MILWAUKEE – The 2023 regular season will come to a close this week as the Milwaukee baseball team ends the slate with a afternoon road contest at Northern Illinois on Tuesday, before the team welcomes the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons to Franklin Field for a three-game series beginning on Thursday and concluding on Saturday.

The Panthers will take on the Huskies at 3:00 p.m. in DeKalb, Illinois to put the finishing touches on the non-conference schedule, before hosting the Mastodons at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Franklin Field finale.

Saturday will be 'Senior Day' as the Panthers will recognize 16 members of their roster in an on-field celebration prior to the start of the contest. The game on May 20th will also be 'Alumni Day' as the program welcomes back Panther baseball alumni, including several members of the 1973 team celebrating their 50th anniversary. 

All three home games will be featured on ESPN+ and the Black & Gold Network (audio streaming) with Scott Warras responsible for play-by-play duties. Links to the ESPN+ broadcasts, live audio streaming and live stat links can all be found on MKEPanthers.com. The road game at Northern Illinois will also be video streamed and feature live stats, with those links found on MKEPanthers.com.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
With a 9-40 record overall and a 5-21 mark in MAC games the Huskies have won just two of their last 18 contests including their most recent game against Bowling Green on Sunday afternoon by a 6-5 margin. The Huskies met the Panthers earlier this season at Franklin Field and won by a 3-2 score.

The Huskies' offense runs through Colin Summerhill, who has a .291 average with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs on the year and was responsible for all three of Northern Illinois' runs against Milwaukee on May 3. Summerhill is joined in the lineup by Aaron Harper, who has 39 RBIs and a team-best .303 batting average with 57 hits on the year. Eric Erato is the spark plug that gets it all going for the Huskies, as the speedster has 25 stolen bases in 30 attempts while leading the team with 43 runs scored.

With a team ERA over nine, Northern Illinois has struggled in the pitching department this season. Brandon McPherson leads the staff with a dozen starts amassing a 7.08 ERA, while Dominic Hann has a team-best 49 1/3 innings in 13 appearances and 11 starts, while registering a 10.40 ERA. Mason Ruh is also tied for the team lead in innings pitched and has a team-high 41 strikeouts in 15 appearances with just two starts. Ruh picked up the win over the Panthers earlier this month as the Milwaukee-native tossed a hitless inning with three strikeouts on 11 pitches.

SCOUTING THE MASTODONS
Purdue Fort Wayne has been limping to the finish line with just 10 wins on the year overall and a total of six coming in the Horizon League. The Mastodons will play Toledo in its non-conference finale on Tuesday before coming to Franklin Field, but PFW has lost 13-straight games and have not won a conference contest in over a month.

Despite the team record, Braedon Blackford continues to be a threat in the Mastodon lineup with a .301 average and a team-best 59 hits, 14 doubles, 13 home runs and 56 RBIs on the year while also scoring 43 runs and drawing 24 walks. The graduate student is fourth in the league in slugging percentage at .582 and sixth in the league in OPS at .971 and is just two RBIs shy of a top-two spot in the Horizon League. Cade Nelis leads the team with a .304 average, while Ben Higgins has 10 home runs and 43 RBIs, Caileb Johnson has also driven in 38 runs this season.

On the hill, Purdue Fort Wayne has a league-worst 8.90 team ERA in 430+ innings. Mac Ayres has led the rotation with 11 starts in 17 appearances while posting a 7.50 ERA over a team-best 54 innings pitched while leading the team with 53 strikeouts. Justin Miller leads the bullpen unit with a 5.40 ERA in 15 games while adding four saves on the year. The projected starters of Brody Fine (1-6, 7.96 ERA) and Rex Stills (0-5, 10.72 ERA) round out the rotation for Purdue Fort Wayne this weekend.

SERIES HISTORY
Milwaukee fell to 34-28 all-time against Northern Illinois on May 3, and looks to return to its winning ways after its six-game winning streak over the Huskies was snapped earlier this month. The Panthers have won their last four visits to DeKalb, Illinois dating back to the 2015 season.

Since the Mastodons have joined the Horizon League, Milwaukee and Purdue Fort Wayne have split their 12 all-time matchups, with Milwaukee going 2-1 in Indiana earlier this season. The Panthers are 11-9 in all-time matchups, which includes a 4-3 record at Franklin Field and a 5-4 all-time home record.

SENIOR SALUTE
This Saturday will mark the final home game of the season for 16 members of the Milwaukee baseball team, prior to the game on Saturday, May 20 the group will be recognized in an on-field celebration of their careers.

The list includes Aaron Chapman, Marcus Cline, Mark Connelly, Nate DeYoung, Nick Gilhaus, Ryan Hoerter, Jacob Kaiser, Sam Mathews, Andy Neu, Jake Novak, Ty Olejnik, Luke Seidel, Curtis Sheahan, Dylan Szajkovics, Jack Thelen, and Eliot Turnquist.

INSIDE THE PARK
In Tuesday's win over Northwestern last week, Ty Olejnik recorded an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the eighth inning in what proved to be the deciding run in the team's 3-2 win over the Wildcats.

Olejnik is not the only man in the Panther dugout to record an inside the park home run, as Associate Head Coach Shaun Wegner accomplished the feat on May 8, 2010, against Wright State at Nischwitz Stadium in Ohio. Wegner's inside-the-parker went for two runs and gave Milwaukee a 7-0 lead en route to a 10-7 win over the Raiders.

NOVAK'S NIGHT
With three hits and five RBIs in a start on May 5 against Oakland, Jake Novak doubled his season output in RBIs, which included a three-run triple against the Golden Grizzlies in the fourth inning to put Milwaukee ahead by a 3-2 score early in the game. Novak later had an RBI single in the sixth before he drove in the game-winning run in the 10th inning.

Not only did Novak become the first Panther to have five RBIs in a game, but he also became the first to have at least four in a single contest for Milwaukee this season. The team has had 12 three-RBI performances, including two apiece by Luke Seidel, Marcus Cline, and Carson Hansen.

WALK IT OFF x4
Milwaukee has had four walk-off wins over the last three homestands, with wins coming on April 7 against Wright State, while also picking up last at bat wins against Northern Kentucky on both April 21 and 22. Luke Seidel had the game-winning hits in both the April 7 and 21st contests, while Justin Hausser had the game winner with a double against the Norse on April 22.

The most recent walk-off came on May 5 in extra innings against Oakland when Jake Novak singled home the game-winning run with the bases loaded in the 10th inning.

After going walk-off-less in 2022, the four walk offs this year were Milwaukee's first walk-off victory since April 11, 2021, when the Panthers had a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning in a 12-8 Horizon League victory over Youngstown State at Franklin Field. Catcher Jack Kraus connected on a home run as he ended the game 3-for-6 with 6 RBIs.

DON'T DO IT…HE DID IT
In an impressive showing on March 24, senior Jack Thelen threw our four attempted baserunners against him in the team's doubleheader against Youngstown State, he also had two caught stealings against Youngstown State on April 29, Oakland on May 7 and Wright State on May 13. On the season, Thelen has thrown out 24 baserunners against and currently leads the Horizon League. Thelen is third in the conference with 341 putouts and is second in the Horizon League in total chances with 392. He is the top defensive catcher this season with a .995 fielding percentage.

RUBBER-ARM MAN
Sam Mathews has appeared in 31 games thus far on the season and is currently fourth in the country in appearances, four shy of tying the national leaders. He currently leads the Horizon League in pitching appearances in his final collegiate season.

The program's single-season appearance leader is Matt Freisleben, who appeared in 37 games during the 2002 season. No pitcher for Milwaukee has appeared in over 32 games in over a decade, with the last coming in 2012 as Kaleb Engelke pitched in 32 games that season.

TOUGH TO STRIKEOUT
Mark Connelly is currently 19th in all of NCAA Division I in the category of 'Toughest to Strikeout' having struck out in only 15 times in 190 at bats. His number is currently leading the Horizon League having struck out in just one of every 12.7 at bats. Aaron Chapman is not far behind and is currently 26th in the nation, striking out just once every 11.9 at bats.

HOME COOKING
With an 8-2 record at Franklin Field to start the season in 2023, and 9-2 record in home games to start the season, the Panthers were off to their best home start since the 2021 season when the Panthers were also 9-2 mark in home games. Milwaukee was a perfect 13-0 in home games during the 2013 season, the only season in program history the Panthers defended home field throughout the season.

Under the direction of Scott Doffek, Milwaukee is 193-95 in home games for a .670 winning percentage. Doffek's predecessor, Jerry Augustine posted a 129-60 home mark for a .683 winning percentage. Combined the duo are 322-155 (.675), while the program all time is 342-185 (.649) in home games since the program moved to Division I, competing in its first season in 1991.

ONE SWING, MULTIPLE MARKS
With his home run in the top of the ninth inning at Purdue Fort Wayne in the series finale on April 15, Aaron Chapman recorded his 100th hit and 50th RBI in a Panther uniform, just two seasons. Fittingly, he accomplished his Panther marks against his former team in the Mastodons in his final at bat in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

HOW SWEEP WAS THAT?
With its sweep of Wright State from April 6-8, Milwaukee notched its first sweep against any conference opponent since late March of 2021, when the Panthers swept Purdue Fort Wayne in the team's facility-opening series at Franklin Field. The sweep was also Milwaukee's first series sweep against Wright State since May 17-19 of 2012, which also came at home in Wisconsin.

THE UNCONVENTIONAL CYCLE
Mark Connelly recorded the first-ever cycle in Panther baseball history during the teams win on March 31 over Oakland. Connelly got the more 'difficult' hits out of the way early with a triple in the first inning and a home run in the fifth. He later added the double in the seventh inning and rounded out his cycle with a base knock in the eighth inning.

TWO-FOR-ONE SPECIAL
In the opening game of the series at Northern Kentucky on March 17, Aaron Chapman connected on two home runs becoming the 68th Panther to have at least two home runs in a single game. He joins current teammates Jake Novak and Nate DeYoung with multi-home run games.

Novak accomplished the feat on February 19 a season ago at Alabama A&M, while DeYoung had a three-home run game on April 15 last season at Youngstown State and had a pair of round-trippers on May 6, 2022, at Northern Kentucky. The program record is four home runs in one game set back on March 17, 1999, when Todd Ludwig had four home runs at home against Butler.

THE STOLEN BASE RACE
In 49 games, Milwaukee's Luke Seidel has stolen 16 bases on the season and currently leads the conference in stolen base percent at 16-for-16, no other player in the Horizon League has more than 13 stolen bases without being caught this season.

SAVING THE DAY
Nate DeYoung has already recorded a league-best ninth saves as Milwaukee has relied heavily on the senior right-hander to lock down eight of the team's 22 wins on the season thus far. DeYoung is currently 19th in NCAA Division I in saves, with the with just 18 pitchers in the country recording at least 10 saves, including the national leaders with 14.

CAUGHT HIM LOOKING
With 76 strikeouts on the year, Riley Frey is currently leading the Horizon League in total strikeouts. Frey also leads the league with the most strikeouts looking, getting 29 of his 76 strikeouts glaring at a third strike, including five in his start against Northern Kentucky on April 21.

KEEPING IT IN THE PARK
Through the team's 49 games this season, Milwaukee pitching has only allowed 42 home runs this season. The number is currently tops in the Horizon League, as the other five members of the six-team conference have all allowed at least 47 or more home runs. Oakland has allowed the most home runs this season with 80.

CATCH ALL THE ACTION
Thanks to ESPN+, Milwaukee baseball fans will have the opportunity to watch the Panthers all season long. All of Milwaukee's home games will be carried live online at ESPN+, excluding the April 26 game at American Family Field. The Horizon League and ESPN have an agreement that includes ESPN hosting the league's digital network on the ESPN+ platform.

ESPN+ offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content, and original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) and can cancel at any time. For road games, visit MKEPanthers.com for live coverage links.