ANDERSON, S.C. – On the heels of a late-season surge that saw the Trojans finish the regular season with seven wins in nine outings, including back-to-back series wins over both Mars Hill and Tusculum, the Anderson baseball team is seeded seventh in what will be its fifth overall appearance at this week's South Atlantic Conference Baseball Championship.
The Black and Gold are slated to open the tourney against second-seeded Wingate at the Bulldogs' Ron Christopher Stadium, Friday night, with first-pitch slated for 6:30 p.m.
AU, which is making its first postseason appearance since the 2019 campaign, is 5-8 in its four previous appearances in the SAC Tournament, and made its deepest run in the tourney in program history in 2018 after entering that year's postseason as the eighth seed. The Trojans knocked off No. 5 seeded Lenoir-Rhyne, top-seeded Catawba and No. 7 seed Tusculum before being eliminated by eventual champion Lincoln Memorial just one win shy of the 2018 title contest.
Newberry won the regular-season title and snagged the No. 1 seed in the postseason championship after posting a 19-4 league record, while Wingate finished the regular season with an 18-6 record and claimed the No. 2 slot. Catawba received the No. 3 seed, with Carson-Newman taking the No. 4 spot. Lenoir-Rhyne earned the No. 5 seed, with Lincoln Memorial taking the No. 6 seed. Anderson earned the No. 7 seed with a SAC record of 12-11, and Tusculum picked up the No. 8 seed with an 11-13 league record.
The double elimination tournament will begin on April 28-30, with seeds 1, 4, 5, and 8 playing at Newberry's Smith Road Baseball Complex in Newberry, S.C., and seeds 2, 3, 6, and 7 heading to the Wingate's Ron Christopher Stadium in Wingate, N.C.
The two remaining teams after the opening round will meet for a best-of-three series at the Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tenn. on May 7-8 to determine the 2023 SAC Baseball Champion.
Friday, April 28 (Newberry, S.C.)
Game 1: #5 Lenoir-Rhyne vs #4 Carson-Newman, 3:00 p.m.
Game 2: #8 Tusculum vs #1 Newberry, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, April 28 (Wingate, N.C.)
Game 1: #6 Lincoln Memorial vs #3 Catawba, 3:00 p.m.
Game 2: #7 Anderson vs #2 Wingate, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 29 (Newberry, S.C.)
Game 3: Winner Gm 1 vs Winner Gm 2, 11 a.m.
Game 4: Loser Gm 1 vs Loser Gm 2, 2:45 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Gm 3 vs Winner Gm 4, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 29 (Wingate, N.C.)
Game 3: Winner Gm 1 vs Winner Gm 2, 11 a.m.
Game 4: Loser Gm 1 vs Loser Gm 2, 2:45 p.m.
Game 5: Loser Gm 3 vs Winner Gm 4, 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 30 (Newberry, S.C.)
Game 6: Winner Gm 5 vs Winner Gm 4, 12:00 p.m.
Game 7: Loser Gm 6 vs Loser Gm 6, 3:00 p.m. (if necessary)
Sunday, April 30 (Wingate, N.C.)
Game 6: Winner Gm 5 vs Winner Gm 4, 12:00 p.m.
Game 7: Loser Gm 6 vs Loser Gm 6, 3:00 p.m. (if necessary)
Sunday, May 7 – Monday, May 8 (Kodak, Tenn.)
Championship Series
