Marshall University Athletics
Friday, February 14
Gainesville, Fla.
6:30 pm
Marshall University
at
Florida
Wade Martin
Photo by: Cody Linn
Baseball Begins Season Friday at No. 4/10 Florida
2/13/2020 1:17:00 PM | Baseball
Highest Ranked Opponent Since 2010
Friday Stream
Saturday Stream
Sunday Stream
Gamenotes (PDF)
GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Marshall baseball will open its 2020 season Friday night for the first of three games at preseason No. 4/10 Florida. First pitch Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium.
The Gators are ranked as high as No. 4 in the D1Baseball.com preseason Top 25. They are preseason No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network + via the ESPN app. To access SEC Network + on WatchESPN, fans must sign in with their credentials from a participating TV provider.
PROJECTED PITCHERS
Friday, February 14, 6:30 p.m.
RHP Wade Martin vs. RHP Tommy Mace
Saturday, February 15, 4 p.m.
RHP Brady Choban vs. RHP Jack Leftwich
Sunday, February 16, 1 p.m.
RHP Jeffrey Purnell vs. RHP Nick Pogue
A LOOK AT THE HERD
Marshall will have a new-look squad under 14th-year head coach Jeff Waggoner. Marshall returns just three positional players who made 30 or more starts in 2019 (Geordon Blanton (57), Zach Inskeep (53), Luke Edwards (32)). The team does however return 12 pitchers and a total of 19 letter-winners.
Friday night starter Wade Martin is among the returning pitchers. The redshirt senior and 2017 All-Conference USA Second-Team pitcher looks to return to his capable form. Last season he hit a season-high 4.0 innings and 6 strikeouts against UTSA on May 4.
Also returning is 2019 All-Freshman team member Luke Edwards. The sophomore accounted for 34 hits, 8 doubles, and 16 RBI as a first-year player.
Junior Geordon Blanton returns after starting all 57 games a season ago. He hit .286 last year with 58 hits, 17 doubles, 4 RBI and 26 RBI.
BREAKING THE RANKS
Marshall baseball looks to beat its highest ranked opponent since knocking off No. 1 Rice, led by current MLB stars Anthony Rendon and Brock Holt, on Sunday, April 19, 2009 in Houston, 11-7.
Florida is the highest ranked opponent Marshall has faced since squaring off against No. 1 Virginia on March 23, 2010 in Charlottesville (L, 6-3).
The Herd faces its first ranked SEC opponent since February 2015 at No. 14 Mississippi State, losing a pair of games 6-2 and 7-4.
Marshall defeated a ranked opponent most recently last season when the Herd beat No. 21 Louisiana Tech in Ruston on April 18, 2019. Current junior Phillip Hoffman earned the win on the mound in relief.
Marshall last won a series against a ranked opponent from April 5-7, 2013 when it took down then-Conference USA foe No. 19 Houston, two games to one at Appalachian Power Park.
SCOUTING THE GATORS
Marshall will have a tall task when it faces for the Florida Gators for the first time in program history. The Gators have made 12 College World Series appearances, including winning the 2017 National Championship, and have won 15 SEC titles.
The Gators will send out junior RHP Tommy Mace to the mound Friday night, who along with Saturday night's starter Jack Leftwich, are widely referred to as top prospects for the 2020 MLB Draft. Mace was drafted in the 12th round of the 2017 Draft by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school before electing his Florida commitment.
Florida returns six starting positional players from 2019 Lubbock Regional team and returns 20 total letter-winners.
Senior outfielder Austin Langworthy returns after starting all 58 games he played in last season. He leads returners from last season in hits (63), doubles (12) and home runs (10). Sophomore utility player Kendrick Calilao started in all but one game last season, and led returners in RBI (49).
#RiseAsOne
For all of the latest information on the Marshall baseball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdBaseball, on Instagram at HerdBSB, and at www.herdzone.com.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
Saturday Stream
Sunday Stream
Gamenotes (PDF)
GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Marshall baseball will open its 2020 season Friday night for the first of three games at preseason No. 4/10 Florida. First pitch Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. at Alfred A. McKethan Stadium.
The Gators are ranked as high as No. 4 in the D1Baseball.com preseason Top 25. They are preseason No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network + via the ESPN app. To access SEC Network + on WatchESPN, fans must sign in with their credentials from a participating TV provider.
PROJECTED PITCHERS
Friday, February 14, 6:30 p.m.
RHP Wade Martin vs. RHP Tommy Mace
Saturday, February 15, 4 p.m.
RHP Brady Choban vs. RHP Jack Leftwich
Sunday, February 16, 1 p.m.
RHP Jeffrey Purnell vs. RHP Nick Pogue
A LOOK AT THE HERD
Marshall will have a new-look squad under 14th-year head coach Jeff Waggoner. Marshall returns just three positional players who made 30 or more starts in 2019 (Geordon Blanton (57), Zach Inskeep (53), Luke Edwards (32)). The team does however return 12 pitchers and a total of 19 letter-winners.
Friday night starter Wade Martin is among the returning pitchers. The redshirt senior and 2017 All-Conference USA Second-Team pitcher looks to return to his capable form. Last season he hit a season-high 4.0 innings and 6 strikeouts against UTSA on May 4.
Also returning is 2019 All-Freshman team member Luke Edwards. The sophomore accounted for 34 hits, 8 doubles, and 16 RBI as a first-year player.
Junior Geordon Blanton returns after starting all 57 games a season ago. He hit .286 last year with 58 hits, 17 doubles, 4 RBI and 26 RBI.
BREAKING THE RANKS
Marshall baseball looks to beat its highest ranked opponent since knocking off No. 1 Rice, led by current MLB stars Anthony Rendon and Brock Holt, on Sunday, April 19, 2009 in Houston, 11-7.
Florida is the highest ranked opponent Marshall has faced since squaring off against No. 1 Virginia on March 23, 2010 in Charlottesville (L, 6-3).
The Herd faces its first ranked SEC opponent since February 2015 at No. 14 Mississippi State, losing a pair of games 6-2 and 7-4.
Marshall defeated a ranked opponent most recently last season when the Herd beat No. 21 Louisiana Tech in Ruston on April 18, 2019. Current junior Phillip Hoffman earned the win on the mound in relief.
Marshall last won a series against a ranked opponent from April 5-7, 2013 when it took down then-Conference USA foe No. 19 Houston, two games to one at Appalachian Power Park.
SCOUTING THE GATORS
Marshall will have a tall task when it faces for the Florida Gators for the first time in program history. The Gators have made 12 College World Series appearances, including winning the 2017 National Championship, and have won 15 SEC titles.
The Gators will send out junior RHP Tommy Mace to the mound Friday night, who along with Saturday night's starter Jack Leftwich, are widely referred to as top prospects for the 2020 MLB Draft. Mace was drafted in the 12th round of the 2017 Draft by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school before electing his Florida commitment.
Florida returns six starting positional players from 2019 Lubbock Regional team and returns 20 total letter-winners.
Senior outfielder Austin Langworthy returns after starting all 58 games he played in last season. He leads returners from last season in hits (63), doubles (12) and home runs (10). Sophomore utility player Kendrick Calilao started in all but one game last season, and led returners in RBI (49).
#RiseAsOne
For all of the latest information on the Marshall baseball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdBaseball, on Instagram at HerdBSB, and at www.herdzone.com.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
---HerdZone.com---
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