The Stetson baseball team will be back in action on the diamond at Melching Field Friday night against Virginia Tech in day one of the 2018 Westin Lake Mary Stetson Invitational.
 
The Hatters are the Hokies are scheduled to begin play at 7 p.m.
 
The tournament will officially begin at 1 p.m. on Friday when Central Michigan squares off against Purdue.
 
All three teams have played in the Stetson Invitational in the past. This will be the fifth tournament appearance for CMU, with a record of 7-8 in tournament games. Virginia Tech is back for the third time and has a 6-5 record in the event and Purdue is back after going 0-4 in the 1994 tournament.
 
First played in 1993, the Westin Lake Mary Stetson Invitational has been played 14 times overall and this will be the eighth time in nine years. The Hatters have a 30-18 overall record in the tournament, but are just 4-8 in the event over the last four years.
 
Stetson owns a winning series record against all three teams in the tournament. The Hatters lead the Hokies 7-1 with the last meeting in 2004; lead Central Michigan 17-8 with the last game in 2016; and lead Purdue 4-2 with the last games in 1997.
 
Purdue (6-1) comes into the tournament with the best record to start the year. Virginia Tech has played a very strong schedule and is off to a 3-5 record under first-year coach John Szefc while the Chippewas have started the year with a 2-5-1 mark.
 
The tournament will continue on Saturday with Virginia Tech facing Purdue at 1 p.m. while the Hatters host the Chippewas at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Stetson will face Purdue in the opening game with the Hokes set to face Central Michigan at 7 p.m.
 
Those two teams will meet again at Melching Field on Wednesday, prior to Stetson's game against Wagner. The Hokies will square off against Wagner on Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Hatters (6-1) come in off a series victory over George Washington last weekend that included sophomore Mitchell Senger's no-hit performance in a 3-0 victory on Sunday.
 
His accomplishment earned him a spot on SportsCenter's Top 10 list for Sunday and was among the top four performances of the week by USA Baseball. In addition to earning ASUN Pitcher of the Week honors, Senger was named Player of the Week by the NCAA and as one of the Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
 
Senger is the 22nd Stetson pitcher to earn ASUN Pitcher of the Week honors, including the fourth on the current staff. Hatters have been named ASUN Pitcher of the Week a total of 37 times, which is second only to the 42 earned by Jacksonville.
 
Senger struck out a career-high 16 and faced just two batters over the minimum thanks to a caught stealing. He walked one and hit two while throwing 109 pitches in the gem.
 
The no-hitter for Senger was the fifth in Stetson history and the first since 1986. Previous no-hitters in Stetson history were by Bill Rhoden against Yale (3/20/1970), John Colvard against Ohio State (3/17/1973), Jim Fry against Cornell (3/21/1980) and Chris Byrnes against Rider (3/31/1986).
 
Senger's no-hitter is one of seven so far this season in Division I, but one of just three to be completed by one pitcher over nine innings. The others were by North Dakota State's Riley Johnson against Central Connecticut State and Washington's Joe DeMers against UC Riverside in a perfect game.
 
Senger's no-hit performance was the first by an ASUN player since Lipscomb's Brandon McClurg pulled off the trick against Kennesaw State on March 29, 2008.
 
The lefty is scheduled to go back on the mound on Sunday when Stetson faces Purdue.
 
In Friday's tournament opener, junior All-American Logan Gilbert (1-0) will make his third start of the year. Gilbert has recorded 20 strikeouts in 11.1 innings of work so far this season. He will be opposed by Virginia Tech senior right-hander Connor Coward (0-0). Coward has not received a decision in his two starts, close losses to South Alabama and Iowa, despite allowing just four hits over 13 innings with 18 strikeouts.
 
Saturday's game will pit junior Jack Perkins (1-1) against Central Michigan junior right-hander Pat Leatherman. Purdue has not announced a starting pitcher for its game against Stetson on Sunday, but a likely candidate is junior left-hander Ryan Beard.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.