RUSTON - The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will look to maintain their strong start to the 2020 season when they head to Troy to take on the hosting Trojans.
 
Tech opened the year with four straight wins over quality opponents. The Bulldogs outscored Southeastern La., UL-Lafayette, and McNeese by a combined 20-5 in four  wins. All three teams were picked to finish among the best in their respective conferences by D1Baseball.
 
Head coach Lane Burroughs and pitching coach Mike Silva will roll out the same rotation this weekend with Jonathan Fincher starting on Friday, followed by Tyler Follis and Jarret Whorff on Saturday and Sunday. The trio gave up just one run in the Bulldogs' opening weekend sweep.
 
Whorff earned Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing 6.1 scoreless innings against UL-Lafayette, striking out 7 batters while allowing just 1 hit.
 
Troy will counter with their weekend rotation of Levi Thomas, Orlando Ortiz, and Max Newton. Thomas is the reigning Sun Belt pitcher of the week after striking out 14 Northern Kentucky batters in 5 scoreless innings last weekend.
 
The Trojans are also off to an undefeated start to the season after sweeping four games against NKU and defeating Jackson State 14-5 on Wednesday. Troy has scored 81 runs with just 77 hits over five games.
 
Game Information
Date: February 21-23
Time: 6 p.m. | 1 p.m. | 1 p.m.
Location: Troy, Ala.
Venue: Riddle-Pace Field
Live Stats: troy.statbroadcast.com
Twitter Updates: @LATechBSB
 
Media
Live Video: facebook.com/troyathletics
Radio: KNBB 97.7 FM (Friday, Sunday) | Louisiana Tech Athletics App (All games)
PxP: Teddy Allen
 
Noting the Diamond Dogs
 
After an April 25th tornado resulted in the loss of Tech's baseball facility, the Diamond 'Dogs will play "home" games at three locations in 2020. All non-conference home tilts will be played at Ruston High School with conference series split between Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson, Miss. (Middle Tennessee, Rice, and Old Dominion) and Warhawk Field in Monroe, La. (Florida Atlantic and FIU).
 
Since 2017, the Bulldogs have posted a 50-32 mark away from home. Last year, Tech ended the regular season with the most true road wins of any C-USA team with 15. The 'Dogs will play 32 road games this season. That's the most since 1982 when Tech went 22-11 away from home.
 
Since 2016, the Bulldogs have played 39 games against Top 25 ranked opponents. Tech has won 23 of those contests (23-16), including five triumphs over ranked SEC foes (Three vs. Arkansas, One vs. Texas A&M, One vs. LSU). Under head coach Lane Burroughs, the 'Dogs are 12-9 vs. ranked competition, including a 2-0 record in 2020.
 
Tech batters have a knack for getting on base  every way possible, especially via the HBP. The Bulldogs have led Conference-USA in the category in four of the past five years (94 in 2019, 103 in 2018, 84 in 2016, 89 in 2015) including a program record of 103 in 2017. Since 2014, the 'Dogs rank third in the nation in HBPs with 474. Only Campbell (506) has been hit more. Tech has already earned nine free bases via the HBP this season.
 
Few things in life are free, including a trip to first base. The Tech pitching staff has made the opposition work for baserunners over the last three seasons, allowing the second-fewest walks per nine innings in Conference USA since Lane Burroughs took over in 2017. The Bulldogs also have the second-best strikeout-to-walk ratio in C-USA over that time.
 
Taylor Young has embodied what it means to be a leadoff hitter since he arrived in Ruston for the 2018 season. The junior amassed 85 walks over his first two seasons, good for 11th in school history. Young can pass Alex Williams (2009-12) and enter the top 10 with just 3 more walks this season, though he has some ground to make up before reaching Toronto Blue Jays' manager Charlie Montoyo (1985-87) and his school record of 172 bases on balls.