ANDERSON, S.C. – On the heels of its seventh win in nine outings, the Anderson baseball team will close out its regular season by playing host to Lander in nonconference action, Tuesday afternoon.
First-pitch for the matchup is slated for 5 p.m.
WHO: Anderson Trojans (24-24) vs. Lander Bearcats (22-24)
WHERE: Anderson Memorial Stadium; Anderson, S.C.
WHEN: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
COVERAGE
Live Stats: AUTROJANS.COM
Live Video: AUTROJANS.COM
TROJAN NOTABLES
• AU's 24 overall wins is one victory shy of matching the 2018 squad's 25 wins, which is the most since the 2007 team claimed 29 wins.
• AU's 12 conference wins are the most since the 2018 team also won a dozen SAC contests.
• The Trojans are bidding for the program's first winning season since the 2003 campaign and need to defeat Lander and win their opening game against Wingate in the SAC Tournament to achieve that mark.
• The Trojans rank second in the SAC with 16 triples and rank third with 475 hits and a .304 batting average.
• Carlos Hernandez is tied for sixth in the SAC with 45 RBI.
• Justin Fox is fifth in the league with 22 stolen bases on the season.
• Jackson Herring has recorded 23 strikeouts while walking just four batters.
• The Trojans are 15-10 this season when scoring first.
• AU is 20-2 when leading after five innings and 19-1 this season when leading after six innings.
• AU is hitting .312 with runners in scoring position.
• Luke Poole is 17-for-38 (.447) with runners in scoring position.
• Carlos Hernandez is batting .410 (25-61) with runners in scoring position.
• JC LeGrand is riding a 14-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 19 consecutive games.
• Carlos Hernandez and Kye Andress have reached base safely in 7 consecutive games.
• Jordan Montgomery is a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with bases loaded.
• Carlos Hernandez leads the team with 16 multi-hit games, including four games with at least three hits.
• Gray Wells and Luke Poole have each recorded a pair of games with four hits.
• Austin Mercado is tied for third in the SAC with seven wins and is tied atop the SAC with two complete games.
• Nathan Sanders has fanned a team-high 47 batters, while issuing 19 walks.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Lander was tabbed to finish seventh in the Peach Belt Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, after finishing last season with an overall 22-29 record and finishing eighth in the league with an 11-15 mark.
Sophomore Connor Droze was named to the Preseason All-Peach Belt Conference Team, after being named the league's Freshman of The Year following last season. He hit .350 last season with 11 doubles, 10 home runs and 38 RBIs. Droze also set a program record with a .718 slugging percentage.
Lander has won four straight and seven of its last nine decisions, including a three-game series sweep of No. 11 Young Harris over the weekend.
LAST MEETING WITH THE BEARCATS
Using a 15-hit attack, Anderson earned a 9-5 come-from-behind road win over Lander on Valentine's Day.
Senior Luke Poole led the offensive charge for the Trojans, with the Greenwood native going 4-for-5 at the plate. He ripped four singles on the afternoon and drove in four runs, including two in the decisive eighth inning. Junior Brayden Owens added three singles, an RBI and scored three times in six trips to the plate. JC LeGrand posted a pair of singles, a walk and was hit by a pitch in five trips to the plate, while sophomore Brandon Gibbs went 2-for-3, with two singles and a pair of RBI. Junior Kye Andress was 1-for-4, while drawing a pair of walks on the afternoon.
Freshman Cole Davis – the first of seven Trojan hurlers drew the start and allowed four runs on two hits - while walking a pair of Bearcats. Senior Austin Mercado (1-0) was the beneficiary of the late-inning offense and captured the win after limiting Lander to just one single over the final three innings. The Bronx, N.Y., native did not allow a runner to reach scoring position over his three innings of work on the mound.
THE SERIES vs. LANDER
The series between AU and Lander began in 1998, with the Bearcats leading the overall series 26-13. Lander has won two of the last three and 18 of the last 22 matchups, while AU defeated the Bearcats, 9-5, this past Valentine's Day in Greenwood.
UP NEXT
The seventh-seeded Trojans will square off against No. 2 seed Wingate, Friday night at the Bulldogs' Ron Christopher Stadium in the opening round of the SAC Baseball Championship. First-pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
