On May 25, the Miami University RedHawks baseball team finished Mid-American Conference (MAC) play with their first conference championship since 2005. The RedHawks went into the MAC championship with a 23-7 conference record and the No. 1 seed.
Miami’s title will send the team to Knoxville, Tennessee, for the NCAA tournament starting May 30.
The RedHawks boasted an overall 32-21 regular season record. Redshirt junior infielder Evan Appelwick, junior utility player Dominic Krupinski and senior outfielder Anthony Zarlingo continued their dominance on the plate last weekend to give Miami its championship title following three wins over the University Toledo Rockets and the Kent State University Golden Flashes.
Game 1: 10-4 win against Toledo on May 23
After two scoreless innings, Miami scored three runs on three hits thanks to a triple to the wall by Appelwick. However, Toledo caught back up in the fourth inning through two doubles and a single to bring in two runs.
The fifth inning proved to be big for Miami. Five hits, all singles, brought in four runs to bring the score to 7-2.
The Rockets earned two runs in the sixth inning, moving the score to 7-4. The RedHawks kept the energy up with three more runs. Appelwick was intentionally walked after Zarlingo hit a solid triple out to right center field.
Through the end of the game, Miami made the only two hits, both in the eighth inning by senior catcher David Novak and Krupinski. The win sent the RedHawks to the next round against Kent State.
Game 2: 6-1 win against Kent State on May 24
The Golden Flashes earned their only run in the second inning to take an early lead. However, the RedHawks responded quickly with four runs in the bottom of the second, and they maintained their lead for the remainder of the game.
Redshirt sophomore catcher Tommy Harrison’s two-run homer out to right field preceded a Zarlingo single that brought in two more runs, giving Miami a wide lead with seven innings to go.
The other two runs came in the fourth inning off three singles and excellent base running. Senior infielder Blake Buzzeo singled to left field, redshirt senior infielder Dillon Baker hit up left center and Appelwick singled through the left side. Both Baker and Appelwick’s hits brought a batter home.
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Miami’s defense held strong through this game with zero errors: 10 fly outs and 12 ground outs while only giving up one run. Redshirt sophomore Cooper Katskee pitched all nine innings, facing 32 at-bats, striking out six and giving up five hits.
Later that evening, Toledo took an early lead over the Golden Flashes to win 6-2. The Rockets advanced to the championship in a rematch against Miami.
Game 3 (championship): 6-3 win against Toledo on May 25
Miami held Toledo scoreless for eight innings of this game while racking up five runs.
The RedHawks started the game strong, with a double from Baker and two stolen bases to earn a run on two ground-out plays. In the second inning, Harrison hit a homer out to right field as the only hit of the inning. Miami scored two runs in the third off a Toledo error on an overthrown ball to first base.
The next three innings went scoreless for both teams until the RedHawks put up another run in the seventh. Krupinski hit a double, followed by a double from senior catcher Ty Batusich to bat one run in.
Toledo added its first run in the eighth, but Miami matched with a fly-out run. The Rockets trailed by five going into the final inning, and they scored two more runs following a switch from junior Carson Byers to senior Clayton Burke at the mound for Miami.
A fly out to left field sealed the game for the RedHawks, giving them their first MAC baseball championship title in 20 years.
NCAA tournament
With this championship win, the RedHawks received an automatic bid to the Men’s College World Series regionals. They will travel to Knoxville to face the University of Tennessee Volunteers on May 30 at 6 p.m.
This marks the first matchup between the two in over 50 years. Miami holds a 2-1 record over the Volunteers between 1965-1969.
Tennessee held a 41-15 regular season record going into the Southeastern Conference (SEC) tournament. The Volunteers (Vols) advanced to the semifinals before dropping a matchup against the Vanderbilt University Commodores 10-0.
The Vols roster boasts the hitting duo of sophomore infielder Dean Curley and junior infielder Andrew Fischer, who rank in the top 10 in the SEC with 63 and 62 runs, respectively. Fischer is currently tied for seventh in the nation with 22 home runs.
Miami may also face the University of Cincinnati Bearcats or the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons in Knoxville. The RedHawks dropped two games against the Bearcats this season, and haven’t played Wake Forest since 1989.
The first pitch against Tennessee will be at 6 p.m. on May 30.
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