RADFORD vs. MARIST March 16-18 | RU Baseball Stadium RU in 2012: 8-9 | Streak: L1 | Last 10: 6-4

Friday, 6:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Audio | Big South Network Video RHP Keith Fritz (2-1, 7.50) vs. LHP Chad Gallagher (1-2, 9.60)

Saturday, 2:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Audio | Big South Network Video RHP Tyler Costello (2-0, 2.45) vs. RHP Chris Bielak (0-0, 6.43)

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Audio | Big South Network Video RHP Mark Peterson (0-1, 10.80) vs. RHP Brett Houseal (0-2, 7.31)

NOTE: Big South Network video will be available for all three games, weather permitting

Radford will play its second of four straight home weekend sets when the Highlanders host Marist in a three-game series beginning on Friday night.
 
The matchup with Marist marks the first time that Radford head coach Joe Raccuia will face his former team – Raccuia coached the Red Foxes from 2004-05, and led the 2005 team to a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and an NCAA Regional berth.  Third-year Marist head coach Chris Tracz was MAAC Pitcher of the Year in 2005 under Raccuia.
 
Radford leads the all-time series 3-0 – the Highlanders posted a home sweep of the Red Foxes in 2005.
 
Last week, Radford went 4-1 at home in series wins over La Salle and Bryant, extending their record at RU Baseball Stadium to 49-24 (.671) since 2009 and 27-6 (.818) against non-conference opponents.   Beginning with Friday's series opener, the first home night game this season, Radford hosts nine of its next 11 at home.
 
Marist enters the weekend 3-7 following a midweek sweep by Virginia.  Of their three wins, the Red Foxes have victories over Big South teams Campbell (7-5 on Feb. 18) and Coastal Carolina (5-4 [14 inns] on March 10).  Marist, a program with six NCAA Regional trips, is playing a stretch of 15 straight on the road to begin their season. 
 
Following this weekend's series, the Highlanders play at JMU on Tuesday before hosting UNC Asheville next Friday to open up Big South play.
 
WEEKEND NOTEBOOK

• Friday marks the first night home game in 2012, with 10 more on the schedule
• The Highlanders hosted five night games in their first season with lights last year
• Matt Mack, who returned from an injury last Wednesday, enters the weekend with a team-high 10 consecutive games reaching base
• Mack is 5-for-16 over his last four games
• When he pitched on Tuesday night at Virginia Tech, closer Abram Williams got in his first work (1.0 IP, 0 R, 2 Ks) since last Tuesday's series-opener vs. La Salle
• In that eighth inning that Williams pitched, the Highlanders executed an unconventional 2-6-2-8-6 putout with a hang-up of runners at second and third – Jeff Kemp applied a tag at home on a relay from center fielder Zach Costello on the infield to end the run-down
• As a team, the Highlanders are hitting .335 over their last five games, upping the team's season average to .294, third in the Big South by 22 percentage points
• Six players have six or more hits over that stretch, led by Josh Gardiner (7-for-17) and Brett Mollenhauer (7-for-19); Kemp has seven RBIs
• Kemp is tied for the league lead with eight doubles and three triples, and ranks fifth in the Big South with 18 RBIs – more than half of his total from a season ago (24 – 38 games)
• Tyler Costello is in search of his third straight win this weekend – Costello has worked 10 2/3 scoreless frames in a row (8 vs. Bryant last Sunday), dating back to his start at UNCG on March 5