After hosting the first night game in program history, the Diamond Dukes will play four of their next five under the Veterans Memorial Stadium lights, beginning with a three-game series this weekend against Towson to open Colonial Athletic Association play.

JMU, the preseason favorite in the CAA, and Towson will open the series on Friday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m.  Game two will be Saturday also at 6:30 p.m., and the finale will be Sunday at 2 p.m.

JMU had its most complete effort of the season with a 13-2 win over Liberty on Tuesday.  Jason Kuhn pitched seven strong innings, allowing only one run and five hits.  Freshman Nick Slogik finished up the final two innings allowing the other run and two hits.  The Dukes' offense came out in full force recording 16 hits.  A pair of freshmen stepped up with big efforts. Center fielder Johnny Bladel had a career-best four hits with three runs, a stolen base, and an RBI, while Matt Tenaglia tallied three hits, three runs, and four RBIs with JMU's first triple of the season.

On Wednesday the Dukes fell to top ranked Virginia 6-3 in the first night game in program history.   A record crowd of 1,815 fans were in attendance, in addition to the approximately 500 people who lined the hills behind the complex.  Junior Alex Valadja took the loss, despite a strong start allowing only two runs.  He struck out four and gave up four hits.

Despite only four hits against Virginia, JMU's offense has picked up the pace of late with a .327 team batting average dating back to last Friday.  Tenaglia and Bladel enter as the team's hottest hitters with Tenaglia batting .571 over the six games.  Bladel hit .435 over the same stretch.  Matt Browning has been steady throughout the season, hitting .429 last week and .415 for the season.

TOWSON

Towson will visit Veterans Memorial Park with a record of 2-14.  In their home opener on Wednesday, the Tigers snapped their 13-game losing streak and defeated Mount St. Mary's 12-3.  Junior shortstop Nick Natoli had three hits and four RBIs.  Natoli was the CAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 before missing the entire 2009 season due to injury.Junior third baseman Austin Harclerode contributed three hits, three runs, and two RBIs against the Mount.  Five pitchers took the mound for Towson.  Freshman Mike Ryan received the win, allowing three hits and one run in two innings.  Freshman Mike Bronakoski pitched two scoreless and hitless innings.  Towson is hitting .272 with an ERA of 8.42

STARTING PITCHERS

James Madison

Kyle Hoffman, r-Jr., RHP (1-2, 4.24 ERA)

Hoffman has earned the Friday start as JMU's most consistent starter so far this season.  He holds a 1-2 record with a 4.24 ERA in 17 innings and leads all starters with 16 strikeouts.  In his last start, Hoffman allowed five runs, four earned, and 10 hits with five strikeouts in five innings in a 5-0 loss to Illinois State.

D.J. Brown, Fr., RHP (1-0, 10.95 ERA)

This will be Brown's third start of the season.  He is 1-0 after his first collegiate victory against North Florida on Saturday.  In that start he allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings.  For the season, he has struck out eight in 12 1/3 innings

Turner Phelps, Jr., RHP (0-3, 14.09 ERA)

Phelps is looking to get back on track after a rough start to the 2010 season.  He appeared to get on track with three runs allowed in 6 1/3 innings in a 3-2 loss at Stetson.  However, on Sunday Phelps surrendered eight runs in the first inning against Illinois State and another two without an out in the second before exiting.  For the season, he has struck out 12 but has struggled to find the strike zone at times with 12 walks, three wild pitches, and five hit batters.  Phelps earned the win in the series opener against Towson last year despite allowing nine runs on 10 hits to the Tigers in six innings.

Towson

Michael Trionfo, Fr., RHP (0-1, 4.15 ERA)

Trionfo will be making just his second start of the season and sixth appearance overall.  He ranks third on the team in ERA at 4.15 over 13 innings.  He has just three strikeouts with four walks.  Trionfo's only other start was effective against Maryland on March 3, allowing just one unearned run on two hits in three innings in a 4-2 loss.

Nate Curd, Sr., RHP (0-3, 5.87 ERA)

Curd will take the starting position on the mound for a team-best sixth time against the Dukes.  He has pitched a team-high 23 innings with 12 strikeouts but has a .348 opponent batting average and 0-3 record.  In his last start, he held Tulane to two runs on six hits in seven innings in a game the Tigers lost 4-2 in 10 innings.

Tyler Austin, So., RHP (1-2, 4.11 ERA)

Austin leads all starters with a 4.11 ERA and leads the entire staff with 21 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings.  He has proven effective at keeping opponents off the bases with a .246 batting average.  In his last start at Tulane last Sunday, Austin allowed eight runs, though just four earned, on eight hits in 3 /23 innings.

SERIES HISTORY

James Madison leads 39-30 in the all-time series against Towson.  However, the Dukes fell to the Tigers in two out of three games last season. JMU claimed the opener 11-9, but Towson responded with a 16-11 win on Saturday and 17-16 triumph on Sunday.  JMU held a 16-12 lead going into the bottom of the ninth on Sunday, only to see Jason Stifler smack a three-run home run and Austin Harclerode tack on a walk-off two-run shot. Both teams hit over .400 in the three-game set, both had ERAs over 12.00, and both combined for a total of 21 home runs.

The last time the two teams met in Harrisonburg, the Dukes swept a three-game set from the Tigers in 2008 before going on to also defeat Towson 6-1 in the CAA Championship game in Wilmington in May.