Radford opens up play in the 2011 Royal Purple Big South Baseball Championship at VMI's Gray-Minor Stadium on Tuesday at 4 p.m., when the sixth-seeded Highlanders face the host and seventh-seeded Keydets.
The game is a single-elimination play-in contest: the winner moves into the double-elimination, six-team bracket, while the loser will have its season end. Play in the main draw begins on Wednesday morning at 11.
Radford is locked in as the No. 6 seed for the third time and the first since 2008. The Big South regular season came to a close on Saturday with seven teams owning winning records – Radford, Gardner-Webb (No. 5 seed) and VMI were in a three-way tie for fifth place.
As the No. 6 seed, Radford is 3-5 in Big South Tournament action, a third of the Highlanders' all-time tournament victories.
Radford has won five of its last seven games entering the tournament, and four of the last six Big South games, with series wins at home over High Point (No. 8 seed) and at Liberty (No. 2 seed). One of the Highlanders' six series victories came at home over VMI (April 8-10) and sparked a program-record eight-game conference win streak.
Over the last three seasons, the Highlanders are 7-2 against the Keydets and won last year's three-game series at Gray-Minor Stadium.
Though the game is played at VMI's home park, Radford will be the designated home team by virtue of the higher seed.
Tuesday's announced pitching matchup is Radford right-hander
Eddie Butler vs. VMI lefty Jason Farley. Butler (8-2, 4.48 ERA) is 1-0 against the Keydets, all-time, but lasted just two innings in a weather-suspended start on April 8 in the inaugural game at RU Baseball Stadium. Farley (4-7, 5.37) has started twice against Radford with an 0-1 career record – his last start against the Highlanders lasted just three innings, as he allowed five runs on nine hits on April 10. Butler and Farley faced each other last on May 1, 2010 in Lexington in a 15-6 Radford win. Butler was the winner, while Farley didn't factor in the decision.
2011 ROYAL PURPLE BIG SOUTH BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
PRESENTED BY TRIANGLE RENT-A-CAR
Hosted by VMI | Gray-Minor Stadium | Lexington, Va.
Tuesday, May 24 (Games 1-2)
Game 1: No. 6 seed
Radford vs. No. 7 seed VMI, 4:00pm ET
Game 2: No. 5 seed Gardner-Webb vs. No. 8 seed High Point, 7:00pm ET
Wednesday, May 25 (Games 3-5)
Game 3: No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina vs. lowest remaining seed, 11:00am ET
Game 4: No. 2 seed Liberty vs. highest remaining seed, 3:00pm ET
Game 5: No. 3 seed Charleston Southern vs. No. 4 seed Winthrop, 7:00pm ET
Thursday, May 26 (Games 6-8)
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 11:00am ET
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Winner Game 3, 3:00pm ET
Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 7:00pm ET
Friday, May 27 (Games 9-11)
Game 9: TBA vs. TBA, 11:00am ET
Game 10: TBA vs. TBA, 3:00pm ET
Game 11: TBA vs. TBA, 7:00pm ET
Saturday, May 28 (Games 12-13)
Game 12: Championship Game, 1:00pm ET – TV: ESPN3.com
Game 13: If necessary, Championship Game (immediately following Game 12) – TV: ESPN3.com
