MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Middle Tennessee baseball team will play inside Reese Smith Jr. Field for the first time in since March 14^th. The Blue Raiders are coming off a series split in their Conference USA opener last weekend at UAB and look to improve their conference record against Rice starting Thursday at 3 p.m.       
 
Games 24-27 (Murfreesboro, Tenn.): Middle Tennessee (13-10, 2-2 C-USA) vs. Rice (12-12, 1-3 C-USA)
» Thursday, April 1 | 3 PM CT | vs. Rice
» Friday, April 2 | 1 PM CT & TBA | vs. Rice (Doubleheader)
» Saturday, April 3 | 1 PM CT | vs. Rice
 
Fan Attendance
Attendance will be limited to 10 percent fan capacity. Attendees will also be asked to practice social distancing and wear a mask at all times inside Reese Smith Jr. Field.
 
About the Blue Raiders
» As a team the Blue Raiders are ranked in the top 10 nationally in five different categories including; strikeout-to-walk ratio (217:50), walks allowed per nine (2.32), WHIP (1.10), stolen bases (57), and stolen bases per game (2.48).
» Charleston Southern transfer Trent Seibert picked up his first win as a Blue Raider in the series finale at UAB on Sunday. Seibert pitched 6.2 innings, struck out four, and walked one on his way to earning the W. Senior David Zoz pitched the final 2.1 innings and earning his fourth save of 2021.  
» Aaron Brown is tied for eighth in the NCAA with 52 strikeouts this season. The Mt. Juliet native has struck out double digit batters three times this season.
 
All-time vs. Rice
» The Owls lead the all-time series against the Blue Raiders, 10-9-1, dating back to March 28, 2014.
» The last time the Blue Raiders and the Owls played was April 20, 2019. Rice won, 5-7, in Houston.    
 
Scouting The Owls
» Rice is currently 12-12 this season, with wins over Houston Baptist, Prairie View A&M, A&M-Corpus Christi, Northern Illinois, Kansas State, and Texas A&M. The Owls are coming off a 3-1 series loss to C-USA rival UTSA last weekend.
» 2021 Preseason All-Conference USA team member Braden Comeaux has started all 24 games for Rice and leads the team in batting average (.379), hits (33), and on base percentage (.466). As a team Rice hits .269, with 206 hits, and slugs .403 including 27 doubles, five triples, and 22 long balls.  
» On the mound the Owls have a team ERA of 5.57 and an opponent batting average of .271. Grad-transfer Mitchell Holcomb leads the Rice pitching staff in wins (3), appearances (7), and innings pitched (33.1). Holcomb also has 29 strikeouts and a 4.86 ERA.  
 
Next Time Out
» After Rice, the Middle Tennessee baseball team will continue C-USA play and will travel to San Antonio, Texas for a four-game weekend series against UTSA starting on April 9 at 6 p.m. this will be the start of a eight-game road swing for the Blue Raiders.        

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