Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Baseball Opens Season At Wake Forest Tournament
2/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 18, 2009
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The 2009 Marshall baseball season is set to begin Friday, February 20 when the Thundering Herd takes on Akron in an 11:00 a.m. ET contest at the Wake Forest Tournament at Wake Forest Baseball Park in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Marshall will take on Old Dominion in a Friday afternoon game (2:30 p.m.) and will face the Monarchs again Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. The Herd rounds out tournament action, Sunday, against tournament host Wake Forest at 2:30 p.m.
Live stats for each of Marshall's games will be available on Herdzone.com.
Marshall will send sophomore right-handed hurler Arik Sikula to the mound against the Zips. Sikula set Marshall's single-season saves record (8) in 2008, while posting a 4.12 ERA with a 2-3 record in 28 appearances.
Marshall is led by a group of five seniors, including Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year, Nate Lape. The power hitter was recently named a top senior in Baseball America, and was named to the 2009 Preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List. Other preseason accolades for the Huntington, N.Y. native include the Brooks Wallace Award Watch list, National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-American, Recruiting Closer Preseason Second-Team All-American, and Louisville Slugger Preseason Second-Team All-American.
Marshall takes the field against the Zips with an overall series record of 24-13, despite Akron claiming a 9-8 victory in the last meeting between the squads in 2005.
Akron posted its first winning season in 11 years during its 2008 season, finishing 25-24 overall and will look to improve upon that mark by returning the bulk of its roster from last season. The Zips return 23 letterwinners, including seven seniors for the 2009 season, with six starting position players and a stable of five returning pitchers.
Marshall will play its first ever games against Old Dominion on opening weekend of the 2009 season. The Monarchs return 16 lettermen to the 2009 lineup including four starting position players and five pitchers. Shortstop Gerard Hall notched a .361 batting average in 2008 to lead Old Dominion's returning hitters, while left-handed pitcher Daniel Abdalla returns to the hill after tallying a 1-0 record with a 4.15 ERA last season.
The tournament host Demon Deacons own a 6-0 all-time series advantage over Marshall, including a 5-3 decision in the most recent meeting between the clubs in 1990.
Wake Forest finished the 2008 season 25-31 overall and welcomes back 21 letterwinners from the 2008 team. Five starting position players fill slots on this year's Demon Deacon roster, while 12 returning pitchers also dot the lineup. Senior infielder Dustin Hood returns to the Wake Forest lineup after registering a .306 batting average with a second-best 68 hits, 6 homers and 33 RBIs in 2008.
