ANDERSON, S.C. - The Anderson baseball team will host Peach Belt Conference-foe Young Harris on Saturday, as the Trojans are in the midst of a six-game stretch of nonconference contests. Game time for the doubleheader at Memorial Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. The two teams will wrap up their three-game set with a single game Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Young Harris.

WHO: Young Harris Mountain Lions (10-20) at Anderson Trojans (13-21)
WHERE: Anderson Memorial Stadium
WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m.

COVERAGE
Live Stats: AUTROJANS.COM
Video: N/A
Audio: AUTROJANS.COM or REDZONEMEDIA.COM

WHO: Anderson Trojans at Young Harris Mountain Lions
WHERE: Zell B. Miller Field
WHEN: Sunday, 2 p.m.

COVERAGE
Live Stats: YHCATHLETICS.COM
Video: N/A
Audio: N/A

THE TROJANS
Both Anderson and Young Harris will be looking to snap three-game skids as the Trojans and Mountain Lions square off for the first time in school history.

Senior Steven Cooper ranks in the top-7 in the South Atlantic Conference in 11 statistical categories, while leading the league with a .521 on-base percentage. The Williamston, S.C., native has recorded a hit in 10 of the Trojans' last 12 games and reached base safely in 23 of the last 24 contests. He is second in the SAC with a .768 slugging percentage and appears in the top-7 in walks (30/2nd), doubles (16/2nd), RBI (41/2nd), total bases (86/3rd), batting average (.411/4th), home runs (8/5th), hits (46/6th), runs scored (35/6th) and sacrifice flies (4/7th).

Freshman Carson Barrett has reached base safely in eight of his last nine games and is hitting .388 on the season with nine multi-hit games in 21 games. Junior Xavier Peralta has missed the last two contests, but has seen action in the infield in 19 of AU's 34 games this season and is hitting .387, with three doubles, six walks and nine RBI on the year.

Sophomore Tyler Miller is fourth among the regulars on the squad with his .311 batting average. The third baseman enters Saturday's twin bill riding a three-game hitting streak and has gotten on base in 20 of his last 21 games. Fellow sophomore Michael Rochester is hitting .299 on the season, while recording at least two hits in three of the last five contests.

Senior LJ Newman saw a seven-game hitting streak snapped at North Georgia, but is tied with Cooper for the team-lead with eight home runs and has driven in 37 runs. Sophomore infielder Zach McIlroy is hitting .293 with five doubles on the year, while reaching base safely in 11 of his last 12 games.

Senior closer Brock Goodling continues to rank second in the nation with eight saves on the season after earning three saves in three appearances last week. The right-hander trails Hilldale's Chris McDonald by just one save entering the weekend action. He notched saves in both ends of the Trojans' sweep of Brevard a week ago.

Relievers Andrew Dill and Mitchell Cooksey each have three wins out of the Trojan bullpen, while juniors Ryan Owens and Thomas Smith, along with sophomore Nick Contafio have each recorded two victories apiece. Cooksey, a right-hander, leads the pitching staff with a 2.05 ERA in 12 appearances, including one start. Owens captured the win in last Friday's 4-3 win over Brevard with a six-inning effort.

LAST TIME OUT
The Trojans matched Southern Wesleyan in hits through seven innings three nights ago in Central, S.C., but suffered their first shutout since falling, 4-0, to Winston-Salem State on Feb. 20.

Miller was 2-for-3 on the night with a double and a single, while Rochester added a pair of singles and was hit by a pitch. Barrett and fellow freshman Bryce Patrick were each 2-for-4, with two singles apiece.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
Young Harris (10-20) was tabbed to finish 12th in the Peach Belt Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, after dropping seven of its last nine games a year ago en route to a 15-30 overall record, including a 9-20 mark in the PBC. The Mountain Lions failed to advance to the PBC Tournament with a 12th-place finish in the league.

Third baseman Zach Wall and designated hitter Brett Westmoreland were selected to the preseason All-Peach Belt Conference baseball team by the league's coaches. Wall, a 6-foot-2 junior from Hayesville, N.C., hit .304 last season. He led the Mountain Lions in RBI, was tied for the lead in doubles (10) and was second in home runs.

Westmoreland, a 6-foot junior from Cleveland, Ga., was tied for the team lead with a .340 batting average in 2015. He led the team and was 11th in the PBC with nine home runs. His .549 slugging percentage was also tops on the squad and he was second in RBI with 35.

Right-handed hurler Daniel McKee was named the Peach Belt Conference AstroTurf Freshman of the Week in early February, after collecting a win and a save when the Mountain Lions took two of three from Rollins College. For the week, McKee had a 2.16 ERA.

Zach Beggs followed up with the same honor a week later, after hitting .417 for the Mountain Lions in three games with two homers, seven RBI and a 1.000 slugging percentage. Beggs went 2-for-3 in the opener against Brevard with a double and a home run and 3 RBI. He went 3-for-4 against King (Tenn.) in his next game with another home run and four RBI.

The Mountain Lions have dropped seven of their last eight decisions and are coming off a 12-2 home loss to Lee University.

Junior Nick Sexton leads the Mountain Lions with a .344 batting average on the season, while Wall is hitting .331. Both players have five home runs on the year, while Beggs leads the team with six homer and 24 RBI.

Seniors Donald Frew and Cody Beck, along with sophomore Michael Livingston each have two wins on the season, with McKee leading the pitching staff with a 2.63 ERA out of the bullpen.

THE SERIES vs. YOUNG HARRIS
Saturday's twin bill marks the first meetings in school history between the two squads.

UP NEXT
The unusual home-and home series with Young Harris will conclude with a single game Sunday afternoon in the mountains of North Georgia. First-pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Zell B. Miller Field