RICHMOND, Ky. – The baseball team is set to play its first home games of the 2024 season with a 3-game series against Oakland University starting Friday at Earle Combs Stadium.
 
Friday's series opener is set to begin at 4 p.m.  Game two of the series on Saturday is also a 4 p.m. start.  The finale on Sunday will get underway at 1 p.m.  Friday and Sunday's games will air live on ESPN+. 
 
There will be a poster giveaway and Baseball Bingo during Friday's contest, with the first three winners taking home EKU baseball mini bats.  There will be a button giveaway on Saturday.  Sunday is Kids Day and a beanie giveaway.  All kids 12 and under will receive FREE admission and can run the bases after the game.
 
THE COLONELS
-  EKU (0-4) has played four games against top-15 ranked teams.  After starting the season with three games at No. 15 Auburn, the Colonels played at No. 6 Vanderbilt on Wednesday.
 
-  The go-ahead run came to the plate for EKU in the top of the ninth inning against Vandy, but the Colonels couldn't complete the comeback, falling 5-3.


-  Freshman Tait Nunnally leads the team with three RBIs this season.  He went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI against the Commodores.
 
-  Redshirt sophomore Aidan Rath made his EKU debut on Wednesday, pitching one and one-third innings of scoreless relief.  The 6-foot-6 right-hander struck out one and allowed one hit.
 
-  Sophomore Nathan Lawson will get the start on Friday.  The righty is 0-0 after pitching two and one-third innings in his first appearance of the season.  Junior newcomer Ryker Walton is scheduled to start game two of the series.  The right-hander is 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA.  He limited No. 15 Auburn to two runs on one hit in four and two-thirds innings of relief work.  Quinton Hall will start game three.  The junior left-hander is 0-1 after allowing four runs in three and one-third innings at Auburn.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
-  Oakland sits at 1-2 this season after opening the campaign with three games at Saint Mary's in Moraga, California.  The Golden Grizzlies won the first game 5-0 and then dropped the next two 13-2 and 11-8.
 
-  Center fielder Reggie Bussey leads the team with a .583 batting average and four stolen bases.  He is 7-for-12 with two runs scored.
 
-  First baseman Lucas Day is batting .444 and leads the team with two home runs and seven RBIs.
 
-  Freshman right-hander Aidan Manzella has made two appearances out of the bullpen and has a 0.00 ERA in one and one-third innings.

-  Junior Hunter Pidek will start the opener for Oakland.  The right-hander is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, having struck out four in seven innings.  Brandon Decker will get the ball on Saturday.  The senior righty is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA.  Sean Fekete, a senior right-hander, who is 0-1 with a 15.00 ERA will start game three of the series.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
-  EKU is 11-2 all-time against Oakland and has won six straight against the Golden Grizzlies.  The Colonels have won 8-of-10 games played in Richmond.  The most recent meetings came with a double-header on March 10, 2019 at Earle Combs Stadium.
 
-  In the last meeting, Oakland broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth.  Chris Botsoe answered in the bottom half of the inning with a leadoff home run.  Christian Lucio broke the 1-1 tie when he led off the bottom of the eighth with a home run.  Those two solo home runs along with an infield single were EKU's only three hits of the game.  Brennan Kelly started and allowed just one run on three hits in five and two-thirds innings.  Aaron Ochsenbein pitched the final three and one-third innings for the win.