMU is at home for a single game today at 2 pm at Varsity Field. It's also alumni day today.

Eastern's baseball team also won yesterday at Oestrike Stadium vs those sissy Broncos from Western Michigan 5-4. Junior Sean Hoffman picked up the win and 5 different EMU players had RBI's. EMU is home as well this afternoon at 3 pm.

Eastern Michigan baseball is now 8-2 in MAC play

Yeah, we saw that

Once in awhile you can let a bad loss slide when you write a blog and cover a team or a season in a blog kinda way like we do here. EMU's softball team lost 11-1 to Notre Dame a while back and ya know, you let it go and try to be positive.

We can't do that at Eastern Michigan tonight. The baseball team lost to Michigan 20-5 and the softball team were victims of the mercy rule by Michigan 11-0. That's not good. At all. Coaches never lose a blowout nor really factor in them. It's not really our place to try to rally the troops (or maybe it is) and say you're BETTER than that. We hope we're not THAT far behind Michigan. There were some tournament champs here last year.

Johnny spent every summer from the time he was 5 until he was 18 in a dugout traveling somewhere. You all have 24 hours to get it out of your systems and then kick somebody's ass this weekend.

EMU and Michigan to face off on the diamond today and tomorrow

Eastern Michigan will make the long trek down Washtenaw Avenue to play Michigan today and tomorrow at Fischer Stadium on the campus of U-M.

Gametime today is at 6:30 pm and the first pitch tomorrow is at 3:05. No, PM

Eastern Michigan will also head back into MAC play this weekend hosting Western Michigan in a triple header of action. EMU will host the sissy Broncos Friday, Saturday and if that weren't enough, Sunday as well. Respective gametimes at Oestrike Stadium will be Friday at 6, Saturday at 3 and Sunday at 1.

EMU is 10-22 overall and yet 7-2 in MAC play.

Despite the temperatures, EMU baseball is hot hot hot

Even today, at Oestrike Stadium on a miserable day (Johnny drove by toying with the idea but had groceries in the car), when the Ypsilanti 9 beat Miami (O) (And Miami come back when you learn how to play baseball) 3-2 in 11 innings. What a day for a few innings of free baseball. Senior Jeff Davis sent the fans home happy knocking in the winning run.

EMU has won five in a row and took the weekend series in a sweep over Miami (O) by also winning both games yesterday. Eastern is 3-0 in the MAC and 5-17 overall.

EMU is at Cleveland State Tuesday and at MSU on Wednesday this week.

But WHY?! Eastern Michigan cancels weekend baseball games at Oestrike Stadium

The weekend Easter baseball series between EMU and Kent State's Golden Flushes has been postponed.

Apparently Uggs don't make an effective baseball cleat.

Is a storm swirling around EMU's head baseball coach Roger Coryell?

According to reports, Eastern Michigan University head baseball coach Roger Coryell, has violated his contract by using his university computer to send "a series of inappropriate messages" to a players mother.

Yikes, this does not end well at all YCD thinks.

EMU Athletic Director Derrick Gragg sent Coryell a disciplinary letter which outlined the transgressions and was obtained by the Ann Arbor News via a Freedom of Information Act request.

In Gragg's letter, he claims Coryell violated his contract by "violating the rights of a student-athlete" while also engaging in an act of misconduct". Both are fireable offenses. Coryell remains on unpaid leave from the University.

YCD, and big supporter of EMU baseball, will keep you updated.