Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Old Dominion
Road Raiders head to Norfolk to face ODU
3/29/2018 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
GAME INFORMATION
Hashtags: #BlueRaiders
Social Media: @MT_Baseball (Twitter) MT_Baseball (Instagram) MTSU Blue Raider Baseball (Facebook)
Broadcast: 100.5/101.9 WGNS & TuneIn App
Date: Friday March 30th | Saturday March 31st | Sunday April 1st
Time: 5:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 11:00 a.m.
Match-up: Middle Tennessee (14-11, 3-3) vs. Old Dominion (9-14, 2-4)
Location: Norfolk, Va. @ Bud Metheny Complex
Projected Starting Pitcher:
LHP Jake Wyrick
RHP Carson Lester
LHP Peyton Wigginton
NORFOLK, Va. – Coming off a dominant showing against Belmont in the midweek match-up, a game won 24-4, Middle Tennessee resets its sites to conference opponent Old Dominion this weekend in Norfolk.
Led by Drew Huff's nine RBI performance, Middle Tennessee's 24 runs were the most scored in a game since March of 2013.
The Blue Raiders (14-11, 3-3) hope to carry that momentum to the east coast against a Monarchs team that has lost three out of their last four games. Middle Tennessee leads the all-time head-to-head series against ODU, 9-6.
In their first two series against conference opponents Florida Atlantic and FIU, Old Dominion (9-14, 2-4) could only find success on Sunday's in their series finales. However, the Monarchs are a serious threat at the plate.
They currently have six batters who have started at least 10 games and possess a batting average greater than .294. As a team, ODU hits at a .295 clip, with an on-base percentage of .367.
Preseason All-Conference USA winners Vinny Pasquantino and Kyle Battle are two names to watch for. Pasquantino is hitting .309 for the Monarchs and his six doubles and 22 RBI are first on the team.
Middle Tennessee's hitters seem to have found their stride in the past few weeks. Much of the spotlight has been on big hitters Aaron Aucker and Blake Benefield who have six home runs each.
However, others like Austin Dennis sit third in Conference USA in runs scored with 31, 12th in total bases with 50 and sixth in stolen bases with nine. At 1.04, Dennis also leads Middle Tennessee in ERA in his six appearances on the mound.
Meanwhile, leadoff man LA Woodard is second in C-USA in stolen bases with 12.
Additionally, the pitching staff for Middle Tennessee seems to be coming around as well. Friday night starter Jake Wyrick has a 3.42 ERA in his five starts on the mound, while also striking out 34 batters in only 23.2 innings.
First pitch on Friday night is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. in Norfolk. Fans are encouraged to listen to WGNS on 101.9/100.5 for the call from Dick Palmer.
