ANDERSON, S.C. - After taking two-of-three from South Atlantic Conference-opponent Brevard over the weekend, the Anderson baseball team is set to open a brief two-game road swing at North Georgia Tuesday night at Bob Stein Stadium. First-pitch is slated for 7 p.m.
WHO: Anderson Trojans (13-19) at North Georgia
Nighthawks (16-13)
WHERE: Bob Stein Stadium
WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
COVERAGE
Live Stats: UNGATHLETICS.COM
Live Video: ESPN3
Live Audio: N/A
THE TROJANS
Anderson opens the two-game swing after winning two of its last
three decisions and three of its last five, while moving into a tie
for eighth place in the South Atlantic Conference alongside Mars
Hill.
Senior Steven Cooper had a 10-game hitting streak snapped on Saturday, but has reached base safely in 22 of the last 23 games, while leading the conference with a .528 on-base percentage and ranking second in the SAC with 16 doubles, 41 RBI, a .422 batting average, a .789 slugging percentage and 86 total bases. The left-handed hitter is third in the league with 29 walks after drawing 11 bases on balls in the last eight games.
Cooper batted .615 (8-for-13), while drawing seven walks and posting a 1.231 slugging percentage and helping lead the Trojans to three wins last week. The Preseason All-SAC selection recorded a .750 on-base percentage, while reaching base eight straight times in AU's doubleheader sweep of Brevard last Friday. Cooper drove in five runs on the week, while also scoring five times and recorded a pair of doubles and two home runs.
Freshman Carson Barrett has reached base safely in six of his last seven games and is hitting .390 on the season. Junior Xavier Peralta has appeared in 19 of AU's 32 games this season, while platooning at second base and is hitting .387, with three doubles, six walks and nine RBI on the year. Senior LJ Newman enters the week riding a seven-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 10 consecutive contests, while batting .306 on the season.
A trio of sophomores round out the Trojans who are hitting .300 on the season, with sophomore Tyler Miller tied for fifth on the squad with his .304 batting average. He has five hits and five walks over the last five contests and has reached base safely in 18 of the last 19 games. Fellow sophomore and infielder Zach McIlroy is also hitting .304 with four doubles on the year, while reaching base safely in eight straight games. Michael Rochester has upped his batting average 25 percentage points to an even .300 with five hits in his last three games.
Senior closer Brock Goodling is second in the nation with eight saves on the season after earning three saves in three appearances last week, including saves in both ends of the Trojans' sweep of Brevard last Friday. The right-hander did not allow a hit and issued one walk in three innings of relief, while fanning three batters in the three victories. He has recorded twice as many saves as any other hurler in the conference.
Sophomore Andrew Dill and senior Mitchell Cooksey each have three wins out of the Trojan bullpen, while the trio of Ryan Owens, Thomas Smith and Nick Contafio have each captured a pair of victories on the season. Despite absorbing the loss in Saturday's series finale, Cooksey leads the pitching staff with a 2.14 ERA in 11 appearances, including one start. Owens has overcome a sluggish start and has tossed 7.0 innings and 6.0 innings in his last two outings, respectively, while earning the win in last Friday's nightcap.
LAST TIME OUT
After sweeping Brevard in a pair of one-run decisions, 8-7 and 4-3,
in South Atlantic Conference action Friday afternoon at Memorial
Stadium, the Tornados used a seven-run eighth inning to salvage the
series finale, 11-5, Saturday afternoon.
SCOUTING THE NIGHTHAWKS
North Georgia (16-13) was tabbed to win the Peach Belt Conference
title in the league's Preseason Coaches' Poll, while returning six
position players including PBC Freshman of the Year Connor Hoover
at shortstop and All-Conference catcher Sam Tidaback. Also back is
All-Conference starting pitcher Brandon Agar. UNG began the 2016
season ranked 15th nationally in the Collegiate Baseball DII
poll.
Infielder Erick Delgado was named the first Peach Belt Conference AstroTurf Freshman of the Week for the 2016 season in early February, after collecting a single and scoring a run in North Georgia's first season-opening win since 2011, a 4-3 victory over Valdosta State. The rookie picked up another single and a walk in the second game of the twinbill.
A week later, Tidaback was named Peach Belt Conference AstroTurf Player of the Week, after going 8-for-13 (.615) against Carson-Newman, helping the Nighthawks to a three-game sweep over the Eagles. The Plainfield, Ill. native hit two doubles, a home run, five RBI and scored seven runs over the weekend.
Agar has logged 61 innings on the mound this season - tops in the Peach Belt, and ranks third in the league with 58 strikeouts and fourth with a 2.51 ERA.
North Georgia won their first-ever Peach Belt Regular-Season Championship a season ago and finished as the NCAA Southeast Region Runners-Up after posting a 38-17 overall record, including a 22-8 mark in the PBC.
After taking a scoreless game into the ninth inning, North Georgia saw its 2015 season come to a close on a wild pitch, as Catawba eliminated UNG from the postseason with a 1-0 score in the regional championship game.
THE SERIES vs. NORTH GEORGIA
The Trojans are 1-12 versus North Georgia over the last seven
seasons, and are looking to snap an eight-game skid at the hands of
the Nighthawks.
During the 2015 regular season, the Nighthawks took both games of a doubleheader against Anderson in Dahlonega, Ga.
The last Trojan win over UNG was a 2-0 shutout in 12 innings during the 2012 campaign.
LAST MEETING WITH THE NIGHTHAWKS
The Trojans fell, 11-1, to North Georgia in the midst of a
nine-game homestand at Memorial Stadium on March 2. Rochester led
the Trojans at the plate, going 2-for-4 with AU's lone RBI of the
afternoon. Garrett Bernardo added a pair of doubles, while freshman
Bryce Patrick posted two singles. Miller was 2-for-4 and added a
first-inning walk.
Sophomore Zach Richardson (0-1) absorbed the loss after
surrendering six runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings of work. The
left-hander fanned three Nighthawks and walked just one.
UP NEXT
The Trojans wrap up their brief two-game road swing by visiting
Southern Wesleyan on Wednesday. AU will be looking to claim its
first win of the season over the Warriors after falling 15-10 and
16-11 to the Warriors at Memorial Stadium earlier this season.
