MU Set to Play Home-and-Home Against Xavier
3/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Miami RedHawks (2-12, 0-0 MAC)
Games 15-16
March 17 at Xavier | March 18 vs. Xavier
ON TAP: The RedHawks (2-12, 0-0 MAC) begin a home-and-home Tuesday at Xavier (4-11, 0-0 Big East). Wednesday’s game in Oxford will be the team’s 2015 home opener.
*Tuesday's game has been moved to Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio.
ABOUT XAVIER (4-11, 0-0 Big East): The Musketeers come into the series having lost their last seven games, including getting swept by Tulane this past weekend. Their last win came against 12th-ranked Louisville on February 28th. Xavier’s leading hitter is Derek Hasenbeck. He is hitting .278 with five doubles on the season. The Musketeers finished 30-29 (8-10 Big East) last season. The team won the Big East Tournament Championship and earned a berth to the NCAA Regionals in Nashville. They fell in their first game to eventual national champions Vanderbilt, but won their second game against Clemson. Their season ended the next day after being defeated by Oregon.
SERIES HISTORY: The RedHawks are 85-46 all-time against Xavier. The two teams last met last season. The Musketeers got the better of the RedHawks in their first meeting, earning a 6-5 win. The Red & White got revenge at the Joe Nuxhall Classic, defeating Xavier 14-9.
LAST WEEKEND: While the RedHawks seemed to rediscover their offensive potential this past weekend with 35 hits over three games, they were swept by East Tennessee State. Sunday’s game saw the ‘Hawks erase a five-run ninth inning deficit but eventually fall in the bottom half of the inning on a walk-off single. Junior shortstop Chad Sedio went .467 with four runs batted in, two home runs, two doubles, and one triple in three games. He was a triple away from hitting for the cycle Saturday.
POWER UP: Senior Ryan Powers looks to continue his stride after his breakout season during the 2014 campaign. The 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher appeared in 16 games, starting 13. He finished with a 9-3 record and a 4.25 ERA on the way to claiming Second-Team All-MAC Honors. As if that wasn’t enough, Powers was one of two RedHawks who had his name called in the 2014 MLB Draft. The righty was selected in the 22nd round (652 overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies. So far this season, Powers has a 1-4 record with a 5.79 ERA. Opponents are hitting just .216 against him. On February 20th, Powers started against USC Upstate and pitched six scoreless innings, allowed no hits and struck out a career-high eight Spartan batters.
SADA’S SUCCESS: Steve Sada had a freshman year to remember last season and the second-year player is slotted in as the team’s starting second baseman once again. Sada hit .309 while recording a .391 on-base percentage and drew a team-best 24 walks. Like Powers, Sada earned Second-Team All-MAC honors. In addition, he was tabbed a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. So far this season, Sada is hitting .268 with four runs, five runs batted in and two stolen bases. He has also had four multi-hit efforts, has reached base safely in five straight games and is currently on a three game hit streak.
HONCHEL RISING: Honchel has moved up the career batting average list and currently sits at sixth all-time with a .358 average. This season, Honchel is off to a hot start, boasting a .444 batting average with five doubles, eight runs and three runs batted in. In addition, he leads the RedHawks with seven multi-hit games and has reached base safely in all 14 games this season. He’s currently on a four game hit streak and has gotten at least one hit in 13 of 14 games this season.
SOLID SEDIO: While the offense has struggled to create noise so far this season, shortstop Chad Sedio joins Honchel as one of the guys the team has leaned on. The junior is hitting .327 and has a .412 on-base percentage. This past weekend at ETSU, he went 7-for-15, belted two home runs, earned four RBIs and notched two doubles and one triple. He is a career .306 hitter and has been a solid piece of the lineup during his time at Miami. He has reached base safely in twelve straight games and has six multi-hit games.
CATCHING UP: Senior catcher Max Andresen started the season rather slow, earning just two hits in his first nine appearances. This past weekend, he hit .307 and scored three runs. In addition, he hit two doubles and one triple. While he has started slow, Andresen is a career .270 hitter and will surely be a key cog moving forward this season.
