Marshall University Athletics
Baseball Slated For Three-Game Conference Series at UAB
4/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 8, 2010
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University baseball team treks to Birmingham, Ala., to play a three-game set against Conference USA foe UAB beginning Friday at 6:30 CST on Young Memorial Field.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: 6:30 p.m. CST
MU - Ian Kadish, RHP (1-2, 4.86 ERA) vs. UAB - Mitch Kloskowski, RHP (3-2, 3.98 ERA)
Saturday: 2 p.m. CST
MU - Mike Mason, LHP (2-4, 8.70 ERA) vs. UAB - Beau Pender, RHP (3-1, 4.76 ERA)
Sunday: 1 p.m. CST
MU - Arik Sikula, RHP (3-2, 3.77 ERA) vs. UAB - TBA
All-Time Series: UAB leads 9-7
Marshall (11-16, 2-4 C-USA)
MU dropped two-of-three to the Blazers last season and five-of-six entering Friday's contest. The Herd has recently received strong starting pitching from Ian Kadish and Arik Sikula and hope to take its first C-USA series of the season.
Kadish continues to take the hill on Friday evenings for the Thundering Herd and has been a steady right-hander working six-or-more innings in each of his last four starts. Over his last 24.2 innings he has allowed 21 hits, with just four going for extra bases and totaled 17 strikeouts. Kadish has done an excellent job of keeping opponents in the ball park, allowing just one homer on the season.
Sunday starter, Sikula has been a strong competitor on the bump since he was given the nod in back-to-back C-USA series. Sikula, who did not figure in either decision, has been pumping from the rubber, registering 13 strikeouts in 11.1 frames. The righty sits ninth in C-USA in ERA (3.77) and opponent's batting average (.245).
On the offensive side, Victor Gomez has been a monster at the plate. The junior tops the Herd in hits (39), doubles (10), homers (8), RBI (34), total bases (73), slugging percentage (.652) and batting average (.348). In a midweek loss to the Ohio Bobcats, V. Gomez launched a two-run bomb and drove in three runs in a 15-5 defeat.
OF Kurt Lipton has recently turned it on at the dish in his final MU season. Lipton enters the weekend with a .337 batting average, good for second on the club. He also ranks second in hits (34), homers (5) and RBI (17). Last weekend in the Memphis series, Lipton went 6-for-12 with five runs scored, eight RBI along with a double, triple and homer.
UAB (18-9, 4-2 C-USA)
The Blazers have utilized "small ball" as a squad, leading the league in sacrifice bunts (22) and stolen bases (49). UAB posts three players with 10-or-more swipes in Jamal Austin (14), Nick Crawford (12) and Jonathan Merritt (10).
John Frost is the top hitter on the Blazers with a .350 batting average and has slapped 36 base hits on the year. Luke Stewart is the primary slugger on the team, smashing nine homers and 29 RBI, both team-highs.
GameTracker for all three games will be available by logging onto HerdZone.com
