Probable Starting Pitchers:
Tuesday at Appalachian St., 6 p.m. –
LHP Paul DeVito (6-1, 6.89 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Arrowood (1-1, 8.18)
Wednesday at Virginia Tech, 5:30 p.m. –
RHP Josh Hammonds (2-1, 7.85) vs. TBA
The Highlanders (20-17) are 1-3 on their longest stretch away from home this season and enter the week 5-5 in weekday games this season.
Tuesday's opponent, Appalachian State, is 9-5 all-time against Radford. The two teams were scheduled to first meet in Radford on March 24, but rain forced the cancellation of a home game for the Highlanders in the series.
The Mountaineers (26-17) enter the week red-hot, as winners of 15 of the last 16 games and 12 in a row at home. Appalachian outscored Wofford 29-15 in a weekend series sweep of the Terriers, the start of six straight at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
Through 43 games, third baseman Issac Harrow is hitting .417 with 10 homers and 59 driven in to lead the Mountaineers.
Radford makes its second trip across the New River to Blacksburg in 2009 and will face the Hokies for the second time this season. The Highlanders dropped their last game in Blacksburg, 5-4 to Bryant, on March 9. Virginia Tech swatted five home runs on 15 hits, rolling to a 15-1 win over the Highlanders March 10 in Radford.
Over their last 10 games, the Hokies (25-17) are 5-5, but have losses in five of their last six games, including a weekend ACC series loss at No. 11 Miami. Virginia Tech welcomes High Point to English Field on Tuesday night before hosting the Highlanders on Wednesday.
Outfielder/catcher Steve Domecus leads the Hokies with his .408 average and 42 runs driven in through 37 games, and outfielder Steve Bumbry has nine homers to lead Tech. Domecus was 1-for-3 in the last meeting with Radford, while Bumbry hit a ninth-inning grand slam against the Highlanders.
Radford Baseball Notebook:
- Following a 1-2 Big South weekend, the Highlanders remain in fourth place in the league standings, 4 1/2 games back of first-place Liberty, at 11-8. Radford is a game back of Winthrop for third place, two games behind Coastal Carolina for second, and a half game ahead of this weekend's opponent, Gardner-Webb.
- The Highlanders continue to average better than last year's hit totals (583 – 10.4/game, school record) and run totals (347 – 6.19/game, most since 1995). Through 37 games, Radford is averaging 7.35 runs/game and 11.65 hits/game.
- Junior RHP
Aerik Taylor turned in his team-leading fifth quality start (6 IP and 3 ER or less) of the season on Friday in game one of the Charleston Southern series. In the process, Taylor earned his fourth Big South win, and is seventh overall in the league with a 3.70 ERA and a 5-3 record in 10 starts.
- In the most recent Big South statistical report, Radford is second in the league in batting average at .326, and fourth in team ERA at 6.06.
- Freshman infielder
Jeff Kemp had three hits on Saturday to extend his hitting streak to eight games; his career-best is 10 games.
- Over his last 10 games, junior right fielder
Reggie Keen is 18-of-43 (.419) to improve his batting average to .316.
- Senior first baseman
Alex Gregory's .503 on-base percentage is second in the Big South; Gregory leads the team with a .397 batting average, in pursuit of his third straight .400-plus season.
- As May draws closer, the 2009 season conclusion approaches; only 10 scheduled regular season games remain entering the week.
