Jan. 17, 2007

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall baseball team, led by first-year head coach Jeff Waggoner, officially begins its 2007 season today with its first team practice at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. Waggoner is joined by first-year assistant coaches Tim Adkins, Tim Donnelly and George Brumfield.

"We are excited to begin practicing today," Waggoner said. "Everyone in our program has worked very hard in getting to this point, but we have a lot of work ahead of us as we work toward winning a Conference USA championship."

Aside from Waggoner and his coaching staff, the Herd roster takes on a distinctively new look this season with 14 new faces in the fold, including six freshmen and eight transfers who are expected to make an immediate impact on the program.

Marshall returns just two of its nine starting position players from 2006, Brendan Murphy (Sr., Chattanooga, Tenn.) and Brit Vincent (Sr., Bowling Green, Ky.). Murphy earned Second-Team All-Conference USA and All-Mideast Region honors last season and has earned preseason honors this year with NCBWA Second-Team All-America recognition and a nod on the 2007 Wallace Award watch list.

The Herd returns two of its three regulars in the starting rotation, as Jeremy Slone (Sr., Paintsville, Ky.) and Brian Chrisman (Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.) are expected to be two of the three cogs in the weekend starting staff. In the bullpen, left-hander Andrew Blain (So., Huntington, W.Va.) returns after posting the lowest ERA on the staff in 2006 (2.25).

Marshall opens its 2007 regular season Feb. 16 at Charleston Southern. The Herd's home opener is the following weekend, Feb. 24, against LaSalle at University Heights Field. Marshall once again will play its 12 home Conference USA games in Charleston, W.Va., at Appalachian Power Park, beginning with a three-game set March 23-25 against preseason No. 16 Tulane.

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