Blue Raiders to face Troy in first round of Sun Belt Championships

Middle Tennessee won the regular season series 2-1 over Troy after losing the first game. The series was played in Troy, Ala., at Riddle-Pace Field the home of the Trojans and now the Blue Raiders will get to play them on their home turf.

Middle Tennessee hosts the Sun Belt Championships which officially gets underway on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. when No. 4 FIU faces No. 5 South Alabama.

The Blue Raiders are 10-11 overall against teams in the 2010 Sun Belt Championships and have played five of the seven away from Reese Smith Jr. Field. The Blue Raiders won all but three of the regular season series against teams in the tournament.

UL-Lafayette and Arkansas State are on the same side of the bracket as the Blue Raiders. Middle Tennessee played both schools on the road with the Ragin' Cajuns sweeping and the Blue Raiders taking the series 2-1 over the Red Wolves.

Sophomore Justin Guidry has led the way for the Blue Raiders against the tournament field batting .386 with 32 hits. He has 15 RBI and has scored 20 runs. Junior Justin Miller has also performed well as he has 25 hits with nine doubles, three home runs and has driven in a team high 20 runs.

Senior Chad Edwards has guided the pitching staff posted a 4-1 record with a 4.93 ERA. In seven appearances he has struck out 27 batters in 42 innings of work. Junior Hunter Dawson has performed well in relief posting a 2-0 record with one save in six appearances. He has recorded a 1.12 ERA allowing four runs, one earned, on seven hits with seven strikeouts.

Festivities officially begin on Tuesday night, May 25 as the Sun Belt and Middle Tennessee State University host Family Night with gates to Reese Smith Jr. Field opening at 6:30 p.m. The evening will begin with an awards ceremony which will be followed by a student-athlete home run derby and fireworks show.

Tournament booklets are on-sale through the Middle Tennessee Ticket Office for $75 and single-game tickets are also available. Visit the Sun Belt Tournament page at goblueraiders.com for complete information on the 2010 Sun Belt Championships.

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