The Bobcats have been playing well recently and look to continue that way against the Eagles.
Looking past its series loss to Bowling Green last weekend, Ohio is currently playing some of its best baseball of the year.
The Bobcats (16-19, 5-7 Mid-American Conference) will look to build off of a positive week and search for a fifth win in seven games Tuesday, when they face Morehead State at Bob Wren Stadium.
The game against the Eagles is the final test for Ohio before facing Kent State, a MAC East Division power, at home this weekend.
Solid stretch
In its six most recent games, Ohio has had its first MAC series win of the season, its only three-game win streak and its first win against Dayton in nearly four years.
Offensively, the Bobcats have collected 56 hits in that time, averaging more than nine per game. Defensively, they've only allowed more than six runs one time.
One of the best individual performers has been first baseman Rudy Rott, who is 9-for-23 with four runs scored and seven RBIs in the past six games. He’s currently on an eight-game hitting streak.
Scouting the Eagles
Morehead State (21-16, 8-7 Ohio Valley Conference) is currently in the middle of the Ohio Valley Conference standings, but has shown promise this season against strong opponents.
The Eagles lost twice on the road to Ohio State, including once by a score of 1-0. They also lost tight matches to nationally ranked Atlantic Coast Conference foes, North Carolina State and Louisville.
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They fell 7-5 to North Carolina State who was ranked No. 8 at the time, and 9-5 to Louisville when they stood at No. 4.
Common opponents for Ohio and Morehead State include Marshall, Eastern Kentucky and Ohio State. The Bobcats have gone 2-1 against those teams this year, while the Eagles have gone 2-5.
Morehead State has shown explosiveness in its offense multiple times this season, such as its 17-3 win over MAC East leader Miami. The Eagles have scored 24 or more runs in a game three times this season.
Pitching prediction
Since Ohio’s normal weekend starters — Jake Miller, Jake Rudnicki and Connor Sitz — each pitched in the Bowling Green series, they are unlikely to be available for Tuesday's matchup.
Coach Rob Smith’s typical strategy for non-conference midweek games is to give several pitchers an opportunity to throw on a limited basis. This past Tuesday, right-hander Michael Klein got the start against Dayton.
Since he didn’t pitch at all over the weekend, he could see action on Tuesday.
Smith’s go-to relievers are Tom Colletti and Jake Roehn, both of who are called on to escape tight situations or to close out games for the Bobcats.
Colletti threw just one inning in Friday’s loss. Roehn threw one inning on both Saturday and Sunday.
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