Marshall University Athletics
Baseball Plays Lipscomb in the Music City
2/24/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 24, 2011
NASHVILLE - Sporting a 2-1 record after defeating Miami (Ohio) and Kentucky at the CofC Invitational, the Marshall University baseball team travels south to play Lipscomb University for a three-game series, beginning Friday at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium.
SERIES SCHEDULE & PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday: 5 p.m. EST
Marshall: RHP Shane Farrell (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Lipscomb: LHP Richie Goodenow (0-0, 4.50 ERA)
Saturday: 3 p.m. EST
Marshall: LHP Mike Mason (0-0, 1.80 ERA)
Lipscomb: RHP Connor Sinclair (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday: 2 p.m. EST
Marshall: RHP Arik Sikula (0-1, 11.57 ERA)
Lipscomb: RHP Dannie Strable (1-0, 1.50 ERA)
MULTIMEDIA INFORMATION
Live stats, MU game blogging access and the Lipscomb University radio broadcast are available for free by logging onto HerdZone.com. Live video streaming is also accessible through the Marshall baseball schedule page for purchase through the Atlantic Sun Conference website.
SERIES NOTES
This is the first-ever meeting between Marshall and Lipscomb on the baseball diamond. It marks the first time that MU baseball has played a team from the Atlantic Sun Conference since 2006, when the Herd opened up the season at Belmont.
BISON BATTLE
Marco, the Thundering Herd mascot, is an American bison and Lipscomb's nickname is the Bison, proving that this weekend's series is in fact a true bison battle.
MARSHALL SCOUTING REPORT (2-1)
Marshall won its first two games, before falling to No. 20 College of Charleston at the tournament. It marked just the second time in the past 20 years that a Thundering Herd baseball team won its first two games. Both 2-0 starts (2009 and 2011) came under the watch of fifth year head coach Jeff Waggoner.
In the opening weekend, Marshall hit at a .264 (29-for-110) clip as a team, but made the most of its opportunities, registering a .324 (12-for-37) average with runners in scoring position.
A balanced attack was shown by the Herd offense as seven different players collected three hits-or-better and 10 separate players knocked in at least one run over the course of the CofC Invitational.
The Herd pitching staff performed at an extremely effective rate during the three-game stretch to begin the year. MU pitchers combine for a 4.18 ERA, allowing only 26 hits in 28 innings. The team's WHIP was 1.21 and recorded a better than 3 to 1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (30K-8BB) for the tournament.
Friday and Saturday starters, Shane Farrell and Mike Mason, pitched a total of 9.2 innings, giving up one earned run on six hits with 10 strikeouts.
PLAYER TO WATCH: C/DH Thor Meeks
Meeks produced a solid weekend in the middle of the Marshall lineup in Charleston, S.C. He finished with a.444 batting average (4-for-9), including a double, team-best four RBI, while walking three times at the plate.
LIPSCOMB SCOUTING REPORT (3-2)
The Bison took two-of-three against the Dayton Flyers prior to splitting mid-week games against Bradley (W, 9-5) and Western Kentucky (L, 6-3).
As a team, the Bison are hitting at a .287 clip and have outscored their opponents 37 to 24. Lipscomb has had the luxury of playing its first five games at home prior to the series with the Herd.
MU might have the opportunity to run rampant on the bases, as Lipscomb has not thrown out a base stealer in 10 attempts this season.
PLAYER TO WATCH: RHP/DH Richie Goodenow
Goodenow serves as the Friday night starter and the cleanup hitter as the DH in games which he does not pitch. In his first start on the bump, he logged 6.0 innings, giving up three earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts and did not walk a batter as he did not figure in the decision. At the dish, Goodenow tops the Bison with a .615 (8-for-13) with three doubles and four RBI.
