ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson baseball team is set to open the 2017 season by playing host to North Greenville Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Stadium, with Young Harris slated to invade the Electric City 24 hours later. First-pitch versus both the Crusaders and Mountain Lions is set for 3 p.m.
WHO: North Greenville Crusaders (2-1) at Anderson Trojans (0-0)
WHERE: Anderson Memorial Stadium
WHEN: Tuesday, 3 p.m.
COVERAGE
Live Stats: AUTROJANS.COM
Video: AUTROJANS.COM
WHO: Young Harris Mountain Lions (0-3) at Anderson Trojans (0-0)
WHERE: Anderson Memorial Stadium
WHEN: Wednesday, 3 p.m.
COVERAGE
Live Stats: AUTROJANS.COM
Admission to Trojan baseball games is $5 - students, faculty and staff, along with members of the Trojan Club are admitted free of charge.
The Athletic Department is sponsoring free Trojan Transit Shuttle service to/from Anderson Memorial on Tuesday. Catch the shuttle in front of the Abney Athletic Center between 2:30 – 6:30 p.m. and support the Trojans.
The Trojans
Anderson, which was picked to finish ninth in the Preseason SAC Coaches Poll, is looking for its second consecutive season-opening win after knocking off Emmanuel, 12-4, to open the 2016 slate.
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
North Greenville received one first-place vote and was tabbed to finish fourth in the Conference Carolinas Preseason Coaches Poll, behind Mount Olive, Erskine and Belmont Abbey. The Crusaders posted a 35-16 overall record last season and finished second in Conference Carolinas with a 21-6 mark. NGU advanced to the Conference Carolinas Tournament, but was eliminated after dropping back-to-back decisions to Barton and Erskine in the postseason.
The Crusaders are 2-1 on the early season after opening the campaign at the Carolinas Hospital System Classic, hosted by Francis Marion last weekend. NGU opened the season with back-to-back wins over Wingate and Claflin, then dropped a 12-inning decision to the host Patriots.
THE SERIES vs. NORTH GREENVILLE
The Trojans and Crusaders split a pair of lopsided decisions last season, with Anderson claiming a 10-3 win at Memorial Stadium on March 3 and North Greenville avenging the loss 10 days later with a 13-1 win at Fluor Field.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
Young Harris finished 12th in the Peach Belt a year ago, with a 12-37 overall mark and a 6-23 record in the PBC.
The Mountain Lions (0-3) are searching for their first win of the season after getting swept by Rollins last weekend.
Senior infielder Zach Wall was named to the Preseason All-Peach Belt Conference Team after earning second-team All-PBC honors at third base in 2016. Wall led the Mountain Lions with a .408 on-base percentage and was second in batting average (.329), hits (55), doubles (11), home runs (8), total bases (90), and slugging percentage (.539). He was third in RBI with 29 last season.
THE SERIES vs. YOUNG HARRIS
The two teams combined to score 34 runs in an early-April weekend doubleheader last season, with AU outlasting the Mountain Lions, 10-8, in the opener and taking a 14-2 victory in the nightcap.
UP NEXT
The Trojans play host to fellow South Atlantic Conference-member Newberry, Saturday afternoon for a doubleheader that is designated as nonconference on the schedule. First-pitch is slated for 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. The Wolves are slated to host AU in a 1 p.m. single game on Sunday, which is also marked as nonconference.
