The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Open Conference Play at Marshall
3/15/2018 9:46:00 PM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UAB men's baseball team will venture outside the state lines for the first time this season as it treks to Charleston, W. Va., March 16-18, to battle Marshall in a three-game tilt. The series serves as the Conference USA opener for both teams. First pitch Friday is slated for 3 p.m. CST, while Saturday and Sunday are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and noon, respectively. All games will be played at Appalachian Power Park, home to the West Virginia Power, the Class-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
QUICK HITTERS
- UAB (6-9) is coming off of a 4-1 loss to Troy on Tuesday night at Regions Field
- Following his insertion into the lineup for the Auburn game, outfielder Cole Collins is batting .500 and has amassed a .619 on-base percentage
- UAB has had double vision defensively this season, turning 17 double plays, the 16th most by a team in the NCAA
- Tyler Tolbert has proven to be one of the best base-stealers in the nation thus far and is a near flawless 9-for-10 in swiped bags. The sophomore ranks 19th overall in stolen bases while his 0.6 per game is good for the 25th most in the country
- Junior right-handed pitcher Ryan Wesson has been lights-out all season and has yielded just one walk across 22.2 innings of work. Wesson has made four starts and racked up 18 strikeouts in the process while boasting a 1.99 ERA
- Carter Pharis enters conference play with a team-high .273 batting average and 15 total hits. He has made starts at three different infield spots and has started in all 15 games
Scouting Marshall
Marshall (10-4) enters the series having won six of its last seven games. The Thundering Herd were victorious in their last outing, a 6-2 defeat of Niagara on Sunday.
Tucker Linder paces Marshall with a .380 batting average while outfielder Shane Hanon has a team-best 22 hits. Additionally, Linder has scored 12 runs to go along with 11 RBI and 25 total bases.
The Thundering Herd have seven players batting over .300 and have picked up 35 extra base hits as a club, including seven home runs. Probable Sunday starter Will Ray has the lowest ERA (1.19) among the starters while Brad O'Connor has whiffed opposing batters 21 times.
UAB vs. Marshall
Series Record: UAB leads, 22-18
In West Virginia: UAB leads, 9-6
Last meeting: Marshall won 6-4 win on April 9, 2017
For more information on the UAB baseball team follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball) or on Instagram (UAB_Baseball).
