Marshall University Athletics
Baseball Ready For Three-Game Set At Tulane
4/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 3, 2008
NEW ORLEANS, La. - The Thundering Herd baseball team will play its first Conference USA road series of the season against the Tulane Green Wave beginning Friday, April 4-6 at Turchin Stadium. First-pitch Friday night is slated for 7:00 p.m. ET.
The series will continue Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET with the series finale to be played Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Marshall enters Friday night's contest with a 13-13 overall record and is 3-3 in C-USA action. Tulane boasts a 20-8 overall record, and is 2-1 in league play.
The Herd comes in having won five of its last six games, including a sweep of conference foe Memphis, and a convincing 12-4 victory over Dayton during which junior center fielder Nate Lape hit three home runs. Marshall suffered a loss to Morehead State, Wednesday to snap its streak of five consecutive wins.
Junior southpaw Andrew Blain will take the mound for the Herd Friday night against Tulane. Blain is 2-2 with a 2.56 ERA in five starts (six appearances) on the season. The junior has 17 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched so far on the season.
Junior righty Steve Blevins will throw Saturday for Marshall. With a record of 3-2, Blevins has tallied a 5.61 ERA and has struck out 21 batters through 33.2 innings.
Herd sophomore Dan Straily will pitch the series finale, Sunday. With a record of 3-2, Straily has registered a 4.45 ERA, while fanning 31 batters in 32.1 innings of work on the hill.
Lape continues to lead the Marshall offense with a .443 batting average, 11 home runs, 32 RBIs, 36 runs scored and 43 hits. The junior is also 10-for-12 in stolen base attempts and has an .866 slugging percentage. Junior shortstop Adam Yeager continues to be a threat on the base paths as he has stolen 15 bases in 18 attempts.
Green Wave right-hander Shooter Hunt (5-0) will get the ball in Friday's contest. Hunt has a 0.95 ERA in 38.0 innings. He has allowed only 12 hits in six appearances, and has struck out 52 opponents.
Lefty Aaron Loup will get the nod Saturday. Loup has a 2-1 record and has struck out 25 batters in 35.1 innings on the mound en route to a 4.58 ERA.
Right-hander Jonathan Garrett will round out the weekend starters for Tulane. With a 4.31 ERA, Garrett has fanned 28 batters in 31.1 innings and has earned a 2-1 record in six appearances so far.
Tulane has seven position players above a .300 batting average, and has eight players with double-digit RBIs to lead its high-powered offense. Jared Dyer leads the team in batting average (.355), and is in a three-way tie for the team lead in hits (33). Aja Barto is 16-for-18 in stolen base attempts, while Rob Segedin has driven in 27 runs so far this season.
