MT aims to bounce back in a pair of midweek tilts

Tuesday, April 10

Murfreesboro, TN

6 PM

Middle Tennessee

Belmont

4/9/2018 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: Tuesday, April 10 | Wednesday, April 11
Time: 6 p.m. | 6 p.m.
Matchup: Middle Tennessee (17-15, 5-7) vs. Belmont (13-18, 8-7) | Middle Tennessee (17-15, 5-7) at Tennessee Tech (25-5, 14-1)
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn. @ Reese Smith Jr. Field | Cookeville, Tenn. @ Bush Stadium

Projected Blue Raider Starting Pitchers:

TBA

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – After a tough weekend series, Middle Tennessee will look to bounce back with a pair of midweek games this week against in-state foes.

The Blue Raiders will start on Tuesday with a home tilt against Belmont before following Wednesday at old rival Tennessee Tech.

Belmont

Middle Tennessee and Belmont will meet for the second time this season. It will be a rematch of a dominating performance from the Blue Raiders, when they pummeled the Bruins 24-4 on March 27.

In that contest, the blue and white exploded for nine runs in the second inning thanks in large part to a grand slam from junior third baseman Drew Huff. He finished 4-for-7 in the game with a school single-game record nine RBIs, which also put him tied for second all-time in Conference USA.

The Blue Raiders will hope to see the offense surge in similar fashion after being outscored 26-8 in three games against Marshall. They'll lean on hot-hitting senior Aaron Aucker, who leads the team in batting average (.349), home runs (seven) and RBIs (37, second in C-USA).

On the mound, Middle Tennessee will look to keep the struggling Bruin offense down. They've averaged just three runs per game over their last six, going 1-5 in that span.

MT leads the all-time series against its Nashville foe 43-14 and has won four in a row.

Tennessee Tech

The Blue Raiders and Golden Eagles will renew their old rivalry on Wednesday in a rescheduled affair from Feb. 28. For fans that like offense, this could be a good one to watch.

Middle Tennessee currently ranks tied for 42^nd in the nation and second in C-USA with a respectable 211 runs scored, but still come 121 runs shy of Tennessee Tech's current 332, which leads the country. The Golden Eagles also rank first in NCAA Division I in runs per game (11.1), batting average (.353), hits (394), home runs (67), on-base percentage (.448) and slugging percentage (.625).

The high-powered Golden Eagle offense has propelled them to a current 16-game winning streak in which they've outscored opponents 158-69. The Blue Raider pitching staff, which currently sports a 5.75 ERA, will try to rebound from a tough weekend and slow them down.

Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series against its old rival 86-34-1 and have won three in a row against Tennessee Tech, but a fourth win won't come easily.

Fans who can't make it to the midweek contests can follow all of the action on WGNS at 100.9 or 101.5.