The baseball team (9-2) will travel to Richmond, Ky., to take on Eastern Kentucky (2-8) in a three-game series with a doubleheader Saturday.

The Spartans are on a season-best four-game winning streak and showing offensive improvement from last year. Through the first 11 games, the Spartans have improved in four major offensive categories with 60 more runs, 67 more hits, 14 more home runs and 54 more RBIs.

Head coach Ted Mahan said better defense is the key to the Spartans’ success this weekend because the offensive production is not likely to continue at such a high level.

“We need to continue making progress, especially in our pitching and defensive areas,” Mahan said.

Eastern Kentucky is fresh off a come-from-behind 10-9 victory over Cumberland College (11-6) on Wednesday. While trailing 8-2, the Colonels scored eight runs in three innings to steal a win.

Spartan outfielder Bob Malek, who leads the Big Ten with a .547 batting average, said the team’s self-esteem is high after an impressive start.

“We’re all feeling pretty confident,” Malek said. “If we just take care of what we need to, we feel pretty confident that we’re going to win no matter who we’re playing.”