Bucs to battle Hokies in Kingsport Classic

from staff reports

   The East Tennessee State baseball team will face the Virginia Tech Hokies at 7 p.m. today in the Kingsport Classic from Hunter-Wright Stadium in Kingsport.
   The Bucs are 21-22 overall and have won seven of their last ten games. The Hokies (20-17) has also gone 7-3 in their last ten contests prior to their doubleheader this evening with Connecticut.
   East Tennessee State is led by junior catcher Caleb Moore, who leads the Southern Conference with a .460 batting average. Moore is hitting an incredible .667 (16-24) with nine doubles, five RBIs and seven runs scored over his last five games. Senior shortstop Andy Howdeshell (Maryville, Tenn.) leads the Bucs with seven home runs while sophomore first baseman Blake Church (Roswell, Ga.) paces ETSU with 39 RBIs.
   Sean O'Brien is Virginia Tech's best hitter, leading the Hokies with a .386 batting average, five home runs and 33 RBIs. Chris Stanton is second on the club with a .323 average while Jed English is second on the team with three homers and 28 RBIs.
   The two teams met in last season's Kingsport Classic with the Bucs defeating the Hokies, 5-4. Tim Turner (Marietta, Ga.) went 3-for-3 with a run scored while Howdeshell was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
   Tomorrow night's game can be heard live in the Tri-Cities area on 910-AM WJCW. The broadcasts for tomorrow's game as well as live stats will be available on the ETSU Athletic Department website, www.ETSUBucs.com.
   For Kingsport Classic ticket information, contact the ETSU athletic ticket office at 423-439-5371.
   A preliminary game will feature a high school contest between Hampton and Sullivan North.