ANDERSON, S.C. - Unable to return to the win column on Tuesday following two setbacks to archrival Erskine, Anderson University baseball jumps back into South Atlantic Conference play on Friday when it begins a three-game series with Brevard. The series will begin with a doubleheader beginning on Friday at 1 p.m. and conclude with a single contest on Saturday also beginning at 1 p.m.
The Trojans
AU looks to snap a five-game setback streak this weekend, as they
come into the conference series with a 15-19 overall record and a
9-12 mark in conference play. By being three games below .500 in
the league, the Trojans sit in a tie with Lenoir-Rhyne for the
eighth spot, the final position in the annual SAC Tournament.
Despite the record, the Black and Gold are 8-7 at the friendly
confides of Memorial Stadium.
Despite dropping two games to Erskine on Wednesday, the Trojans out-hit their rival for the doubleheader. Anderson currently ranks sixth in the conference in total hits with 353 on the year and ranks first in triples with 13. Two Trojans have eclipsed the 40-hit mark this season, as junior first baseman Steven Cooper and junior LJ Newman has 49 and 47, respectively. Cooper is currently on a 12-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 21 consecutive contests. Newman snapped a three-game hitless streak on Wednesday with a combined three hits for the doubleheader, headlined by his fifth home run on the year.
Senior shortstop Brett Cash has also stood out at the plate, as he has reached base safely in 15 straight games and capped off the streak with a two-hit game against the Fleet on Wednesday. Cash currently ranks fourth in the SAC in triples with four, as he has raised his average to .281 for the year. Teammate Nick Bernardo currently paces the conference in triples with five, while brother, Garrett Bernardo, has tallied a hit in seven of his last eight games.
The Trojan pitching staff has struggled in AU's last 10 games, as the team ERA has fallen to an 8.44 mark in the span. Despite the outings, the backend of the AU bullpen shined in the final game of Wednesday's doubleheader, as four pitchers combined to hold Erskine to just one earned run and posted three strikeouts against the Fleet hitters.
The Tornados
Brevard has also fallen on tough times, dropping four of its last
six games, including its last two to North Greenville on Tuesday,
3-2, and a rare nonconference matchup to Mars Hill, 6-1, on
Wednesday. With the losing skid, the Tornados are 16-20 on the year
and 10-13 in the conference, as they sit a half-game behind
Carson-Newman for sixth in the league standings. Away from Brevard,
the Tornados are just 4-12, including a 1-7 mark in conference road
games.
BC ranks last in the conference in runs scored with 178 and in extra-base hits with 71. Junior first baseman Hunter Donaldson paces the club in hits with 39 on the year, as his .320 average is 36th in the SAC. Donaldson has posted a hit in four of his last five games, including a 3-hit performance in BC's 8-7 setback to North Greenville on March 25. The tandem of senior John Slade and junior Ryan Smith follow Donaldson with 36 hits apiece.
The Trojans will likely face senior right-hander Zac Joyce on the mound this weekend, as his nine starts lead the conference. In Joyce's last outing, he earned the victory over Lincoln Memorial by tossing seven complete and allowing just three hits and two runs. Joyce finished the outing with six strikeouts, tying his second-highest mark on the year. Junior right-hander JD Chaplin will likely also see time on the mound this weekend, as he comes into Friday's game with a 5.21 ERA in 46.2 innings pitched.
The Series
Anderson is 5-6 against Brevard since the 2011 season, after AU
swept the series in its first season as SAC members in 2011. The
Tornados answered the sweep with one of their own in 2012, and
eventually winning the three-game series at Memorial Stadium in
2013. Last year, the teams split a rain-shortened series with each
team taking a win.
