Eagle Baseball Set to Close Fall Schedule vs. In-State Foe Kentucky

AUDIO LINK (UK ATHLETICS WEBSITE)

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State baseball team is set to close out its Fall schedule on Sunday, as the Eagles head west on I-64 to face the Kentucky Wildcats in an exhibition. The Eagles defeated ABC Academie (Canada) 13-6 on Tuesday. 

Head Coach Brady Ward is excited to see how his squad looks ahead of 2024, his first season at the helm of the Eagle baseball program. 

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to travel up the road and compete against a really good ball club that was featured in a Super Regional last year. This will provide a great gauge of where we stand and where we need to continue working," said Ward. "As a staff we feel very good about the progress we have made both individually and as a team this Fall but Sunday will be our first real test. This will be the first time some of these guys get to put on an Eagles uniform and represent our university against someone other than ourselves."

An audio link is available on UK Athletics' website for fans who cannot attend, with EKU & UK baseball alum Darren "Dub" Williams and Darren Headrick calling the action. Admission is free at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:00 PM. Stay tuned to @MSUEagles on X for updates regarding the game, as rain is forecasted in Lexington on Sunday afternoon. 

2023 RECORDS

• Morehead State (36-20)
• Kentucky (40-21)

NOTABLE

• Coach Ward is entering his fourth season with the Morehead State baseball program, serving as pitching coach for the first three under former Head Coach Mik Aoki. Assistant coaches Tyler Jackson and Chris Rose are back with the team in 2024, with Ward adding Lexington native Landon Steiner to the staff as the pitching coach. Eagle baseball alum John Bakke will serve as the Director of Video and Analytics for the team. 
• Morehead State returns many key contributors from the 2023 OVC Regular Season Championship team, including OVC Player of the Year Ryley Preece, who posted the first 20 HR/20 SB season in school history last season. 
• The Eagles' double play duo of Colton Becker and Nick Gooden are both back as well. Becker was named Second Team All-OVC in 2023, stealing 21 bases last season. Gooden was named First Team All-OVC in 2022, and had six homers and 38 RBI last season while battling through injuries in 2023. 
• Roman Kuntz, who was named First Team All-OVC as a designated hitter in 2023, returns to the Eagle lineup for a third season. Kuntz smashed 14 home runs in 2023 with 54 RBI. 
• Isaias Guzman returns for a final season as well. Guzman hit seven home runs before an injury in May ended his season early. Now fully healthy, the senior from Passaic, N.J., is ready to man the hot corner at third base for a third season at MSU. 
• All-Freshman Team member Carter Owens is heading into his sophomore season after bursting onto the scene in a big way last year. Owens homered in his first career AB vs. Indiana, and finished with three home runs and 11 RBI. 
• In the starting rotation, Morehead State returns three key contributors in Luke Helton (Second Team All-OVC, All-OVC Tournament Team), Grant Herron (All-OVC Tournament Team), and Joe Rotkis (6-1, 2 SV). 
• In the bullpen, Matt Bettio, Riley Bradshaw, Will Grimmett, Trevor Callahan, and others are ready to close out games for Morehead State. Bettio was rock solid in 2023, finishing fourth in program history with a season K:BB ratio of 5.43.