Marshall University Athletics
Baseball Hosts Tulane For Pivotal C-USA Series
5/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 12, 2011
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University baseball team hosts the Tulane Green Wave for a three-game series with Conference USA tournament hopes on the line, starting Friday at 10 a.m. ET on the diamond of Appalachian Power Park. Saturday's game will start at 2 p.m., while the finale on Sunday has a first pitch slated for 10:30 a.m.
Marshall enters the weekend in ninth place in the league standings at 18-27 overall and 5-13 in conference games. Tulane sits in sixth place at 28-20 and 8-10 versus C-USA opponents. The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the C-USA Championships, which are held in Pearl, Miss., at Trustmark Park.
Multimedia: All three games can be watched through All-Access, along with the student radio broadcast and live game chat being available on HerdZone.com. Sunday's contest will air on WRVC 94.1 FM/930 AM.
All-Time Series: Tulane leads, 12-5-1
Game 1: Fri., 10 a.m. ET
TLN: RHP Conrad Flynn (3-5, 3.51 ERA)
MU: RHP Aaron Blair (1-3, 2.92 ERA)
Matchup: Blair is coming off the best pitching performance of his young collegiate career, firing six shutout innings while fanning six in a no decision against East Carolina. The tall right-hander has not allowed an earned run over his last two appearances, totaling 10 total frames, walking just one and punching out 11. Flynn tops the Green Wave in innings pitched (77.0) and strikeouts (60), while holding opponents to a .248 batting average against him. He has allowed 73 total hits, 27 of those for extra bases, including 22 doubles.
Game 2: Sat., 2 p.m.
TLN: RHP Drew Zizinia (2-1, 4.21 ERA)
MU: LHP Mike Mason (3-3, 4.41 ERA)
Matchup: Last Saturday, Mason worked six frames, giving up just one earned run on six hits, while posting six strikeouts to earn the lone Herd win with the Pirates. After a tough start at Southern Miss on April 23, Mason has posted back-to-back quality starts earning a pair of wins. In his last 13 stanzas on the bump, the lefty has given up just four earned runs with 14 strikeouts. His counterpart in Ziznia has made 15 total outings for Tulane, including eight starts. He is averaging almost a strikeout per inning, registered 49 Ks in 51.1 innings for the season.
Game 3: Sun., 10:30 a.m.
TLN: RHP Alex Byo (2-2, 3.09 ERA)
MU: RHP Arik Sikula (2-5, 4.78 ERA)
Matchup: After being tagged for eight earned runs in 2.2 innings at Memphis, a week later Sikula looked like a different pitcher against the ECU Pirates. The senior worked into the eighth inning, allowing just three earned runs to score off six hits and fanned a career-high 12. His strikeout total is tied for the most by a pitcher in a C-USA game this season. Tulane's Byo has shown great control, through his seven starts and nine total times toeing the rubber, walking just 13 in 43.2 innings of work.
Marshall Hitter to Watch: Thor Meeks, C
Meeks has been on an absolute monster at the plate over the last seven games, hitting at a .538 clip, roping 14 hits in 26 at bats. Of his 14 base knocks, 10 have been for extra bases, including six two-baggers and four long balls. The junior has collected seven RBI and has 32 total bases, with an impressive 1.231 slugging percentage.
Tulane Hitter to Watch: Jeremy Schaffer, C
The other backstop in this series has also produced solid numbers in 2011. Schaffer is the lone player on the Green Wave with a batting average over .300, with a .365 clip for the year. He has 65 hits, 29 of which are for extra bases. Schaffer has gone deep six times and knocked in a team-best 33.
Weekend Promotions: Not only will Saturday serve as Senior Day, but also Military Appreciation Day at Power Park. Free admission will be given to those with a military ID for Saturday's contest and the players will be wearing camouflage uniforms that will be auctioned off at the games. On Sunday, Marshall students will have the opportunity to win a free semester's worth of books, while all fans are eligible for free Chik-Fil-A for a year.
