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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team will host in-state and Ohio Valley Conference rival Morehead State in an important three-game series at Turkey Hughes Field this weekend. A doubleheader on Saturday is set to begin at 1:00 p.m., while Sunday’s single game is also set to begin at 1:00 p.m.

EKU (11-22, 3-6 OVC) has won three of its last five and is hitting .335 as team over its last eight games; however, the Colonels have dropped two of three in every conference series this year and desperately need to win a home set against a team with five wins and a pitching staff with an ERA over 10.

The Colonels enter this weekend with the OVC’s best hitter and leading RBI man in their lineup. Junior Richie Rodriguez went 9-for-12 and reached base safely 11 straight times at Austin Peay last weekend and is now atop the OVC with a .426 batting average and 55 hits. The shortstop from Miami also leads the league with a .497 on-base percentage, has swiped 13 bags and has only struck out 10 times in 129 at-bats. Junior Jacob Daniel, meanwhile, is hitting .361 with six home runs and an OVC-best 34 RBI.

The catalyst behind the Colonels’ recent hitting success, however, might by junior #A.J. Jamison#, who, after being hampered by injuries early in the season, is beginning to see regular playing time and responding to that regular playing time by hitting .588 (10-for-17) with four RBI over EKU’s last four games.

EKU will send its normal rotation of junior right-hander Matt Fyffe (0-4, 4.82 ERA), freshman left-hander Kyle McGrath (2-2, 7.02 ERA) and senior right-hander Stephen Hefler (3-4, 4.57 ERA) to the mound this weekend. Junior right-hander Matt Harris (2.88 ERA, 26 strikeouts/25 innings), the OVC Co-Pitcher of the Week, will be waiting in the bullpen.

Due to inclement spring weather, Morehead State (5-25, 1-3 OVC) has played only four OVC games to EKU’s nine so far this season. The Eagles allowed 48 runs in a two-game series at home to Eastern Illinois last weekend.

However, Morehead State, per the norm, will bring a good offensive club into Richmond this weekend. The Eagles, who can put up runs in a hurry, are batting .296 as a squad and are led by Taylor Davis, who is hitting .382 on the year with 30 RBI and an OVC-best nine home runs, and Andrew Deeds, who is hitting .383 with an OVC-best four triples.

Morehead State will throw right-hander Trey Smith (0-7, 7.88 ERA) in game one, lefty Garrick Whittle (1-2, 8.46 ERA) in game two and lefty Noah Smallwood (0-3, 9.08 ERA) in game three.

EKU leads the all-time series between the two programs, 102-88-1; however, the Colonels were swept in a three-game series in Morehead last season. Daniel batted 7-for-13 with three home runs and six RBI during that series.