Louisiana Tech ready to open series at Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Louisiana Tech is set to return to conference play with a three-game set against Charlotte, which kicks off on Friday afternoon at 5 p.m.

The Bulldogs will send Kent Hasler and Casey Sutton to the hill on Friday and Saturday, respectively, but Sunday’s starter has yet to be determined.

Charlotte will counter the Bulldogs' rotation with right-hander Colton Laws on Friday, left-hander Josh Maciejewski on Saturday and right-hander Zach Flanagan in the series finale on Sunday.

Louisiana Tech is led by Jordan Washam, who is batting a teamhigh .414 with three home runs and 20 runs driven in, while Brent Diaz is hitting at a .390 clip with three home runs and 23 runs driven in.

In the past week, Washam, Diaz and Chase Lunceford were all named top 10 in the nation at their respective positions by D1 Baseball.

Charlotte is led by Jackson Mims, who is hitting .407 on the season. The 49ers have six batters currently hitting over .320 for the year. T.J. Nichting has been the leader in run production with 19 runs driven in on the year.

Laws has been nearly unhittable for the 49ers, entering the series opener with a 1.05 ERA and just four walks in 34.1 innings pitched.

Maciejewski has a 3.09 ERA on the year, but opponents are batting a mere .196 against the lefty. Flanagan has a 2.49 ERA with just two walks in over 24 innings pitched.

Saturday’s game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m., while Sunday’s series finale will begin at 12 p.m.