GAME NOTES (PDF) | Note: Thursday's game is now at Noon ET, not the original 4 p.m. start time.
MOREHEAD, Ky. -- Boasting a perfect 6-0 home mark in 2016, the Morehead State baseball team will look to keep up the winning ways at home and halt a five-game losing skid overall when the Eagles host Belmont this weekend.
Game one is now slated for Noon ET on Thursday. Game two is Friday at 4 p.m. with the finale set for Saturday at 1 p.m. All three games will feature live audio live stat and live video links on the front page and
baseball schedule page at MSUEagles.com. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 2-12.
MSU (12-8/3-3 Ohio Valley Conference) fell in all four games last week and dropped a 10-5 decision at Kentucky Tuesday. The Bruins head into Allen Field winners of six of their last seven, including a 23-6 drubbing of in-town Nashville rival Lipscomb Tuesday.
Morehead State is expected to start righty
Luke Humphreys (3-1) in game one, righthander
Matt Anderson (4-0) in the second contest and lefty
Aaron Leasher (2-0) in the finale.
10 NOTES HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND• Morehead State will look to avenge a three-game sweep at the hands of the Belmont Bruins last season in Nashville. The Eagles returned the favor in the OVC Tournament, defeating Belmont 8-4 in the semifinal round.
• MSU has won 21 of its last 23 home games dating back to the 2015 season. The Eagles are 6-0 at Allen Field in 2016.
• In the six home games so far, Eagle hitters have compiled a .361 batting average, while the pitchers have held foes to just a .228 average. Four hitters - freshman SS
Reid Leonard (.478), freshman DH
Trevor Snyder (.429), junior 1B
Jesus Carrera (.414) and freshman C
Hunter Fain (.412) are above the .400 mark at home.
• A year after ranking first in the nation in five stats categories, MSU is back at it again. The Eagles rank 17th in the nation in hits (233) and 16th in home runs (23). MSU also ranks 33rd in the country in scoring (7.7 runs per outing).
• MSU's offense has been quick out of the gate. The Eagles have scored 153 runs this year, and 52 have crossed the plate in the first or second innings.
• Junior rightfielder
Will Schneider carries a team-high 12-game hitting streak into the Belmont series. During that span (which began on March 2 at Louisville), he has managed to hit .333 with three home runs and a team-best 12 RBI.
• Senior pitcher
Tyler Keele, MSU's primary closer for the pitching staff this year, has racked up three saves, and opponents are only hitting .135 against him. Keele has only allowed five hits in 11.1 innings and has struck out 12.
• Senior righthander
Matt Anderson, the projected game two starter, leads the OVC and ranks second in the nation with 15.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Anderson has two double-digit strikeout efforts (12 vs. Siena and career-high 16 vs. Tennessee Tech).
• Junior third baseman
Alex Stephens has only struck out four times in 89 at-bats, which leads the OVC. Stephens paces the offense with a .392 batting average, and he has a team-best 11 multi-hit performances.
• Freshman catcher
Hunter Fain leads all OVC freshmen with a .380 batting average. He has reached base in a team-best 15 consecutive games heading into the weekend. In Fain's first career game, he went 5-for-6 with a school-record three doubles at North Carolina Central.
