Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Baseball Visits Virginia Tech for Tuesday Contest
4/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 17, 2006
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HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Winners of four straight games, the Marshall baseball team (16-16, 4-8 C-USA) looks to extend its season-long winning streak as it travels to Virginia Tech (14-22, 2-14 ACC) for a 5 p.m. Tuesday contest at English Field in Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech will provide live stats and the audio broadcast at www.hokiesports.com.
Marshall is in the midst of a season-long eight-game road trip. The Herd is 4-0 thus far after winning 15-3 last Tuesday at Morehead State and then sweeping a three-game series at UAB last weekend. After the Virginia Tech contest, Marshall ends the road swing at East Carolina Friday through Sunday.
Marshall comes off a three-game series sweep at UAB last weekend. It was Marshall's first three-game sweep in a road conference series in a dozen years, dating back to 1994 when the Herd took three straight from The Citadel in Southern Conference play.
The Herd's 22 runs Friday at UAB is the highest run total ever for the Marshall baseball program in a conference road game. It tops the previous high of 21, set in 1988 at VMI when the Thundering Herd was a member of the SoCon.
Adam Frederick (Sr., Franklin, Pa.) is tied for second in Conference USA in batting at .388, just behind Memphis' Adam Amar at .397. He also is tied for the league lead in slugging percentage at .647, along with teammate Brendan Murphy (Jr., Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Amar. Rich Russell (Sr., Toronto, Ontario) continues to lead the league in on base percentage at .507, while Frederick is fourth (.459). Russell also leads the conference in hits by pitch with a school-record 16. Murphy is tied for third in home runs (8).
Virginia Tech lost three straight over the weekend at then-No. 2 North Carolina. Sean O'Brien leads the Hokies with a .338 batting average and is tied with Bryan Thomas with a team-best 45 hits. Thomas is second on the team with a .302 average. The Hokies' pitching staff has an ERA of 6.60 and is topped by Adam Redd out of the bullpen with a 4-2 record and 3.30 ERA.
Virginia Tech is coached by Chuck Hartman (North Carolina, `57), who is 955-580-8 in 28 years with the Hokies. He has 1,438 career wins to rank fourth among active coaches in career victories.
Virginia Tech leads the series, 21-9. The teams met in a two-game series last season in Blacksburg, with the Hokies winning the opener, 5-4, before Marshall erupted for a 12-4 win the following night.
Marshall finishes its road trip at this weekend at East Carolina. The teams start the series at 7 p.m. Friday.
