ROCHESTER, Mich. – Taking two of three from the Milwaukee Panthers in weekend Horizon League action from March 31-April 2 to bring their second win total into the double-digits, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies will continue their 10-game homestand by battling the Mid-American Conference's (MAC) Central Michigan Chippewas at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4.



GAME SETUP

• Who – Oakland (10-16, 4-5 Horizon League) vs. Central Michigan (14-12, 5-4 MAC)
• When – Tuesday, April 4 at 2:30 p.m.
• Where – Rochester, Michigan (Oakland Baseball Field)
• Live Stats – goldengrizzlies.com
• Twitter – @OaklandBSB & @CMUBaseball

SERIES HISTORY

• Overall Record – Central Michigan leads, 27-5 (2000-22)
• Record in Rochester – Chippewas lead, 12-3 (2000-22)
• Current Streak – Central Michigan W11 (2016-22)

STARTING PITCHERS

• Oakland – TBA
• Central Michigan – TBA

OAKLAND OVERVIEW

• Their series victory over Milwaukee was the Golden Grizzlies' second in three Horizon League sets thus far
• Tuesday will be the fourth game against a MAC opponent for Oakland in 2023, as the Golden Grizzlies have previously split a pair of meetings with the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks and fell to the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 7-5, in their March 28 home opener
• The only Oakland player to play in every game this season, redshirt senior shortstop Thomas Green is also the lone Golden Grizzly hitting above .300 at .301 (31-103)
• Graduate student first baseman Gabe Lux ranks second in the Horizon League with 10 doubles, a total that paces Oakland
• Tallying five hits over the first two games of the series with the Panthers, including a career-high four on April 1, graduate student utilityman Jared Miller has raised his batting average 39 points over the last three games to .222 (16-72)

CENTRAL MICHIGAN OVERVIEW

• In their fifth season under head coach Jordan Bischel, the Chippewas have made the last three NCAA Tournaments to be held (2019, 2021 and 2022), bookending those appearances with a pair of MAC Tournament championships
• Beginning league play by winning consecutive series with the Ohio Bobcats and Kent State Golden Flashes before dropping their most recent set with the Bowling Green Falcons, Central Michigan is currently in fourth place in the MAC, two games behind the league-leading Ball State Cardinals in the loss column
• One of two Chippewas above .300, graduate student left fielder Garrett Navarra is Central Michigan's leading hitter at .314 (27-86), followed by junior right fielder Jacob Donahue at .306 (22-72)
• Switch-hitting graduate student shortstop Justin Simpson, the only Chippewa to start all 26 games, is slashing .245/.393/.306 with two doubles, a pair of triples and nine stolen bases in 10 attempts
• Orland Park, Illinois graduate student left-hander Ryan Palmblad has been Bischel's top option out of the bullpen, appearing in a team-high 13 games and racking up four saves, which ties him with Jenison sophomore righty Nate Ross for most on the club