April 27, 2012 — Morehead State baseball hosts Ohio Valley Conference rival Eastern Kentucky this weekend at Allen Field.
The series begins Friday at 5 p.m. continues Saturday at 2 p.m. and wraps Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Eagles are coming off their fourth OVC series victory this season versus Eastern Illinois last weekend in Charleston, Ill. MSU swept Saturday's twinbill against the Panthers behind a strong pitching performance by left-handed sophomore Noah Smallwoodwho tossed a complete game in the 13-2 nightcap victory.
Below are more notes on this weekend's three-game series:
• Left-handed sophomore Noah Smallwood earned BluGrass Baseball Pitcher of the Week honors after his performance versus Eastern Illinois last weekend. He tossed his first complete game of the season and earned the win in the Eagles’ 13-2 victory.
• Junior closer Matt Duncan was selected to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Midseason Stopper of the Year Watch List last week. Duncan also earned his conference-leading 10th save of the year, tying the program single season record held by Michael Thompson. He is just six saves away from the OVC single season mark.
• Senior outfielder Andrew Deeds began the week ranked third in the nation in hits with 69. Deeds went 5-for-16 last week, with a pair of home runs and five RBI. He leads the OVC in hits and ranks near the top in batting average (.416).
• The Eagles have won seven of their last 10 games and are in contention for a spot in the OVC Tournament. Pitching has been key to MSU’s late-season run. In the last 10 games, Eagle pitchers have a 3.99 ERA.
• Junior catcher/designated hitter Drew Williams has been swinging a hot bat in the Eagles’ last 10 contests. Williams is hitting .455 in 22 at-bats, with two home runs and nine RBI. The Kevil, Ky., native has a .316 batting average with 16 RBI this season.
• With Saturday’s game two victory, Head Coach Jay Sorg has matched his highest win total at the helm of the MSU baseball program. Sorg won 24 games his third season (2009-10) as Eagle skipper.
• MSU is 5-7 versus EKU during Sorg’s tenure. The Eagles were swept last season against the Colonels at Turkey Hughes Field. The last time EKU visited Allen Field, the Eagles won all three of the contests in the 2010 season series.
• The Colonels play a pair of midweek contests this week. EKU faces Mid-American Conference opponent Ohio and Conference USA foe Marshall. The Eagles defeated Marshall in both games of their season series, 11-8 and 7-2, respectively.
• EKU ranks in the middle of the OVC in hitting and pitching, but leads the conference with 51 home runs.
