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Baseball Action vs SDSU 700.4829 Leatherneck Baseball hosts SDSU at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium in Macomb, Ill. on Friday, April 7, 2023.
Rachael Keating

WIU Heads To Big Ten Country

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

WIU takes on Michigan State in three game series

Who | Michigan State
Where | East Lansing, MI (McLane Stadium)
When | Apr. 14-16
Social Media | Instagram & Twitter

Last Week Results
WIU traveled on the road to Eastern Illinois for a mid-week matchup. The Leathernecks dropped the game 14-0 against the Panthers on Wednesday. WIU tallied just four hits in the ball game.
Western Illinois fell in two out of three games this past weekend at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium. The Leathernecks dropped game one to South Dakota State on Friday 6-3, before tying the series at a game a piece on Saturday with a 14-4 victory. Sunday's rubber match went in the SDSU direction as they took the series with an 8-6 win. Derek Botaletto tallied six hits on the weekend with two three-hit performances. WIU batters drew 31 free passes to first base over the three-game series. 

Road Warriors 
Western Illinois has been on the road for most of its season. Due to cancellations and postponements, Western Illinois will open its 2023 season on a 23-game road trip. If you go back to last season, WIU played their previous 30 games on the road before their home stand against SDSU. WIU will keep their road warrior status as they will play 13 of their next 18 games away from home. This year, the Leathernecks WIU is 3-21 away from Alfred D. Boyer Stadium.

Strong Starting Pitching
Jake Armstrong and Tyler Kapraun led the WIU pitching staff this past weekend. Both starters went six complete innings. Armstrong took the ball on Friday afternoon, going six innings allowing just two runs well, striking out seven. Armstrong would pick up a no-decision in the contest. Kapraun would follow up Armstrong's outing with six complete innings allowing just one run on six strikeouts. Kapruan would pick up win number two on the season.

Leathernecks Stat Leader
Nick Mitchell remains at the top of offensive categories for the Leathernecks. The former Summit League All-Freshman teamer leads WIU in batting avg (.429), OPS (1.223), runs (22), hits (42), doubles (11), triples (4), HR (3), RBI (21), total bases (70), SLG% (.714), walks (17) OB% (.509).

Getting On Base
Nick Mitchell has been the catalyst of WIU's offense all year. Mitchell extended his on-base streak to nine games with a single on Wednesday. The sophomore has reached base in 22 of the 24 games he has played this year.

Bullpen Bell
Jack Bell has been the most used arm out of the Western Illinois bullpen this season. The left-handed reliever broke the school's record for most appearances in a single season last season with 31. He is on pace to break that record this season, having appeared in 16 of the first 27 games. Bell is also on pace to break the program record for most game appearances in a career. Bell has 59 appearances and must reach 72 to tie the program's mark. Bell has been very dependable in the bullpen, leading the Summit League in opponents batting average against him during league games. Bell has held other Summit League hitters to a .167 average through the first six games of League play.

Up Next
Western Illinois Baseball heads back home next week. The Leathernecks will host SIUE on Tuesday (Apr. 18) and Northern Colorado over the weekend.
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