JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee - Baseball heads to Tennessee for a weekend series against Ohio, East Tennessee State, and Wagner beginning on Friday, March 6. The Red Foxes have faced some tough competition this season, but have had moments in the past month where they've shown just how dangerous they can be.
 

SCHEDULE

 Friday, March 6

• Game 1 - Marist vs. Ohio - Noon EST

Saturday, March 7

• Game 2 - Marist vs. East Tennessee State - 4 p.m. EST

Sunday, March 8

• Game 3 - Marist vs. Wagner - 11 a.m. EST

LAST TIME OUT

• The Red Foxes fell short in their series against Liberty.
• For the weekend, freshman Colin Mackle led the hitters. He went 4-for-8 with an RBI and a run scored in two games.
• In 5.2 innings on Sunday, Ryan Cardona struck out nine with just one walk. He scattered six hits and allowed two runs.

HISTORY VS. THE FIELD

• Marist last played East Tennessee State in 2013, where the Red Foxes were defeated in the series.
• In the final game, Alec Petrone, Zach Shank, and Matt Pagano each had three hits a piece. 
• Brett Houseal struck out four in 7.1 innings, giving up seven hits, two walks, and two runs. 
• The Red Foxes defeated Wagner in their 2016 (7-3, 10-5, 2-4).
• Marist hit .351 throughout the series against the Seahawks, including 15-37 (.441) in the 10-5 victory in game two.
• This weekend will be the first time Marist matches up against Ohio.   

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION

• Ohio University is currently 3-8 overall after being swept in their last two series against Saint Louis and Southeast Missouri State.
• Michael Richardson has an average of .243, and leads the Bobcats with seven RBIs.
• East Tennessee is currently 9-2 overall, coming off a five-game win streak.   
• The Bucs swept Georgia State last weekend (9-3, 18-7, 5-4), setting a program record with seven home runs in the second game of the series.
• Colby Stuart struck out three in five innings, allowing three runs, six hits, and three walks.
• Wagner is 4-6 overall, most recently dropping a game to VCU.
• Griffin Schneider and Henry Martinez are both 9-29 (.31) on the season. Schneider leads the Seahawks with eight RBIs.
• Wagner's top starter is McCae Allen with an ERA of 1.72 in 15.2 innings with 17 strikeouts.

VAN BEUSEKOM OUT OF THE BULLPEN

Now a senior, Will Van Beusekom is having some of his best appearances of his career on the mound. Against George Washington, he threw seven strikeouts against eight batters in two stints on the rubber.

"I've had some success coming out of the bullpen so far this season. Being able to stay confident and keep a quiet mind on the mound in tight games has been important for me," reflected Van Beusekom. "Living in the strike zone with multiple pitches has been a major contributor to me having good outings."

In just four games, the Albany-native is already halfway to his career-best for strikeouts for a season. He's held opposing batters to a .188 average, and hopes to continue to contribute regularly as the the Red Foxes get deeper into the 2020 campaign.

"Us relievers have to be ready to be called upon at any point in the game and have the confidence try and shut down the inning. Having the team rely on us to get them out of jams definitely puts a lot of pressure on us, but leveraging that pressure into motivation has been a big factor in the success we've had out of the bullpen," stated Van Beusekom. "We're hoping to bounce back from last weekend and come together as a team. That will be key in the this weekend's series if we hope to come away with a few wins."

UP NEXT

The Red Foxes head to Fort Myers, Florida to match up with Florida Gulf Coast in a weekend series starting on Friday, March 13 at 6:30 p.m.