Marshall University Athletics
@HerdBaseball Hosts Ohio in Midweek Tilt
3/13/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall baseball team hosts longtime rival Ohio for a midweek matchup Tuesday at 3 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Field on Route 2. Tuesday's game between the two programs will be the 162nd meeting, the most-played series in Thundering Herd baseball history.
ON THE MOUND
RHP Will Ray (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Michael Klein (1-0, 0.64 ERA)
Ray, a junior right-hander, made his Marshall debut on the mound last week at East Tennessee State University. The Evansville, Ind., native was lights out as he went five shutout innings with six strikeouts.
HAVE YOU HERD?
Marshall has won seven of its last eight games, including winning two of a three-game series against Niagara. Billy Sager and Tyler Ratliff led the way for the Herd against the Purple Eagles. Sager was 3-for-6 with a double and three runs scored. Ratliff was 5-for-11 with one home run and nine RBIs. Ratliff has 20 total RBIs this season.
The Thundering Herd continues to impress in the field when it comes to double plays. Marshall ranks eighth in the NCAA for doubles plays with 18, while ranking fourth for double plays per game at 1.29. MU ranks first in Conference USA in both categories.
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
Ohio spilt a two-game series this past weekend against Wright State. The Bobcats dropped the first game, 6-1, but bounced back to win the second game in the 11th inning, 4-3. Ohio was scheduled to play Western Illinois on Sunday but was cancelled due to weather.
Starting pitcher Michael Klein leads the Bobcats on the mound and at the plate. Klein has a team-high .315 batting average. He is 17-for-54 with five doubles, three homers and nine RBIs. On the rubber, Klein has made three starts and pitched 14 innings. He has allowed one earned run and eight hits.
UP NEXT
Marshall opens league play this weekend by welcoming the UTSA Roadrunners (8-7) to Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va. Game one begins Friday at 4 p.m. The series continues Saturday at 3 p.m. and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
