MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State baseball team will head to Knoxville Tuesday to face the Tennessee Volunteers in the final non-conference game of the 2014 season. First pitch at Lindsey Nelson Stadium is set for 6 p.m. ET.
Morehead State (26-24) will start sophomore righty Blake Smith, while Tennessee will counter with its head coach's son, Kyle Serrano, on the mound. The Volunteers (29-20) defeated MSU last year on May 14, 6-4.
Ways to follow the game:LIVE AUDIO | LIVE STATS | TWITTER | FACEBOOKMichael Gustin will provide play-by-play for a free audio broadcast on MSUEagles.com. Fans can also follow live stats on MSUEagles.com. In-game updates will be available on Twitter (@MSUAthletics) and Facebook (Facebook.com/MSUEagles).
Releases and pre-game information:MOREHEAD STATE (PDF) | TENNESSEE | OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCENotes heading into the game:
Just One More Base Knock
Junior right fielder Brandon Rawe can etch his name in the MSU record book tonight. He needs only one hit to eclipse Andrew Deeds' single-season record of 87 set in 2012.
Rawe Power
Junior right fielder Brandon Rawe leads the Ohio Valley Conference in hits and doubles and ranks third in batting average. He ranks in the top 30 in the nation in Division I in all three categories as well. Rawe ranks fourth nationally in hits (87), 10th in average (.401) and 24th in doubles (18). He also ranks seventh nationally in total bases (135).
Big Improvements
The 2014 Morehead State baseball team has shattered last season's totals for wins (26 compared to 16), OVC wins (14 compared to 10), home wins (11 compared to five) and road wins (15 compared to six).
Craig's List
Sophomore pitcher Craig Pearcy leads the team and is tied for third in the conference with eight saves. He also is tied for the team lead with five wins out of the bullpen. Pearcy has three victories this season where he pitched at least three innings.
Eating His Wheaties
Junior shortstop Robby Spencer has recorded multiple hits in nine of the last 10 games he's played. Since April 18, he has upped his batting average from .295 to .323. With 22 games of two or more hits, he trails only Brandon Rawe for most multi-hit games on the club.
He's Burnin, He's Burnin, He's Burnin For You...
Senior designated hitter Bobby Burns enters the week with a team-best 13-game hitting streak. He has 19 hits in that span (ironically the same as his jersey number), and 14 of them have been singles. In eight of those 13 games, Burns has managed multiple hits.
On the Edge of Your Seat
Morehead State has been involved in 15 games this year decided by one run, and the Eagles have been victorious 73 percent of the time. MSU is 11-4 in one-run decisions.
Giant Killers
Morehead State owns two wins over nationally-ranked teams. MSU knocked off No. 12 Kentucky 6-4 on April 8 in Lexington and then handed No. 23 Indiana an 8-7 setback on April 13. The last win over a nationally-ranked opponent prior to that was in 2007. The effort earned the Eagles an Honorable Mention Team of the Week nod by CollegeBaseball Insider.com.
