The Marshall University baseball team will begin its third conference series of the season 6 p.m. Friday when it takes on Louisiana Tech University at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston.

Marshall is tied for fourth in the 12-team Conference USA league.

The Herd’s (13-10, 3-3) last appearance at Power Park saw it fall to the University of Southern Mississippi, 3-2, April 19 in the rubber match of the teams’ three-game series.

However, the Herd rebounded in its most recent conference action, taking its three-game series against Florida International University, 2-1, in Miami.

In the month of March, the Herd won 12 of its 17 games to earn the program’s best start through 23 games since the 2007 season.

Despite the historic start to the season, the team’s .500 conference mark has it in a five-way tie for fourth place in C-USA.

In order to break free from the crowded conference field, the Herd will face a streaking Louisiana Tech team that has five of its last six games to push its way into the five-way tie with Marshall, Old Dominion University, Western Kentucky University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Senior Herd pitcher Chase Boster is scheduled to be on the mound Friday for his seventh start of the season. Boster has accumulated a 1-2 record this season with a 6.15 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 33.2 innings pitched.

Boster picked up a no decision in his last start March 25 against FIU after pitching five innings, allowing four hits, three earned runs and striking out six batters.

Offensively, first baseman Tommy Lane has been the primary catalyst for the Herd this season as the junior leads the team in batting average (.337), hits (33), RBIs (21) and home runs (7).

Third baseman Tyler Ratliff was one of the team’s few bright spots in its last game when he went 3-3 at the plate in a 13-0 loss to Morehead State University.

Marshall will play two more games against Louisiana Tech 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday with Parker Danciu and JD Hammer scheduled as the team’s starting pitchers, respectively.

Louisiana Tech is 14-7 this season, including 3-3 in conference action.