ROCHESTER, Mich. – Taking identical 16-11 marks in Horizon League play into the series opener, the Golden Grizzlies and Northern Kentucky Norse will square off in a three-game set at the Oakland Baseball Field from Thursday-Saturday, May 18-20.

This 16-11 record in conference action is good to tie the Golden Grizzlies and Norse for second place in the Horizon League standings, behind only the Wright State Raiders at 21-6.

In addition to wanting to close the regular season on a high note, the 2-seed has the added benefit of not playing until Thursday, May 25 in the upcoming Horizon League Tournament, while the 3-seed will begin play the day before, battling the 6-seed on Wednesday, May 24.

SERIES SETUP

• Who – Oakland Golden Grizzlies (25-28, 16-11 Horizon League) vs. Northern Kentucky Norse (28-23, 16-11 Horizon League)
• When – Thursday, May 18 at 2:30 p.m., Friday, May 19 at 2:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 20 at 2 p.m.
• Where – Rochester, Michigan (Oakland Baseball Field)
• Watch – Thursday and Friday will air live on ESPN+ (subscription required) | Thursday's Link | Friday's Link
• Live Stats – GoldenGrizzlies.com
• Twitter – @OaklandBSB & @NKUNorseBSB

SERIES HISTORY

• Overall Record – Northern Kentucky leads, 22-18 (2016-23)
• Record in Rochester – Series tied, 7-7 (2016-22)
• Last 10 Meetings – Series tied, 5-5 (2021-23)
• Current Streak – Norse W4 (2022-23)

SCHEDULED STARTING PITCHERS
Thursday

• Oakland – Sophomore RHP Hunter Pidek: 12 games (11 starts), 2-2, 4.03 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, .250 BAA, 60.1 IP, 58 H, 27 ER, 14 BB, 49 SO
• Northern Kentucky – Junior RHP Clay Brock: 15 games (9 starts), 5-3, 3.95 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .273 BAA, 70.2 IP, 75 H, 31 ER, 13 BB, 53 SO

Friday

• Oakland – Redshirt senior RHP Sean Fekete: 13 games (6 starts), 3-2, 7.68 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .297 BAA, 41 IP, 51 H, 35 ER, 23 BB, 27 SO
• Northern Kentucky – Junior LHP Ben Gerl: 13 starts, 4-4, 5.20 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, .301 BAA, 71 IP, 89 H, 41 ER, 22 BB, 62 SO

Saturday

• Oakland – Senior LHP Travis Densmore: 13 starts, 5-5, 5.66 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, .285 BAA, 62 IP, 70 H, 39 ER, 26 BB, 49 SO
• Northern Kentucky – Sophomore RHP Kaden Echeman: 13 starts, 5-2, 4.55 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, .265 BAA, 63.1 IP, 65 H, 32 ER, 28 BB, 74 SO

OAKLAND OVERVIEW

• While the Golden Grizzlies were defeated by the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 17-8, on Tuesday, May 16, Oakland had put together a season-best six-game win streak before that, which included an #HLBASE sweep of the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons
• Accomplished with a 1-2 night against Eastern Michigan, junior right fielder Lucas Loos has raised his batting average to .301 (25-83), the third-best mark on the club
• Pidek has completed at least five innings in six-straight outings, turning in three quality starts over this span, including his last time out against Purdue Fort Wayne on May 11, a six-inning, one-run performance that saw him earn his second victory of the year

NORTHERN KENTUCKY OVERVIEW

• In his second season at the helm and his 19^th on the Northern Kentucky staff, the Norse are led by head coach Dizzy Peyton
• Dating to the middle of their three-game set with the Youngstown State Penguins on May 13, Northern Kentucky will bring a three-contest losing streak into play Thursday, the most recent of which being an 18-5 loss at the hands of the Atlantic Coast Conference's (ACC) Louisville Cardinals on Tuesday
• Belting 11, 13 and 17, respectively, Wapakoneta, Ohio senior third baseman Manny Vorhees, Mason, Ohio junior first baseman Liam McFadden-Ackman and Madison Heights fifth-year senior shortstop Noah Fisher have combined to hit 75.9 percent (41/54) of Norse home runs this season