Marshall University Athletics
Herd Baseball Takes Three-Game Test at East Carolina
4/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 29, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University baseball team puts its 9-6 second place Conference USA record to the test with a trip to Greenville, N.C., to play East Carolina University for a three-game series. Game one is slated for 7 p.m., followed by 3 p.m. and 1 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday all at Clark-LeClair Stadium.
The C-USA standings are a log jam after top-team Rice with a league record of 11-4. The Thundering Herd currently sits second, a game up on Memphis (8-7) and three ahead of Tulane and ECU, both tied for fourth place with an even 6-6 mark. MU has only nine conference games remaining, adding to the magnitude of the showdown with the Pirates.
The current standing for the Herd is the highest in program history and is just one win shy of tying the school record for C-USA wins in a season (10) set in 2008.
Inside the Series
ECU leads the all-time series 12-2, and took two-of-three in Charleston in last season.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Friday
MU: Ian Kadish, RHP (2-3, 6.00 ERA) vs. ECU: Zach Woods, RHP (5-2, 4.29 ERA)
Saturday
MU: Mike Mason, LHP (2-5, 8.08 ERA) vs. ECU: Seth Maness, RHP (7-2, 4.71 ERA)
Sunday
MU: Arik Sikula, RHP (5-2, 3.38 ERA) vs. ECU: Kevin Brandt, LHP (3-5, 4.06 ERA)
Marshall (20-22, 9-6 C-USA)
MU has fired on all cylinders against C-USA opponents, taking three series in a row, including a sweep against UCF. It marked the first time the Herd won all three games versus a league opponent since MU beat the Knights three-straight times in 2008.
Before dropping a pair of midweek non-conference contests this week to Morehead State and Ohio State, the Herd had won seven-straight games, five of the wins versus conference members.
OF Kurt Lipton is the reigning C-USA Hitter of the Week after posting a .444 (8-for-18) batting average last week, including three doubles, two triples and five RBI. His six triples on the season ties the school record and he has tallied 24 RBI in league play.
C Victor Gomez continues to be an offensive monster for the MU club. The cleanup hitter tops the team in batting average (.345), hits (58), doubles (12), homers (11) and RBI (49). The backstop is also a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases during his junior campaign.
In the series finale versus UCF, V. Gomez launched his 40th career round tripper, taking sole possession of the career home run record at Marshall. In his third season V. Gomez has also set the school career records for RBI (158) and total bases (371).
Closer Austin Coan is one save away from tying his own single-season school record of eight saves that he set in 2009. He shares the record with Sunday starter Sikula, who tallied eight saves of his own in 2008. In his two seasons as the MU ninth inning pitcher, Coan has recorded 15 saves, a school record.
East Carolina (25-17, 6-6 C-USA)
ECU picked up a much needed victory at UNC Wilmington on Tuesday. The Pirates seemingly had been going in the opposite direction of the Herd, dropping five consecutive games, which included a three-game sweep at Rice
At the plate, the Pirates post three players with 40-or-more RBI in Corey Thompson (41), Kyle Roller (41) and Zach Wright (40). ECU is hitting .325 as a ball club with 100 doubles and 80 homers in 2010.
Seth Simmons is the shutdown closer out of the ECU bullpen with a C-USA best eight saves on the year.
