ANDERSON, S.C. - Looking to put a pair of nonconference setbacks this week behind them, Anderson University baseball jumps back into South Atlantic Conference action this weekend when it hits the road to Lenoir-Rhyne for a three-game series. The set opens on Saturday with a doubleheader at 1 p.m., followed by a single game from the Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball Field on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
The Trojans
With back-to-back setbacks to nonconference opponents Lander (9-5)
and Southern Wesleyan (8-3) this week, AU dropped to 17-22 on the
season. Despite the two losses, Anderson took two-of-three from
conference rival Brevard last weekend to set its league record to
11-13 for the year, as it sits in a tie with Carson-Newman for
sixth place in the SAC standings.
In the past five contests, junior catcher LJ Newman has shined at the plate, as his .450 batting average (9-for-20) paces the club within the five-game stretch. The Piedmont, S.C. native has totaled three doubles, three RBI and three runs scored, while posting 12 total bases. Newman is currently on a seven-game hitting streak and has not struck out in AU's last three games.
Outfielder Nick Bernardo follows the Trojan catcher with a .375 average in AU's last five games, as he added his league-leading sixth triple of the season against SWU on Wednesday. Bernardo is 6-for-12 in the Black and Gold's last three games and knocked in two runs while scoring once.
In addition to Bernardo's six triples on the year, the Trojans rank second in the conference in triples with 14. The double-figure triples have helped AU to exactly 400 hits on the year, which placed it fifth in the conference.
On the mound, Anderson received its best outing of April from redshirt freshman left-hander Nick Contafio on Saturday against Brevard. Contafio, who is slated to start in the series with L-R, tossed seven complete innings and struck out nine en route to his first conference win of his collegiate career.
The Bears
After opening last week with a pair of nonconference wins over
Montreat (17-9) and King (9-5), Lenoir-Rhyne dropped three straight
to Newberry over the weekend to drop to 23-18 overall with a 9-15
mark within the conference. Earlier this week, the Bears played an
exhibition with Minor League Baseball's Hickory Crawdads and came
away with a 4-3 victory over the Class A affiliate at L.P. Frans
Stadium.
Earlier this season, L-R posted 10 straight victories to open the season and moved as high as No. 16 in the Collegiate Baseball Division II Poll. Wingate snapped the season-opening winning streak on Feb. 21 by taking two-of-three in the conference series. Since the setback, the Bears have gone 13-19 moving through the heart of their schedule.
The Lenoir-Rhyne offense currently ranks second in the SAC in hits, 446, and third in runs scored with 296. Two Bear hitters have totaled over 60 hits on the year, as senior infielder Brantley Rumford and junior infielder Ryan Perkins lead the way with 61 and 60, respectively. Rumford snapped a 12-game hitting streak on Saturday at Newberry, as his hitting stretch saw five multi-hit contests. Perkins is currently on a five-game hitting streak headlined by a pair of three-hit games against Montreat and King.
On the mound, sophomore right-hander Thomas St. Clair has tossed a team-high 50.2 innings and struck out 81, which ranks third in the SAC. The sophomore's 14.39 strikeouts per game average leads the conference, but boasts a 4-3 record. Following St. Clair in innings pitched in two-way player senior Ivan Vieitez, who has posted 54 strikeouts in 48.1 innings. Vieitez is 4-5 for the year, while hitting .300 at the plate.
The Series
Last season, AU captured the series against Lenoir-Rhyne for the
first time in the SAC era by taking two-of-three at Memorial
Stadium. The Trojans bounced back after being swept by the Bears in
Hickory in 2013 and capturing just one game in a three-game set in
2012 and 2011.
