ANDERSON, S.C. - After dropping two-of-three to South Atlantic Conference rival, Lenoir-Rhyne, last weekend, Anderson University baseball returns to its nonconference schedule with three games in two days, beginning with the team's second home meeting with North Greenville this season at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by a doubleheader at North Georgia beginning at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Trojans
Despite tallying an 18-0 rout over the Bears in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday, AU dropped the series with an 11-8 setback in the rubber match on Sunday. With the series loss, the Trojans come into the week with an 18-24 overall record and a 12-15 mark in league play. Anderson is currently in seventh place in the league standings with the home SAC series schedule for this weekend when it welcomes Lincoln Memorial to Memorial Stadium beginning on Friday.

The Black and Gold currently sit a game ahead of Lenoir-Rhyne and Carson-Newman, which are tied for eighth in the standings, as the top-eight teams advance to the SAC Tournament. With two wins over LMU this weekend, the Trojans would earn their second straight berth in the conference tournament.

The Trojans used the long ball to their advantage last weekend at L-R, as they smashed nine home runs for the three-game series. Within the eight homers, Anderson totaled a season-high five homers in the opening game of the set, while junior first baseman Steven Cooper posted a home run in all three games. Cooper has posted hits in his last five games, including four being multi-hit contests. The junior currently ranks fifth in the conference in home runs with nine and seventh in RBI with 41.

Senior shortstop Brett Cash connected on two homers in the opening contest of the series, as he enters the week with a five-game hitting streak of his own. The shortstop currently ranks fifth in triples with four and 18th in RBI with 33. Junior catcher LJ Newman boasts the longest hitting streak on the squad with 10 consecutive games, as seven of those contests have been multi-hit games. In addition to the hitting stretch, Newman has posted an extra-base hit in five of his last five of his last seven games.

The Crusaders
North Greenville looks to salvage the season-long three-game series with the Trojans this season, as it has dropped 13-12 and 6-2 decisions to AU earlier this season. Despite the setbacks, NGU carries a 23-22 overall record with a 13-11 mark within Conference Carolinas, but come into Tuesday's matchup winning one of its last six decisions.

The Crusaders are one of Conference Carolinas' quickest ball clubs with 91 stolen bases, which ranks them second in the conference. The North Greenville offense ranks third in hits, 441, and fourth in runs scored, 227, while plating the fourth-most RBI with 250.

Senior infielder Allen Staton continues to pace the team with a .399 batting average, while ranking first in Conference Carolinas in doubles, 22, and triples, four. Most recently, Stanton finished 4-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of RBI in the rubber match with Mount Olive on Saturday. Despite the effort, the Crusaders fell to the league-leading Trojans, 11-7.

NGU's pitching staff ranks third in the league in earned run average with a 5.43 mark. Crusader pitching has totaled 304 strikeouts on the season, which also ranks third in the conference, as they carry eight different hurlers who have notched over 20 strikeouts for the year. Junior left-hander Matt Laurens leads the team with 28 punch-outs in his 16 relief appearances.

The Nighthawks
After sweeping Peach Belt Conference rival Young Harris last weekend, North Georgia comes into Wednesday's game with a five-game winning streak and holds a 26-11 overall record while leading the PBC with an 18-6 mark. In the latest Collegiate Baseball Division II National Poll, UNG moved up seven spots to No. 19 following its conference sweep over the Mountain Lions.

Despite leading the conference standings, North Georgia currently leads the conference in one offensive category, as it has posted a league-leading 33 sacrifice hits. Senior infielder Joey Cecere leads the team with a .336 batting average, as he comes into Wednesday's game on a six-game hitting streak. Cecere ranks 29th in hits with 51 and 28th in walks with 19.

The Nighthawk pitching staff has shined all season long, as opponents are hitting .242 against them, which leads the conference. The staff boasts a team ERA of 3.98, which slots them third in the PBC, as they notched their 300th strikeout against YHC this past weekend. Senior left-hander Jacob Beauchamp leads the team with 72 strikeouts and a 2.90 ERA in his nine starts this season.