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MOREHEAD, Ky. – After dropping three of four to Buffalo over the weekend, the Morehead State baseball will aim to get back on track with a midweek tilt against Translyvania. First pitch on Wednesday is at 5:00 p.m.
MSU brings a record of 5-9 into Wednesday’s game and has yet to win a midweek contest, losing to #11 Louisville and #23 Kentucky in their only midweek games so far this season. The Pioneers are 4-1 on the season and have not lost since their season opener against DePauw.
MSU will turn to junior righty
Trey Smith on the hill, as the London, Ky. native will make his third start of the season. Smith struggled in his first two starts of the year, but looked much more comfortable in recent relief outings versus Kentucky and Buffalo. Smith pitched a combined 4.2 innings in those contests with an ERA of just 3.86.
Drew Lee,
J.D. Ashbrook, and
Michael Bottoms lead an MSU attack that scored 47 runs in the four-game series with Buffalo. Lee drove in ten runs in the set and smacked two home runs. For the season Lee is batting .357 and leads the club in RBIs (21) and homers (6). Ashbrook leads the team in batting average at .392 and has went yard five times this season, including twice over the weekend. Ashbrook holds a team high .530 on-base percentage out of the lead-off spot. Bottoms struggled at the plate to begin the year but turned it on last week, batting .478 with seven RBIs in five games last week.
Right-hander Mitch Florence will start for the Pioneers. Florence has a 2-0 record on the season, winning his only start and taking a victory in a relief appearance. Florence has allowed just two earned runs in eight innings of work and opposing batters are hitting just .075 against the senior from Lexington.
Michael Derringer leads Transylvania at the plate, batting .375 on the season with a team leading six RBIs. Five other Pioneers are hitting over .300 on the season.
After tomorrow’s game, MSU will travel to Evansville, Ind. for the Dunn Hospitality Diamond Classic hosted by the University of Evansville. The Eagles will face the host Purple Aces, Purdue, and LeMoyne in the tournament, beginning with a Friday afternoon battle with Evansville.