ANDERSON, S.C. – After claiming its 11th straight win by sweeping a pair of weekend doubleheaders with Clarion, the Anderson baseball team is set for a pair of nonconference matchups on Tuesday and Wednesday. AU will travel to Lander on Tuesday, then play host to Southern Wesleyan on Wednesday.
WHO: Anderson Trojans (11-0) at Lander Bearcats (3-6)
WHERE: Stephen B. Dolny Stadium; Greenwood, S.C.
WHEN: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
WHO: Anderson Trojans (11-0) vs. Southern Wesleyan Warriors (3-8)
WHERE: Memorial Stadium; Anderson, S.C.
WHEN: Wednesday, 5 p.m.
COVERAGE
Live Stats: AUTROJANS.COM
Video: AUTROJANS.COM
Fans are always encouraged to check with the host institution before making plans to attend any games in person.
Admission to Trojan baseball games is free - No pets are allowed inside Memorial Stadium with the exception of service dogs.
THE TROJANS
The Trojans have won their first 11 games of the season for the first time since at least the 1998 campaign and join defending national champion Wingate (11-0) as the two undefeated teams in the South Atlantic Conference.
Offensively, Anderson leads the league with eight triples on the season, ranks fourth with 21 doubles, sixth in batting average (.297), stolen bases (16) and extra-base hits, eighth in on-base percentage (.381) and ninth in slugging percentage (.409).
The Trojan pitching staff continues to pace the conference by limiting opponents to a .210 batting-average-against and a league-leading 2.18 ERA.
Kye Andress enters the mid-week contests riding an 11-game hitting streak and paces the Trojans with a .413 batting average. He is tied for the team lead with five extra-base hits, while JC LeGrand has reached base safely in all 11 games. Nick Vella is batting .407, while Jackson Van Ness owns a .361 batting average and has ripped five doubles on the year.
Four hurlers on the Trojan pitching staff each possess a pair of wins – Jackson Herring, Walker Noland, Joseph Cottone and Alexander Maurer – with Herring and Maurer each earning their wins in relief. Herring also owns a pair of saves in six appearances.
Noland and Cottone have both tossed more than 16 innings, with Cottone leading the staff with 24 strikeouts. Andrew Imperatore has fanned 22 batters, while Noland owns 19 Ks.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Lander (3-6) was tabbed to finish ninth in the Peach Belt Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, after posting a 20-19 overall record last season and finishing seventh in the conference standings with a 16-16 mark in league play.
Lander opened the season by dropping four of its first five outings, but has won two of its last four, including an 8-4 decision over Queens and an 8-1 victory past 15th-ranked Newberry last Friday.
THE SERIES vs. LANDER
The Trojans and Bearcats have met on 35 occasions, with Lander leading the all-time series, 23-12. The first-ever meeting between the two programs occurred during the 1998 campaign.
Lander has won six of the last eight matchups, with AU defeating the Bearcats, 14-10, on April 10, 2018 in the last meeting (in Greenwood).
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Southern Wesleyan (3-8) was tabbed to finish 10th in the Conference Carolinas Preseason Coaches' Poll, after posting an 11-28 overall record last season and finishing eighth in the conference standings with a 9-23 mark in league play and advanced to the Conference Carolinas Championship Tournament for the first time in school history.
The Warriors returned several leading hitters from the 2021 season in Josh Galloway, Ty King Richards and Parker Pillsbury. Pillsbury led the team in home runs last season with five, while Galloway led the team in doubles with nine. Southern Wesleyan also returned veteran strikeout leaders Aaron Bennett and TJ McEvilly.
SWU opened the season with back-to-back home wins over UVA Wise, but has dropped three straight and eight of its last nine decisions.
THE SERIES vs. SOUTHERN WESLEYAN
The Trojans and Warriors have met on 58 occasions, with AU leading the all-time series, 39-19. The first-ever meeting between the two programs occurred during the 1998 campaign.
Anderson has won six straight and eight of the last nine meetings, with AU defeating the Warriors, 7-2, last April in Central, S.C.
UP NEXT
AU will travel to Myrtle Beach for a three-game weekend series against Staten Island. The Trojans will square off against the Dolphins in a single matchup, Saturday night at 7 p.m. and the two teams will wrap up the series with a Sunday afternoon twin bill set for a 3 p.m. start.
