ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University baseball team will be looking to get back in the win column when the Trojans travel to Lenoir-Rhyne this weekend for a three-game South Atlantic Conference series.
First-pitch for Saturday afternoon's twin bill, as well as Sunday's contest is slated for 1 p.m.
WHO: Anderson Trojans (6-7, 0-3 SAC) vs. Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (6-9, 0-3 SAC)
WHERE: Bears Field; Hickory, N.C.
WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m. (DH) / Sunday, 1 p.m.
COVERAGE
Live Stats: AUTROJANS.COM
Video: N/A
THE TROJANS
Anderson (6-7) is looking to snap a four-game skid this weekend after getting swept by Lincoln Memorial last weekend and dropping a midweek road decision at Erskine.
Junior Joseph Strange has started eight games behind the plate and owns a .333 batting average, while recording seven walks and a double. Sophomores Will O'Brien and Will Lindsey have each seen action in six games and are each hitting .308, while classmate Tyler Berry has posted a .304 batting average in seven contests.
Freshman Logan Jackson has collected five hits, including a triple, in 17 at-bats and has driven in seven runs, while Brandon Odachowski is coming off a two-home run game at Erskine. The Williamston, S.C., native, also drove in six runs last Wednesday. Sophomore Chandler Castlenberry is tied for the team lead with three homers and paces the squad with 14 RBI on the season.
Senior Will Gee (1-2) is fourth in the league with a stellar 1.42 earned run average in three starts, while junior Christian Carpenter is tied for second in the SAC with three saves. Senior Matthew Stanley is 2-0 on the season in three starts, while senior left-hander Christian Hendrix has collected a pair of wins and a save in seven relief appearances.
LAST TIME OUT
The Trojans suffered their fourth consecutive setback last Wednesday afternoon with a 17-14 loss to archrival Erskine at Grier Field.
Odachowski homered twice and drove in six runs, while crossing the plate three times. Lindsey was 3-for-3 at the plate, with three singles and also reached base three times on walks. Castleberry added a home run, a double and a walk in five trips to the plate, while Jackson Strange recorded three RBI.
Senior right-hander Stetson Scott (1-1) took the loss after allowing seven runs on eight hits in 1 1/3 innings.
SCOUTING THE BEARS
Lenoir-Rhyne was tabbed to finish sixth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, after posting a 27-22 overall record last season, including a 13-14 mark in conference play and finishing fifth.
Sophomore hurler John Grigg was named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team, while senior first baseman Alex Reynolds captured Second-Team Preseason All-Conference Second Team accolades. Grigg, a native of Lawndale, N.C., appeared in 13 games for the Bears last season and posted a 3.89 ERA in 69 1/3 innings of work. He earned First Team All-SAC accolades after winning eight contests, while tossing two complete games. Reynolds, a native of Kings Mountain, N.C., was named Honorable Mention All-SAC at the conclusion of last season after batting .358 with 12 doubles, a triple, four home runs and 46 runs batted in.
The duo also captured National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason All-Southeast Region honors.
Lenoir-Rhyne (6-9, 0-3 SAC) opened its conference slate by dropping three decisions to Newberry last weekend, but is coming off a 7-3 road win over Belmont Abbey last Tuesday.
THE SERIES VS. LENOIR-RHYNE
Lenoir-Rhyne leads the overall series, 18-8, and has won seven of the last 10 matchups, but AU upset the fifth-seeded Bears by a 16-2 score last April in the opening round of last year's South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
UP NEXT
AU plays host to North Greenville on Tuesday, with first-pitch at Memorial Stadium slated for 3 p.m.
