Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, April 20
Hattiesburg, MS
6 PM
Middle Tennessee
at
Southern Miss.
Blue Raiders hit the road to face No. 14 Southern Miss
4/19/2018 3:00:00 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 20th | Saturday April 21st | Sunday April 22nd
Time: 6:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m.
Match-up: Middle Tennessee (20-17-1, 6-8-1) vs. Southern Miss (25-11, 10-4)
Location: Hattiesburg, Miss. @ Pete Taylor Park
Projected Starting Pitcher:
LHP Jake Wyrick
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Coming off a dominant showing in the midweek bout against Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee hopes to carry momentum into a pivotal Conference USA series against traditional powerhouse No. 14 Southern Miss in Hattiesburg.
The Blue Raiders have struggled against the Golden Eagles in recent history, failing to win a game in each of the last three seasons. However, MT head coach Jim McGuire knows that this is a new year and anything can happen.
"We've got to be locked in with that environment," said McGuire. "I'm excited to see how we do, we're going to have to bring our best."
The Blue Raider bats accumulated 15 hits in the win over Lipscomb, and hope to continue that pace against Southern Miss, who currently lead C-USA in team batting average (.294) and runs scored (299).
The two-pronged attack from infielder Luke Reynolds and utility man Matt Wallner has done the most damage for USM. Wallner, picked by many to be an All-American this season, is swinging the bat at an impressive .362 clip with 10 home runs and eight doubles.
Reynolds, a transfer from Mississippi State, is hitting at an even higher .370 rate, with 15 doubles and seven home runs.
As impressive as the bats are for the Golden Eagles, their pitching staff might be even better. Southern Miss currently has four players who have logged at least 18 innings on the mound and have a 2.08 ERA or better.
Former closer turned Friday night starter Nick Sandlin is the ace though. The junior RHP is 4-0 in eight starts with a 1.29 ERA and a .163 opponent batting average. In his 49 innings, the Evans, GA native has also struck out 75 batters, good for second best in Conference USA.
However, Middle Tennessee's ace, Jake Wyrick, has shown he can matchup with any Friday night starter in the league.
In last Friday's game against Rice, Wyrick tossed six innings, while only allowing one earned run against the Owls. Wyrick's ERA has fallen to an impressive 2.95 in his eight starts for MT.
The Blue Raiders will also welcome back Ryan Kemp and Drew Huff who will both be available for the first conference game since the Blue Raiders traveled to Old Dominion.
In his first game back at second base, Kemp went 2-for-4 with a home run and a career high six RBIs. That bumped the senior's batting average to .299, only behind Austin Dennis (.361) and Aaron Aucker (.347).
Dennis is currently among the leaders in Conference USA in batting average (7th), runs scored (1st), hits (1st), at-bats (3rd) and stolen bases (T-2nd).
First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. in Pete Taylor Park. Fans who cannot make the trip are encouraged to get the call on 101.9/100.5 WGNS.
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 20th | Saturday April 21st | Sunday April 22nd
Time: 6:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m.
Match-up: Middle Tennessee (20-17-1, 6-8-1) vs. Southern Miss (25-11, 10-4)
Location: Hattiesburg, Miss. @ Pete Taylor Park
Projected Starting Pitcher:
LHP Jake Wyrick
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Coming off a dominant showing in the midweek bout against Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee hopes to carry momentum into a pivotal Conference USA series against traditional powerhouse No. 14 Southern Miss in Hattiesburg.
The Blue Raiders have struggled against the Golden Eagles in recent history, failing to win a game in each of the last three seasons. However, MT head coach Jim McGuire knows that this is a new year and anything can happen.
"We've got to be locked in with that environment," said McGuire. "I'm excited to see how we do, we're going to have to bring our best."
The Blue Raider bats accumulated 15 hits in the win over Lipscomb, and hope to continue that pace against Southern Miss, who currently lead C-USA in team batting average (.294) and runs scored (299).
The two-pronged attack from infielder Luke Reynolds and utility man Matt Wallner has done the most damage for USM. Wallner, picked by many to be an All-American this season, is swinging the bat at an impressive .362 clip with 10 home runs and eight doubles.
Reynolds, a transfer from Mississippi State, is hitting at an even higher .370 rate, with 15 doubles and seven home runs.
As impressive as the bats are for the Golden Eagles, their pitching staff might be even better. Southern Miss currently has four players who have logged at least 18 innings on the mound and have a 2.08 ERA or better.
Former closer turned Friday night starter Nick Sandlin is the ace though. The junior RHP is 4-0 in eight starts with a 1.29 ERA and a .163 opponent batting average. In his 49 innings, the Evans, GA native has also struck out 75 batters, good for second best in Conference USA.
However, Middle Tennessee's ace, Jake Wyrick, has shown he can matchup with any Friday night starter in the league.
In last Friday's game against Rice, Wyrick tossed six innings, while only allowing one earned run against the Owls. Wyrick's ERA has fallen to an impressive 2.95 in his eight starts for MT.
The Blue Raiders will also welcome back Ryan Kemp and Drew Huff who will both be available for the first conference game since the Blue Raiders traveled to Old Dominion.
In his first game back at second base, Kemp went 2-for-4 with a home run and a career high six RBIs. That bumped the senior's batting average to .299, only behind Austin Dennis (.361) and Aaron Aucker (.347).
Dennis is currently among the leaders in Conference USA in batting average (7th), runs scored (1st), hits (1st), at-bats (3rd) and stolen bases (T-2nd).
First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. in Pete Taylor Park. Fans who cannot make the trip are encouraged to get the call on 101.9/100.5 WGNS.
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
OF/IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
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