Marshall University Athletics
@HerdBaseball Hosts Eastern Kentucky Tuesday
3/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall baseball team hosts the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels on Tuesday at the Kennedy Center Field on Route 2. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
ON THE MOUND
RHP Brad O'Connor (1-1, 6.00 ERA, 18.0 IP) vs. LHP Casey Collins (2-0, 4.41 ERA, 16.1 IP)
O'Connor earned his first start last week against the Tennessee Volunteers. The Springfield, Ore., native tossed five innings against the Vols with three strikeouts. O'Connor has made six appearances on the mound with 10 strikeouts this season.
HAVE YOU HERD?
Marshall (11-10, 3-3 C-USA) collected its first win against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg, Miss. since the 2009 season this past weekend. The Thundering Herd fell in extra innings in game one of the doubleheader, but responded in game two with an 8-7 win in the 10th inning. USM took the final game of the series on Sunday.
Senior Sam Finfer continues to shine at the plate as he sits atop of three hitting categories in C-USA. The Bellevue, Wash., native ranks first in home runs (7), home runs per game (0.37) and slugging percentage (.680). He had the game-winning run in the win over Southern Miss, with a solo homer to left field.
SCOUTING THE COLONELS
Eastern Kentucky enters the midweek contest with a 13-12 overall record and 1-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Colonels hold a 0-9 record on the road this season with losses against No. 7 Arizona, No. 6 Louisville, Kentucky and Morehead State.
EKU is led at the plate by senior first baseman Ben Fisher. Fisher ranks first in the NCAA for home runs (13), RBIs (42) and runs (38). He has had at least one home run in the last seven games, including two homers against Chicago State and Morehead State. Fisher is batting .424 (42-of-99) with a .909 slugging percentage. He is one of six players on the Colonels roster that holds a batting average over .300.
UP NEXT
Marshall welcomes Conference USA foe Middle Tennessee to Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, W.Va. for a three-game series, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. The series continues Saturday at 6 p.m. and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.
Games this weekend against the Blue Raiders can be heard on the Thundering Herd IMG Sports Network with Steve Cotton and Woody Woodrum on ESPN Radio FMs 93.3 and 94.1, and also on AMs 930 and 1340. The radio call will be streamed live on wrvc.com. Fans can also download the streaming app for their iOS and Android devices off the wrvc.com website.
