ANDERSON, S.C. - With the South Atlantic Conference schedule coming to a close this weekend, Anderson University baseball looks to clinch a spot into next week's SAC Tournament with league rival Lincoln Memorial visiting Anderson Memorial Stadium for a three-game series beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. and concluding with a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Trojans
AU seeks a bounce back after dropping two-of-three to conference
opponent Lenoir-Rhyne last weekend in Hickory. Overall, the Trojans
carry an 18-27 record, but with their 12-15 mark in conference
play, they sit alone in sixth place in the conference standings
with the top-eight advancing to the SAC Tournament. With a pair of
wins this weekend, followed by a single loss by either L-R or
Carson-Newman, Anderson would clinch a spot into the annual
tournament, as it holds a game advantage over a seventh-place tie
with Lenoir-Rhyne and C-N.
With the regular season winding down, the Trojans continue to rank in the conference's middle of the pack in most offensive categories. AU ranks fifth in the SAC in hits with 456 and in home runs with 35, while posting the sixth-most runs scored with 282 and RBI with 252.
Junior first baseman Steven Cooper saw his six-game hitting streak come to an end on Wednesday when the junior went 0-for-7 at the plate in a doubleheader with nationally-ranked North Georgia. Despite not posting a hit for the day, Cooper still ranks eighth in the SAC in hits with 63 and RBI with 41, which is a team-high.
Surpassing Cooper in the hits category on Wednesday was junior catcher LJ Newman, who blasted his seventh home run of the season in the opening game of the doubleheader. Newman also saw his hit streak come to a close on Wednesday, as the catcher boasted a 12-game stretch, but finishing 0-for-3 in the final game with the Nighthawks. The Piedmont, S.C. native is hitting .385 for the year, which places him eighth in the SAC.
The Railsplitters
LMU has already clinched a spot into next week's SAC Tournament, as
it comes into this weekend with a 23-18 overall record with a 15-10
mark in league play. With a nonconference game with King scheduled
for Thursday, the Railsplitters have captured wins in their last
three games with a three-game sweep over Coker last weekend.
Leading the LMU offense is two-way player Nick Morabito, who ranks fourth in the conference in average with a .409 mark and third in slugging percentage at .716. In Lincoln Memorial's last four games, Morabito is 9-for-17 (.529) with six runs scored and a pair of RBI. Despite the play of Morabito, LMU leads the conference in strikeouts with 227 and sixth in hits with 430.
On the hill, sophomore Brandon Jean has started 10 contests and carries a 4-2 record. The sophomore has recorded 68 strikeouts, which positions him sixth in the league. In his latest outing, Jean tossed 6.1 innings and struck out four in an 8-2 win over Coker.
The Series
Last season, AU captured its first series win over Lincoln Memorial
since 2011, as it took two-of-three in Harrogate in its final road
conference series. The Trojans scored double-figure runs in both
victories, including a 15-13 win for the seven-inning finale.
