For the first six weeks of the 2019 MLB season, some things have gone unexpected. Other players and teams around the league are living up to the hype which was surrounding them in the early months of preseason. Here is a recap of what has happened in the MLB so far this year.
The Eastern Michigan baseball team was swept in a three-game series by rival Central Michigan at Oestrike Stadium over the weekend. The Eagles have now lost eight straight games and are 7-9 at home on the year. In the three games, the Chippewas outscored EMU 22-9 including an 11-1 victory in the series opener.
After two Game 7 thrillers on Sunday night, the conference finals will kick off on Tuesday, May 14 with a Western Conference matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers at Oracle Arena. The Eastern Conference Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors at Fiserv Forum will begin on Wednesday.
Jeremiah Harris, who played defensive lineman for the Eagles over the past four seasons, has signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants. Harris started 12 games last season for Eastern Michigan and totaled 64 tackles. He is now the second former Eastern Michigan defensive lineman to sign with an NFL team this year. The first was Maxx Crosby, who was drafted 106th overall by the Oakland Raiders, the sixth highest draft pick in Eastern Michigan history.
The Eastern Michigan’s men‘s and women‘s track and field teams competed in the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships in Muncie, Ind. from May 9-11. The Eagles won four individual event titles combined on day three of the championships but both teams fell short in the team competition as the women finished in third place and the men took second place.
The Eastern Michigan rowing team launched a crowdfunding campaign on April 25 to help pay for different equipment that the team needs to compete. The GoFundMe account is up for 30 days with the goal of reaching $10,000 to help aid the team in buying new equipment. In the first day, the team raised more than $1,250. The GoFundMe account has specifically laid out what the donated money will be spent on for the team, ranging from new travel uniforms to a brand new 4+ boat.
If you follow high school sports in Downriver Michigan, you most likely know the name Frank Wladyslawski. He is a multimedia sports journalist that reports for the News-Herald and Dearborn Press & Guide. His section for the News-Herald is called the “MIprepzone," where he and his team of freelance reporters get the latest games and tournaments covered for the Downriver and Huron leagues.
Former Eastern Michigan defensive lineman Maxx Crosby was drafted on Saturday by the Oakland Raiders with the 106th overall pick. The 6-foot-5, 255 pound prospect is second in EMU history in sacks (20) and tackles for loss (41). The pick on the television broadcast was made from the new Raiders stadium location in Las Vegas, where the team sets to move to in 2020.
The Eastern Michigan baseball team lost both doubleheader games to Ohio on Sunday, April 21 at Oestrike Stadium, by score of 8-2 in the first game and 6-3 in the second game. Saturday’s game was rained out and pushed to the following day on Easter to finish the series between the MAC opponents. Ohio won Friday’s game 6-1 over Eastern.
The Eastern Michigan women’s golf team tied Ball State for fourth place in the MAC Championships this weekend at Purgatory Golf Club in Noblesville, Ind. The men’s team finished in a tie with Nebraska for 10th place out of 13 teams in the Hawkeye Invitational at Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City. The women’s track team competed in the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif. from April 18-19.
The Eastern Michigan baseball team lost to Dayton, 4-1 on Tuesday, April 16 at Oestrike Stadium in Ypsilanti. The Eagles have lost four of their last five games and are just 3-7 in their last 10 outings. Tyler Henry took the win for Dayton as he gave up no runs in four innings pitched.
The NFL released the 2019 schedule for all 32 teams on April 18. The season will feature 256 regular season games beginning on Sep. 5. This will be the NFL’s 100 season, and the league has decided to mix things up in terms of scheduling games in celebration of the anniversary, scheduling teams together in honor of historical games. There are a plethora of exciting games on the schedule, ranging from revenge games to Super Bowl rematches. Here are the top five most exciting games on the schedule.
The Eastern Michigan football team had their annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 13. Team Fink and Team Hale faced off in Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, as Team Fink came out on top 14-7 behind a touchdown from Karmi Mackey and Preston Hutchinson.
The Eastern Michigan baseball team fell to Oakland, 10-9, at the Oakland Baseball Field in Rochester, MI on Wednesday, April 10. After falling down 5-0, the Eagles came back to take a lead on two separate occasions before allowing a walk-off single. Eastern Michigan is just 4-6 in their last 10 games.
The Eastern Michigan baseball team finished a three-game weekend series on the road against Ball State with a record of 1-2 after winning the final game of the series on Saturday, April 13 in Muncie, Indiana. The Eagles lost the first two games before upsetting Ball State 7-5 in Game 3.
Eastern Michigan’s men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the Tennessee Relays in Knoxville, Tenn. from April 11-13. Derek Ziegenfuss had the best performance from both teams after he shattered EMU’s school record in the javelin throw event on day two of the relays.
Eastern Michigan baseball defeated Bowling Green 4-0 on Sunday, April 7 at Oestrike Stadium, its first shutout of 2019 and first series win against the Mid-American Conference this season. The Eagles lost to BGSU on Saturday 7-4, and won on Friday 3-1.
Eastern Michigan baseball gave up an early lead to lose 14-8 against Oakland on April 3 in Oestrike Stadium in Ypsilanti. The Eagles held an 8-2 lead heading into the top of the eighth inning, but a nine-run inning by Oakland gave them a 11-8 lead and eventually the victory.
The Eastern Michigan baseball team hosted Concordia on Wednesday, March 27, at Oestrike Stadium. It was the second home game of the season for the Eagles and they have won both. EMU defeated Concordia 11-6, a day after a win over Northwestern Ohio.
