Former Caldwell County standout Shane Burns is expected to make his first collegiate baseball start on Sunday when the left-hander toes the rubber for the Murray State Racers.
Burns and the Racers are in Tulsa, Okla., for a season-opening series against the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. The three-game set was supposed to begin on Friday. However, inclement weather postponed the first game. The schools will now play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at noon. The series ends with a noon start on Sunday.
Oral Roberts is the defending Summit League champion. Free video of Golden Eagles home games is available at www.ORUAthletics.com.
The Racers will play a midweek game at Memphis on Wednesday afternoon before hosting their first home series of the season next weekend against Miami (Ohio).
Burns, a freshman, is Caldwell’s all-time leader in pitching victories. He was 31-8 as a Tiger. Burns is expected to start the final game of the series unless he’s needed out of the bullpen on Saturday.
Another former Tiger is also on the Murray State roster and could see action in relief this weekend against Oral Roberts. Luke Brown is a junior left-hander for the Racers.
Meanwhile, three former Caldwell players will be uniform for Rend Lake College when the Warriors open the season Saturday at Itawamba College in Fulton, Miss.
Noah Brown, Jase Felker and Bryce Thomas are all freshmen at Rend Lake.
The Warriors will play two games at Itawamba Saturday and two more games at Northwest Mississippi on Sunday.
The home opener for Rend Lake is not until Saturday, March 9, against Frontier College.
Yet another former Caldwell standout pitches for Frontier and earned his first college pitching victory last weekend.
Ty Ramey is a freshman right-hander with the Frontier Bobcats.
Ramey picked up the win last Saturday when Frontier defeated Coahoma College 9-6 during an early-season trip to Mississippi. Ramey entered the game in relief, pitching four innings. He allowed no runs on three hits while striking out four and walking none.
Frontier is scheduled to play two games Saturday at Copiah-Lincoln College in Wesson, Miss.