Marshall University Athletics
Baseball Set To Host Miami (Ohio), Tuesday
5/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 11, 2009
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Thundering Herd baseball team will host Miami (Ohio) Tuesday afternoon for its final non-conference contest of the 2009 campaign. First-pitch is slated for 3:00 p.m. ET at George T. Smailes Field at The Kennedy Center on Route 2. Admission is free.
Marshall enters midweek action with a 21-27 overall record and is fresh off its two-game sweep of Radford this weekend.
Junior third baseman Josh Valle batted a team-high .500 (4-for-8) in weekend action against Radford. Valle smacked a pair of hits in each of the Herd's two games against the Highlanders, including a triple in game one and a double in game two. He also drove in a team-best three runs during weekend action and scored a run. On the season, Valle leads the team with a .350 overall average (63-for-180) with 13 doubles, two triples, four homers and 31 RBIs. He has also drawn 37 walks (a team high) and his .468 on-base percentage leads the squad.
Junior reliever Austin Coan earned a pair of saves this weekend at Radford, pitching the final inning in each of Marshall's two games with the Highlanders. Those saves were his seventh and eighth and put him in a first-place tie with sophomore Arik Sikula for the program's single-season saves record. Coan's two total innings on the mound were highlighted by three strikeouts, including two in Sunday's 5-3 victory while holding opposing batters to a .143 average on the weekend. He owns a 2.75 overall ERA with 42 strikeouts in 21 appearances. He also has a 3-5 record through 36 frames of work and is holding the opposition to a .206 hitting clip.
Seniors Nate Lape, Brandon Casamassima, and Adam Yeager each hit homers against Radford this weekend. Lapes solo shot in Sunday afternoon's contest was his ninth of the season, while Casamassima's two-run bomb was his fifth on the year. For Yeager, the deep blast was his first of the season but came in a crucial spot as his two-run shot put Marshall in the lead in the top of the ninth for good, lifting the Herd to an 8-7 victory on Saturday night.
Shane Farrell will take the hill for the Herd. He is 1-6 on the season with a 4.50 ERA in 11 appearances (seven starts). The sophomore righty has tossed 38 punchouts in 44 frames of work so far this season.
Miami enters Tuesday's contest having won six of its last nine games to stand at 26-21 overall, but lost its most recent series with the Ohio Bobcats 2-1 this past weekend.
The Redhawks are batting .311 as a team, led by Tommy Nurre's .385 hitting clip. Nurre has pounded out 67 hits including 15 doubles, a triple, has hit 11 homers and driven in a team-high 44 runs. He has amassed a team-best .672 slugging percentage while his .473 on-base percentage ranks second on the squad. He is also 14-for-15 in stolen base attempts this season, making him a threat on the basepaths.
Adam Eaton has a .374 batting average and is tied for the team lead in hits with 68. He has legged-out a team-best 5 triples and driven in 40 runs in addition to blasting 10 long balls. Eaton has registered a .487 on-base percentage and has swiped 23 bags (in 23 attempts) so far this season, also a team high.
Chris Nadeau is one of six Redhawks to hit above .300 this season and is the team leader in doubles with 16. Zak Hatfield is one of four hitters to have 40-plus RBIs (42) and is the team leader in homers with 12.
