ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Oakland baseball team opens Horizon League play on their fourth consecutive road swing with a four-game series at Northern Kentucky. The Golden Grizzlies and Norse play single game on Friday, Mar. 5 at 2 p.m. followed by doubleheader on Saturday, Mar. 13 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and the series finale on Sunday, Mar. 14 at noon. All four games will be broadcast live from Bill Aker Baseball Complex on ESPN+.
 
NOTES:
Oakland Projected Rotation:
Game 1: #19 RHP Brandon Deans
Game 2: #4 RHP Hayden Nierman or #42 RHP Andrew Hill
Game 3: #32 RHP Bryce Konitzer
Game 4: #27 LHP Travis Densmore
 
Northern Kentucky Projected Rotation:
Game 1: LHP Ben Gerl
Game 2: RHP Kyle Klingenbeck
Game 3: LHP Blaine Walters
Game 4: LHP Noah Richardson
 
TOPS IN THE NATION IN TRIPLES:
- Oakland is in a four-way tie leading the nation in total triples with seven by five different players. Josh Dudden (2) and Brenton Phillips (2) lead the team followed by Luke Malmanger (1), Jared Miller (1) and Cam Post (1). Arizona, UNC Greensboro and Wichita State also have seven.
 
A LOOK AT THE NORSE:
- NKU is 2-9 on the season and 0-4 in Horizon League play after suffering a series sweep at league preseason favorite Wright State. Oakland is 11-13 over the last 24 games against NKU dropping the last four during the 2019 season. The last time the two teams met, Oakland's season ended in heartbreaking fashion with NKU scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to come from behind with a 9-8 win in the opening round of the 2019 Horizon League Tournament.
 
DEANS DEALIN' ON THE MOUND:
Brandon Deans tossed a gem on the mound picking up his second win of the season going the distance racking up 10 strikeouts allowing only one unearned run on four scattered hits for a 0.00 ERA with three walks in 7.0 innings pitched leading Oakland to a 2-1 game two win at Dayton to complete the doubleheader sweep (3/6). For his efforts, he was named United Wholesale Mortgage Student-Athlete of the Week.
 
- Deans is 2-0 on the season with 0.64 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and is tied for second on the team in strikeouts (13) and is also second in innings pitched (14.0). He picked up his first career win on the mound allowing only three hits and one earned run with a strikeout in 5.0 innings of work at Middle Tennessee State (2/23).
 
K'S IN KONITZER:
Bryce Konitzer leads the team in strikeouts (17) and innings pitched (15.0). He picked up his first win of the season with a solid outing going 6.0 innings allowing six scattered hits, two earned runs with five strikeouts to lead Oakland to a 10-5 series-clinching win (2/28) and went 5.0 innings, surrendering one run on four hits, walking two and striking out seven for the no-decision effort at Dayton (3/7).
 
LAST TIME OUT:
Oakland splits series at Dayton with doubleheader sweep:
- Andrew Hill and Hayden Nierman and each collected five strikeouts to help propel Oakland to a 5-3 win in the first leg of a doubleheader. Hill picked up his first win of the season going 4.0 innings allowing only two runs with one unearned. Nierman picked up his second save of the season going 3.0 innings allowing only one run.
 
- Oakland was paced by Lorenzo Elion, who went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Josh Dudden hit 1-for-3 with a double and a walk while Brenton Phillips added two walks and an RBI.
 
- Reagan Paulina went 2-for-3 with a double while hitting his first career home run in the seventh inning breaking a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning.
 
- For the series, Elion hit .417 going 5-for-12 with three RBI, a double, three runs, and three stolen bases. After going 2-for-4 in game one, Elion also went 2-for-4 in game two with a run and two walks while hitting a clutch two-run double in the top of the seventh to help secure Oakland's 5-3 win. He also went 1-for-3 with an RBI, run, and a pair of walks in the series finale.
 
SEASON REWIND:
Oakland secured their first series win of the season taking 3-of-4 games at Longwood:
- Cam Post hit .400 going 6-for-15 with seven RBI, four runs, a double, triple and nine total bases with a .600 slugging and .471 on-base percentage. Post recorded a hit in all four games and in game one, he was just a home run short of the cycle going 3-for-4 with an RBI single, two-run double, and two-run triple for five total RBI to lead Oakland to a dominating game one 12-0 win. Post also added two RBI in the series clinching 10-5 win (2/26).
 
- Travis Densmore picked up his first win of the season tossing 7.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts while allowing the first of only four scattered hits in the fifth inning en route to in the 12-0 series opening win at Longwood.
 
- Hayden Nierman picked up his first win of the season going 3.0 innings in relief allowing only two hits with no runs and two strikeouts while Andrew Hill picked up his first save of the season allowing only one hit with four strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work to lead Oakland to a 2-1 win in the game one double header (2/27).
 
- Will Nigut picked up the no-decision posting eight strikeouts allowing two runs on five scattered hits in 5.2 innings of work as the Golden Grizzlies fell in walk-off fashion, 3-2, to split the 7-inning doubleheader (2/27).
 
In the addition the post, the Golden Grizzlies had three other players who hit over .300 at Longwood in Blake Griffith (.375), Josh Dudden (.364) and Brenton Phillips (.357).
 
Oakland secures first win of the season at Middle Tennessee State:
- Tyler Trovinger went 3-for-3 with a home run, RBI and run scored while Brenton Phillips hit 2-for-5 with an RBI triple and run scored in game one as Oakland secured its first win of the season with a 5-2 decision at Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday. The win also marked the first career win for Head Coach Jordon Banfield. Hayden Nierman closed the door in relief holding the Blue Raiders hitless over 4.0 innings with three strikeouts to pick up his first save in an Oakland uniform.
 
- Trovinger led the Golden Grizzlies hitting .500 going 3-for-6 with a home run, RBI, run scored, six total bases with a 1.571 OPS, 1.000 slugging percentage and .571 on-base percentage in a three-game series at MTSU. In game two, Trovinger went 3-for-3 with a home run, RBI and run scored helping Oakland to its first win of the season.
 
- Josh Dudden ranked second on the team hitting .333 with a triple and 1.096 OPS at MTSU.
 
TEAM BREAKDOWN:
- Oakland only played 12 games with a 2-10 record during the 2020 season before it was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
- The Golden Grizzlies are under the direction of first-year Head Coach Jordon Banfield who came to Oakland from Akron. At 34 years, 170 days old, Banfield is the 16th youngest Division I head coach in the country. His staff consists of Assistant Pitching Coach, Dan McKinney, Assistant Coach Brian Nelson, Volunteer Assistant Coach Cooper Goen and Student Assistant Ethan Kulich.
 
- Oakland was picked to finish sixth in the 2021 Horizon League Baseball Preseason Poll announced by the league office on Wednesday and voted on by the league's seven head coaches. The Golden Grizzlies received 14 overall points.
 
- Sophomore newcomer and opening day starter Travis Densmore comes to Oakland all the way from Mesa, Arizona where 6'-1" left-hander spent last year at Gateway Community College where he made eight appearances posting 17 strikeouts in 31.1 innings of work.
 
- The Golden Grizzlies return the top four hitters from the 2020 shortened season. Senior Michael Stygles started all 12 games leading the team in hitting (.395), hits (15), RBI (8), with four runs, two doubles, a home run and six walks. Against Cincinnati, Stygles hit .455 going 5-for-11 with a home run, two runs scored, four walks and eight total bases with a .727 slugging percentage. In the series finale, he hit 3-for-3 and posted his first career home run.
 
- Senior Cam Post started in eight of 11 games ranking second on the team hitting .364 with 12 hits, two RBI, three runs, two doubles and five walks. Post recorded a hit in the first six games of the season and delivered the game-winning RBI single at Akron in the top of the sixth inning in game two which was shortened due to darkness.
 
- Redshirt senior Blake Griffith also returns after starting in all 12 games last season finishing third on the team at the plate hitting .310 with 13 hits, six runs and team-best eight RBI, two home runs and two doubles. He hit his first home run of the season at No. 8 Auburn
and posted a .600 average going 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run and five total bases with a 1.714 OPS and 1.000 slugging percentage in Oakland's two wins at Akron.
 
- During the 2019 season, Griffith played in 46 games with 42 starts at first base and designated hitter. He tied for the team lead in home runs (6), ranked second in RBI (31), slugging percentage (.457) and total bases (74), third in hits (46) and batting ave. (.284) and fifth in doubles (8).
 
- Redshirt senior Tyler Trovinger returned during the 2020 season starting all 12 games after missing the 2019 due to injury. Trovinger hit .263 with 10 hits, three RBI, five runs, one double and a team season-best 11 walks. In 2018, Trovinger started in all 46 games leading the team in home runs (5), ranking second in doubles (8) and RBI (28), with a triple and 22 runs while also finishing fifth in batting (.259).
 
- Senior Captain Dan Rutan returns on the mound after making four appearances with seven strikeouts last season. Rutan picked up the loss in his first career start with two strikeouts while allowing only two earned runs at No. 8 Auburn.
 
- Sophomore Matthew Nolin returns after making four appearances with two starts recording a team second-best 13 strikeouts in 10.1 innings pitched. Nolin went 3.0 innings allowing only one hit with a team-high five strikeouts in relief at No. 8 Auburn.
 
- Senior relief pitcher Justyn Schoening also returns after making four appearances last season with four strikeouts in only 3.0 innings of work.
 
- Overall, Oakland has plenty of leadership with 11 seniors and two graduate students on the roster. The roster also includes 12 junior college transfers, six sophomores and seven freshmen.
 
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