Live Stats I OVC Standings

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team will play for its first Ohio Valley Conference regular season title since 2000 this weekend, as the Colonels travel to Murray State for a decisive three-game series at Reagan Field

EKU (28-21, 16-7 OVC) currently sits in second place in the OVC standings, one game behind first-place Austin Peay (32-20, 17-6 OVC), which plays at eighth-place Tennessee Tech (20-30, 9-14 OVC) this weekend. Jacksonville State (24-27, 15-9 OVC) and Eastern Illinois (25-25, 14-9 OVC) are looming behind EKU and could also factor into a championship during this final weekend of regular season play.

The surging Colonels had won six straight and 11 of their last 12 games before losing to in-state rival Western Kentucky, 11-7, on Tuesday night. EKU, which leads the country with 64 home runs, was hitting .338 and slugging .533 as a team during that stretch.

Senior Richie Rodriguez powers an explosive EKU offense that leads the OVC in slugging percentage (.484) and total bases (856). Rodriguez ranks third in the OVC in batting average (.387), second in runs scored (55), second in doubles (17), fourth in home runs (13), third in total bases (136), third in on-base percentage (.481) and third in slugging percentage (.712).

Junior Austin Grisham (.324) and seniors Dustin Dunlop (.317), #A.J. Jamison# (.308) and Jacob Daniel (.302) are also batting above .300 in a balanced and veteran EKU lineup.

MSU (23-30, 8-16 OVC) currently sits in ninth place in the OVC after dropping two-of-three at Southeast Missouri last weekend. MSU, however, did top No. 2 Kentucky, 7-3, in a neutral-site, midweek contest on Tuesday, so the Thoroughbreds will carry some momentum into this weekend.

MSU ranks fifth in the OVC in hitting (.288) and sixth in pitching (5.93). Brandon Eggenschwiler (.374 batting average) paces a balanced MSU lineup that features six players batting at or above .300 on the spring.

EKU will run out the same rotation it has used the past three weekends. Senior right-hander Matt Harris (4-5, 5.98 ERA) will start game one, senior right-hander Matt Fyffe (8-0, 1.51 ERA) will start game two and junior left-hander Shane Grimm (5-4, 3.37 ERA) will go in the finale on Saturday. Fyffe is the reigning OVC Co-Pitcher of the Week after he tossed a complete game shutout last Saturday against TTU.

MSU will counter with right-hander Tyler Beers (3-6, 6.14 ERA) in game one and left-hander Bryan Babin (5-4, 5.35 ERA) in game two. The Breds’ game three starter has yet to be determined. Beers and Babin both saw action in MSU’s win over Kentucky on Tuesday.

EKU leads the all-time series between the two schools, 52-45, and the Colonels swept the Breds in a three game set at Turkey Hughes Field last year. Jamison batted 6-for-13 with four RBI in that series, while junior right-hander Austin Rexroat earned the win in game two and senior left-hander Greg Terry picked up the win in game three.

This weekend’s series gets underway at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, continues at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and wraps up at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.