Marshall University Athletics
@HerdBaseball to Host Ohio in Midweek Bout
3/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall baseball welcomes longtime rival Ohio for a midweek matchup on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the YMCA Kennedy Center Field on state Route 2.
The game was originally scheduled April 20, but with the summer-like weather the Huntington area is experiencing this week, both coaches agreed to the rescheduled date - the 161st meeting of the teams. It is the most-played series in Herd baseball history.
"Both teams really just want to take advantage of the weather," Herd coach Jeff Waggoner said. "This is a chance to play an opponent that we were going to play later in the year. Now we can move it and take some of the pressure off playing two midweek games during the conference schedule. Both coaches decided that we needed to go out and play to allow guys to get more starts before conference play begins for both teams."
Marshall (4-5) is coming off a strong outing this past weekend, as the Herd swept the defending Patriot League champion Lehigh in a three-game series. Marshall earned its first series sweep of a Division I opponent since 2013.
Leading the way for the Herd this past weekend was junior Tommy Lane (Pendleton, Ore.), who had a .364 batting average with six RBIs and two home runs. Aaron Bossi (St. Louis) and Corey Bird (Elkview, W.Va.) each had a strong weekend, as Bossi went 4-for-10 with three RBIs and Bird was 4-for-12 with a double.
On the mound for the Herd will be left-hander Joshua Shapiro (Columbus, Ohio). Shapiro will be making his first collegiate start. The freshman has appeared in five games this season with 6.1 innings pitched, five strikeouts and an ERA of 4.26.
The Bobcats (4-7) own two wins over UNC Asheville and victories against UAB and Wofford. Ohio has been led by Tyler Finkler, with a .433 batting average. Scheduled on the mound for Ohio is redshirt sophomore Gerry Salisbury (0-2).
Up next, Marshall is scheduled for a four-game home series against the Ivy League member Brown (1-2), beginning on Friday at 3 p.m. with a single game.
