MT. PLEASANT, S.C. --- The College of Charleston baseball team will open its Colonial Athletics Association schedule this weekend, when the Hofstra Pride come to Patriots Point for a three-game set. Friday's first pitch is set for 6:03 pm with Cougar sophomore
Nathan Ocker (Middletown, Pa.) taking the mound opposite Hofstra redshirt junior Teddy Cillis. Saturday's game is scheduled for 2:30 pm, with Sunday's finale slated for 1:00 pm.
How to Follow the Cougars
Twitter: @CofCBaseball
Live Stats: CofCStats.com
Video: Charleston Sports Network (Friday only)
Probable Pitchers
Friday: RHP
Nathan Ocker (0-0, 3.72 ERA, 17 K) vs. LHP Teddy Cillis (0-3, 5.23 ERA, 24 K)
Saturday: RHP
Jakob Frishmuth (0-2, 9.92 ERA, 14 K) vs. RHP Jorge Marrero (1-2, 2.30 ERA, 21 K)
Sunday: RHP
Tucker White (1-3, 6.75 ERA, 12 K) vs. LHP John Rooney (1-4, 4.13 ERA, 23 K)
The Match-Up
The College and Hofstra meet for the 14th time on Friday evening, with the Cougars holding a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series. The Pride swept the season series from the Cougars in Hempstead, N.Y. last spring.
Last Time Out
The Cougars fell to sixth-ranked Clemson, 8-4, on Tuesday evening despite a 3-for-5 night from
Erven Roper.
Logan McRae mashed his team-leading seventh home run of the season with a solo shot to center.
CAA Preseason Projections
Coming off a disappointing end to the 2016 season, the Cougars are tabbed to finish third in the race for the 2017 CAA regular season title. With a bevy of returning talent and a promising group of newcomers, CofC has the pieces in place to make an impassioned run at its sixth conference championship.
On Base Maestros
Several Cougars have been models of consistency when it comes to getting on base this season, as
Logan McRae,
Luke Manzo,
Tommy Richter, Dannoy Wondrack, and
Bradley Dixon have been all but impossible to keep off the base paths. Wondrack and Richter carry active reached base streaks of 13 and 11 games, respectively, into this weekend, while McRae has reached safely in all but one appearance - including a 15-game streak that was snapped against North Florida.
Dixon had a 13-game hitting streak snapped against Kent State on March 12. Manzo has reached safely in 19-of-21 games this season.
Scouting Hofstra
The Pride enter the weekend with a 5-14 overall record after defeating New York Institute of Technology on Tuesday, 6-5. Hofstra is 3-8 away from home this season, including wins at Nichols State, Troy, and NYIT.
Steven Foster leads the Pride offense with seven doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs and a .364 batting average, while Mikey Riesner has driven in a team-high 15 runs. Saturday's starter Jorge Marrero carries a 1-2 record with a 2.30 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 27 and one-third innings.
Marketing Minute
Fans can bring their dogs to the game all weekend long as we host our first "Bark at the Park" of the season. All dogs must be up to date on vaccines and a waiver must be signed at the front entrance. Saturday we are celebrating "National Athletic Training Month." Athletic Trainers can receive 2 free tickets to the game by emailing sportsmarketing@cofc.edu. Athletic trainers from the College of Charleston will be on site to provide fans with their height, weight, and blood pressure measurements. On Sunday, any City of Charleston recreation participant can receive a free ticket. Must RSVP to sportsmarketing@cofc.edu . If you have any questions about these promotions, you can contact the ticket office at (843) 953-2632. Go Cougars!
