MT hosts Rice for crucial C-USA series

Friday, April 13

Murfreesboro, TN

3 PM

Middle Tennessee

Rice

4/12/2018 2:00:00 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, April 13 (DH) | Sunday, April 15
Time: 3 p.m. | 7 p.m. | 1 p.m.
Match-up: Middle Tennessee (18-16, 5-7) vs. Rice (15-20, 5-7)
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn. @ Reese Smith Jr. Field

Projected Starting Pitcher:
LHP Jake Wyrick

RHP Carson Lester
TBA

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – After splitting midweek contests against Belmont and Tennessee Tech, Middle Tennessee will shift its focus towards a crucial conference weekend series at home against traditional powerhouse Rice.

The two schools have met only 14 times, all since 2014, and while the Owls lead the head-to-head series 8-6, the Blue Raiders had the most dominant win in series history last season, winning 13-1.

The Owls have struggled this year in conference play, going 5-7 in the first four series which includes being swept by LA Tech. However, Rice has won its last four conference games, including a sweep of Old Dominion and a Sunday win over Southern Miss.

Led by three Preseason All-Conference USA selections -- infielder Ford Proctor, catcher Dominic DiCaprio and starting pitcher Matt Canterino -- which tied Rice for the most of any team in the league, the Owls have shown they can be explosive both at the plate and on the mound.

Proctor currently sits second in the conference in batting average, hitting at a .382 clip. The senior shortstop also has eight doubles and 22 RBIs while drawing 26 walks.

Meanwhile, DiCaprio has been limited for the Owls, only playing in six games. However, when he's been in the lineup, the junior catcher has been dominant with a .381/.435/.571 split line.

On the mound, Canterino leads Rice in many statistical categories, including innings (50.2), strikeouts (71, second in C-USA) and opponent BA (.170).

For the Blue Raiders, the weekend series marks the beginning of their toughest stretch of the season. Five of the next six series are against opponents ranked fifth or better in the Conference USA standings, and that does not include Rice, the reigning C-USA Tournament champion.

At the plate, the three-headed monster of Aaron Aucker, Austin Dennis and Blake Benefield have been forceful, combining for 30 doubles, 18 home runs and 91 RBIs. They're also the only three Blue Raiders to start every game this season.

Utility man Kevin Sullivan has been valuable in the absence of Ryan Kemp and Drew Huff, sitting at sixth in Conference USA in on-base percentage (.457) and ninth in walks drawn (21).

Jake Wyrick will look to get the start on the mound Friday for MT. The senior is 1-2 in seven starts, but his 33.2 innings and 47 strikeouts lead the Blue Raiders.

First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Reese Smith Jr. Field. Fans can tune into 100.5/101.9 WGNS for the call on the Blue Raider Network.