ROCHESTER, Mich. – Head coach
Brian Nelson and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies are back on the road for another Horizon League series this weekend at Northern Kentucky. Action in Highland Heights kicks off Friday, April 24 at 12 p.m. ET. Brady Laber will have the ESPN+ call at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex for Friday's game.
Oakland dropped a pair of midweek contests at the Oakland Baseball Field, falling to Central Michigan, 11–6, on Tuesday before coming up just short in an extra-inning battle against Eastern Michigan, 11–10, on Wednesday.
Against the Chippewas, the Golden Grizzlies totaled 11 hits, highlighted by a four-hit, three-RBI performance from
Sam Griffith and a home run from
Tony Konopiots, but Central Michigan used a strong offensive showing to pull away late. Oakland responded with a resilient effort the following day against Eastern Michigan, erasing a five-run deficit and tying the game in the eighth inning behind four-hit performances from
Ben Clark and
Carter Hain and a two-run homer from
Kyle Revere. The Eagles ultimately secured the deciding run on a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning to seal the midweek sweep. Despite the pair of setbacks, Oakland's offense continued to produce consistently across both games, combining for 21 runs and 26 hits while showing late-game fight heading into the weekend slate.
OU topped both in-state Big Ten opponents in midweeks this season for the first time since 2016. The Golden Grizzlies beat Michigan in an exciting comeback, 7-6, on March 24 before taking care of Michigan State in East Lansing, 11-9, on April 9.
The Golden Grizzlies are third in the Horizon League with a team batting average of .264, as redshirt-junior Sam Griffith leads OU with a .338 average with 23 hits in 68 plate appearances. From the mound, sophomore Andrew Landis leads the Oakland starters with a 4.05 ERA in 10 appearances, drawing up 11 strikeouts and a save.
SCOUTING THE NORSE
Posting 17-22 overall, Northern Kentucky is set at 6-9 in the Horizon League, winning series against OU and Youngstown State thus far in the season. The Norse are coming off of being swept at Milwaukee, dropping game three 15-9 after being down 12-0 by the second inning. Redshirt-senior Marcus Harrison leads the NKU offense with a .338 average at the plate, collecting 44 hits and 54 total bases on the season. From the bullpen, redshirt-junior Gannon Wentz is showcasing a 3.24 ERA in 10 relief appearances as he dawns a 1-2 record in 25.0 inning pitched.
After going 2-1 in the series at the Den in March, NKU holds the upper edge with a 32-28 all-time record against the Golden Grizzlies. Last year, Oakland went 2-1 in both series home and away with Northern Kentucky before falling to them as the No. 2 seed in double-elimination in the Horizon League Tournament.
How to Follow Oakland Baseball: For complete information on Oakland Baseball, follow the team on X at @OaklandBSB and head coach Brian Nelson at @CoachNelly11. The team is also on Instagram.
