ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson baseball team is set to open its South Atlantic Conference slate by playing host to Lenoir-Rhyne in a three-game series this weekend at Memorial Stadium. First-pitch for Friday's opening game is set for 6 p.m., with the series slated to wrap up with a Saturday afternoon twinbill starting at 1 p.m.
WHO: Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (10-4, 0-0 SAC) at Anderson Trojans (3-6, 0-0 SAC)
WHERE: Anderson Memorial Stadium
WHEN: Friday, 6 p.m. / Saturday 1 p.m. (DH)
COVERAGE
Live Stats: AUTROJANS.COM
Video: AUTROJANS.COM (Friday Only)
Admission to Trojan baseball games is $5 - students, faculty and staff, along with members of the Trojan Club are admitted free of charge.
THE TROJANS
Anderson is 3-6 on the season and is coming off a convincing, 10-6, home win over Emmanuel two days ago. The Trojans banged out a season-high seven extra-base hits (six doubles and a home run) in the victory and also drew six walks on the afternoon - the most since the season-opening win over King.
Sophomore Matthew Overton has drawn a starting nod in eight games and leads the Trojans with a .409 batting average, while hitting primarily in the middle of the order. The Spartanburg, S.C., native also leads the squad with eight walks on the season and has a .682 slugging percentage behind three doubles and a home run. He enters the weekend riding a four-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in eight straight games.
Junior Brandon Odachowski is batting .313 with five hits in 16 at-bats, including three doubles, and has five RBI. Freshman Will Lindsey has a .308 batting average in five starts and has drawn five walks on the season. Senior Tyler Miller paces the squad with seven RBI and has a pair of doubles among his 11 hits. Freshman Chandler Castleberry has reached base safely in every game this season.
Junior Will Gee, sophomore Christian Carpenter and senior Matthew Reitz each have claimed a win on the mound, with left-handed Matthew Stanley earning a save during the season-opening series with King. Gee has fanned 14 batters in 12 1/3 innings this season, with sophomore Austin Todd leading the pitching staff with 15 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings of work.
LAST TIME OUT
Sophomore Dillon Carpenter and Odachowski combined for six hits and four RBI to help lead Anderson to a 10-6 win over Emmanuel last Tuesday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Carpenter was 3-for-5 on the afternoon and belted his first home run of the season – a three-run shot beyond the right-field fence in the second inning – and added an RBI-double and a single. The Charlotte, N.C., native drove in four runs on the day and scored twice. Odachowski ripped three doubles, while scoring once and driving in a run. Miller was 2-for-4, with a pair of singles, two RBI and also drew a fourth-inning walk. Junior Jackson Strange posted a double and a single in five at-bats, with sophomore Joseph Strange posting two singles in five trips to the plate. Overton reached base four times with three walks and a double.
Reitz earned his first win of the season with 1 2/3 innings of relief, while allowing one hit and one walk.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
Lenoir-Rhyne was tabbed to finish ninth, just ahead of the Trojans, in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 22-26 overall record a year ago and finishing 10th with a 6-18 mark in conference play.
Lenoir-Rhyne players to watch this season include outfielders Marcus Shoemaker and Justin Dean. Shoemaker batted .376 with three home runs and 32 runs batted in a year ago, while Dean led the squad in hitting (.393) to go along with three home runs and 19 runs driven in.
On the mound, Lenoir-Rhyne set a school record for strikeouts in a season (457) and ranked fifth in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (10.2) in 2017.
THE SERIES vs. LENOIR-RHYNE
The Trojans and Bears have met 22 times since the 2009 season, with Lenoir-Rhyne holding a 16-6 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams also played a three-game set at Memorial Stadium last season, with the Bears winning two of the three contests. L-R has won six of the last seven matchups, with AU claiming the first game of last year's doubleheader, 8-6. The Bears have won five of the nine games played in the Electric City.
UP NEXT
The Trojans travel to Due West, S.C., on Tuesday for a matchup against longtime rival Erskine. First-pitch against the Flying Fleet is slated for 2 p.m.
