Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Baseball Hosts Memphis in C-USA Showdown
4/5/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 5, 2012
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- The Marshall baseball team will look to tame the Memphis Tigers as the Thundering Herd hosts its first Conference USA series of 2012 starting Friday.
The three-game series will be held at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va. with game times scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Marshall (11-16, 1-2 C-USA) is 11-8 all-time against Memphis and has won three of the last four meetings, including a post-season victory that the Herd claimed in the 2010 C-USA tournament.
The two programs have a unique history in that 13 of the 19 meetings have been decided by three runs or less while the other six contests have an average margin of victory of 11.5. A total of six games between Marshall and Memphis have come down to a single run, and each team has won three such games.
Alfredo Brito enters the series on a 15-game hitting streak, Marshall's highest since Victor Gomez did it in April of last year. Brito's streak began on March 9 at Gardner-Webb after he went 0-for-1 in a pinch hit at-bat against the Kentucky Wildcats. Since then, his average has climbed to .344 which leads the team.
Nathan Gomez leads the Herd's offensive attack with 27 RBIs. The first baseman has driven in two or more runs in nine games this season, which includes two four-RBI games. The 27 RBIs have him ranked seventh in C-USA.
Memphis (12-17, 2-4 C-USA) will bring one of the league's top hitters along with one of the best pitchers to the diamond this weekend. Senior Adam McClain is batting .405 this season and is the current C-USA hitting leader. The left fielder also ranks second in hits (45) and third in on-base percentage (.468).
Dan Langfield ranks second in C-USA in strikeouts as he has rung up 53 opposing hitters. Further, he has limited opposing batters to .194 (third in C-USA) and is one of only six pitchers with four wins so far in 2012.
As a team, the Tigers rank fifth in Conference USA in batting average (.286) but their conference leading 64 doubles and third-best 20 home runs have ensured a second place ranking in slugging percentage (.422).
Memphis is 2-4 in Conference USA, having lost two out of three to Rice and Tulane. Marshall's only conference series ended in a 2-1 loss to UAB.
All three games this weekend will be streamed online and can be viewed through CBS All-Access. Fans in the area can also tune their radio to 88.1 FM or visit WMUL online to listen to the action. Links to Gametracker are available through HerdZone.com.
