Murray State University Athletics
Murray State
Tennessee Tech
Players Mentioned
Racers Travel to Face OVC-Leading Tennessee Tech
4/12/2017 2:36:00 PM | Baseball
GAMES 33-35
Murray State (16-16, 6-6 OVC) at Tennessee Tech (26-9, 13-2 OVC)
April 13-15, 2017
First Pitch: Thursday: 6 p.m., Friday: 6 p.m., Saturday: 2 p.m.
Series History: TTU leads the all-time series 88-74-1
Last Meeting: MSU 8, TTU 7 – April 24, 2016
Stadium: Bush Stadium
Dimensions: 329 (LF) | 405 (CF) | 330 (RF)
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Twitter In-Game: @RacersBaseball
First Pitch
The Racers resume conference action this weekend as they travel to OVC-leading Tennessee Tech for a three-game set. MSU is coming off a 9-1 victory Tuesday night over Harris-Stowe, snapping a five-game skid. The Golden Eagles defeated No. 19 Vanderbilt, 5-2 Tuesday. TTU is 16-3 at home in 2017.
Inside the Series
MSU is looking for its first win in Cookeville since 2008, having lost 12 straight on the road in the series. Last season, the Racers swept the Golden Eagles in Murray, coming from behind to win all three games in the series. The Racers are 32-51 all-time in Cookeville. This weekend's series starts Thursday due to the Easter holiday on Sunday.
Early Offense
The Racers have scored in the first inning in 15 games so far this season and is 9-6 in such contests. MSU has also scored first in a game 19 times on the season and is 10-9 when taking the first lead of the ball game.
Shutting the Door
Chad Gendron's five saves so far this season are already the most in a single season for the Racers since Will Handlin recorded four in 2012. The five saves are tied for the sixth-most in a single season in program history.
Scouting Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles have one of the most potent offenses in the OVC as they come into the weekend with a team batting average of .317 (second in the league) and an OVCleading 305 runs scored and 57 home runs hit.
Ryan Flick leads TTU with a .384 batting average and is tied with Chase Chambers with a team-high 10 homers. Chambers leads the squad with 40 RBIs on the year and is hitting .328. Alex Junior leads the Golden Eagles with 45 runs scored and is second in the conference. Flick, Chambers and Kevin Strohschein rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively in the league in runs scored. TTU is also 34-for-41 on stolen base attempts on the season.
Michael Wood leads TTU with a 6-2 record on the mound in 2017 and 47 strikeouts, while Devin Lancaster is 4-1 with a 3.96 ERA. Ethan Roberts leads the Golden Eagles with 13 appearances out of the bullpen and has an OVC-best nine saves this year. TTU has a team ERA of 4.88.
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game one: Ryan Dills (RHP) (2-1, 5.29 ERA) vs. Michael Wood (6-2, 4.93 ERA)
Game two: Austin Dubsky (RHP) (2-4, 6.17 ERA) vs. Jake Usher (RHP) (2-1, 5.97 ERA)
Game three: TBA vs. Chase Burkett (RHP) (4-1, 4.95 ERA)
