ANDERSON, S.C. -Looking to get back on the winning track, Anderson University baseball hits the road to Coker for a three-game South Atlantic Conference series at Tom J. New Baseball Field beginning on Friday at 2 p.m., with the set wrapping up on Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
The Trojans
AU is coming off a nonconference setback to Newberry on Wednesday,
as the Wolves claimed their third win over the Trojans this season
by a 9-7 score. The Trojan attack never got going as they struck
out 15 times against Newberry pitching, but still managed 10 hits
on the afternoon. With the setback, the Black and Gold fell to 7-8
on the season, but still cling to their 5-4 mark in conference
play.
In the loss to the Wolves, junior first baseball Steven Cooper led the offense with three hits, headlined by a two-run single in the third inning. The three-hit game was his first of the season as he has recorded six games with multi-hits while ranking 12th in the SAC in RBI with 17 on the year.
Catcher LJ Newman also shined at the plate with two hits, including a three-run home run for his third of the season. Newman currently ranks seventh in the conference in homers while 10th in doubles with five on the year. The junior has tallied a hit in six of AU's last seven games, as Wednesday's two-hit performance was his first multi-hit game in the stretch.
As a team, the Trojans look to cut down on the amount of times hitting in double plays as they lead the SAC with seven on the young season.
The Cobras
Through 13 games this season, Coker holds a 5-8 overall record with
a 1-5 mark in league play. In the Cobras last conference series,
Wingate swept Coker for a three-game set as the Bulldogs scored in
double figures in all three games winning the series by a combined
score to 45-14. Since the series, the Cobras are 2-2 with wins over
Seton Hill and St. Andrews.
Senior outfielder Sammy Song leads the Coker offense with 20 hits and a .377 batting average for the season, as he enters the weekend 8-for-14 (.571) in his last three games, while driving in four runs. Senior catcher Dustin Russell is hitting .387 with nine RBI and three runs scored.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Forrest Arnold has Coker's only complete game of the year after he tossed seven complete in a 1-0 victory over Brevard on Feb. 7. Arnold struck out five Tornados and walked just two for his lone victory on the season.
The Series
In their first series as SAC opponents, Anderson swept Coker in a
home series a season ago, highlighted by a 5-4 come-from-behind win
in the final game of the series. Then-senior Nate Galliford
provided the heroics in the final game with a two-run home run in
the bottom of the fifth to hand Anderson the victory. Right-hander
Landon Beck, who was drafted following the regular season, picked
up the complete-game win for his second victory of the year.
