University of Tennessee Athletics
Baseball Vols Host Purdue Wednesday
March 18, 2003 | Baseball
March 18, 2003
The Tennessee baseball team opens up a five-game home stand against the Purdue Boilermakers from the Big 10 Conference on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
Tennessee (11-7) looks to snap out of a slump that has seen it drop six of its last seven games. For Purdue (7-4), it is the 12th game of a 14-game road trip that began at the Papa John's Challenge in Homestead, Fla., on Feb. 28, and has continued through a single game, 5-2, victory against Belmont in Nashville on Monday.
Purdue won one of three games against Tennessee's Southeastern Conference rival Kentucky two weekends ago before taking two games from Middle Tennessee this past weekend. The Volunteers dropped a series at Auburn last weekend and plays host to 2002 College World Series runner-up South Carolina this weekend.
Sophomore right hander Joey Andrews (0-1, 4.26 ERA) will make his first start of the season and third of his career. He has made six relief appearances this season with his only decision coming in a 6-1 loss to Louisville on Mar. 5.
Purdue will counter with either Josh Herman (0-1, 9.00 ERA) or Jason Driscoll (0-1, 3.86). Both are right handed hurlers on a staff that has a 3.60 team earned run average.
Freshman first baseman Michael Rivera puts his team-high nine-game hitting streak on the line for Tennessee as he boasts a .397 average. Catcher Javi Herrera, who leads the team with three home runs, needs three hits for 100 in his career and a hit in the game to tie his career-high hitting streak of six games.
Third baseman Simon Klink and designated hitter John Manuel are both batting over .400 for the Boilermakers who boast a .337 team batting average. Purdue is no slouch in the field as well, making just eight errors in 11 games for a .981 fielding percentage.
