Baseball Hosts #8 Coastal Carolina and Jacksonville in Mid-Week Contests
3/16/2010 3:00:00 AM | Baseball
Games 18-19
CofC (12-5, 1-2 SoCon) vs. #8 Coastal Carolina (15-2, 0-0 Big South)
Tuesday, March 16 • 5:00 p.m.
RHP Matt Pegler (1-0, 6.75 ERA) vs. LHP Keith Hessler (0-1, 1.29 ERA)
CofC (12-5, 1-2 SoCon) vs. Jacksonville (10-6, 3-0 Atlantic Sun)
Wednesday, March 17 • 5:00 p.m.
LHP Jake Zokan (1-0, 10.80 ERA) vs. LHP Brian Gilroy (2-0, 0.00 ERA)
College of Charleston opened the 2010 Southern Conference slate last weekend with 1-2 record against visiting Samford. The Cougars will look to get back on the winning side of the ledger this week as they host Coastal Carolina and Jacksonville. Junior CF Cole Rakar (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Wando) leads the team with a .400 batting average, 28 hits and 10 stolen bases. Rakar also is currently riding a seven-game hitting streak. Sophomore 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton Fla./American Heritage) leads the team in home runs with four, while junior LF Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla./Broward College) tops the RBI chart with 20. Freshman RHP Christian Powell (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) has a 3-1 record and a team-leading 2.82 ERA. Powell leads the team with 21 strikeouts in four appearances.
• Scouting the Chanticleers
Coastal Carolina enters the weekend with a record of 15-2 after shutting out Michigan 3-0 on Sunday. Jose Iglesias is the Chants' leading hitter with a .400 average, four home runs and 23 RBI. Matt Rein is 3-0 on the season with six appearances out of the bullpen. He has a 0.87 ERA and one save with 10 strikeouts. Coastal was the top pick in the Big South Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. Rico Noel was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year and Cody Wheeler was chosen as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
• All-Time vs. Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina leads the overall series with the Cougars 12-11, but College of Charleston held the series advantage last year, winning all three meetings, including a 13-7 decision at home April 28.
• Scouting the Dolphins
Jacksonville enters tonight's contest with a 10-6 record after sweeping Belmont last weekend in their Atlantic Sun opener. Jamaal Hawkins lead the Dolphins with a .413 average, while Adam Brett Walker has a team-high five home runs. Jacksonville has earned a bid to the NCAA Regionals in three of the past four seasons and was picked to finish second in the A-Sun 2010 Preseason Coaches Poll.
• All-Time vs. Jacksonville
Earlier this season, Charleston knotted the all-time series at 3-3 with a 15-7 win in Jacksonville on February 23. Prior to that, the two teams had not met since 1992.
• Start It Up
TUESDAY - Freshman Matt Pegler (Greenville, S.C./Riverside) makes his third straight start on Tuesday after two early-season relief apprearances. In his last start, Pegler earned his first collegiate win with a 7-4 win over Ball State on March 10. Pegler tossed five innings and allowed three runs and five hits.
WEDNESDAY - Freshman Jake Zokan (Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley) takes the mound for the fourth time this season. Zokan picked up his first collegiate victory, a 12-7 win over local rival Charleston Southern on March 3. Zokan tossed five innings in the win, scattering five hits and striking out four.
• 2009 in Review
The Cougars went 35-22 overall and 17-13 in the SoCon last year, which put them fifth in the league standings. The comforts of home staked the Cougars a 22-5 record at Patriots Point Field in 2009. Last season, the Cougars were fourth in the country in home runs (110) and scoring (9.7 runs/game), and ninth in team batting average (.345).
• All-SoCon Cougars
College of Charleston senior Joey Bergman (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) was selected as the Southern Conference Player of the Year by the league's baseball coaches, the SoCon announced Thursday. Two other Cougars were also named to preseason all-conference teams.
Bergman led the country in both runs (88) and on base percentage (.551) in 2009 while finishing second nationally with a .452 batting average. Splitting time between shortstop and third base, Bergman also hit 15 home runs and had 57 RBIs while recording two or more hits in 35 of the 56 games. The senior is one of three returning starters to the Charleston lineup.
Senior Ryan Daniels (Victoria, Texas/Blinn College) joins Bergman on the Preseason All-Conference First Team at the designated hitter spot. Daniels hit .363 with 10 home runs and 64 RBIs last year in 50 games. His .457 on base percentage was third on the team. Junior Cole Rakar (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Wando) earned a second-team preseason all-conference spot in the outfield. He started 56 contests for the Cougars, hitting .317 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs. He tied the school record of three home runs in a single game on Mar. 28 against Furman.
College of Charleston baseball has been picked to finish third in the Southern Conference Preseason Poll by the media. The Cougars were tabbed to finish fourth in the coaches poll.
• Bergman Earns Second Preseason All-America Nod
Senior shortstop Joey Bergman (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) was selected to the 2010 Louisville Preseason All-America Baseball Team by Collegiate Baseball. Bergman, who was named to the second team, received All-American status for the second time this preseason. He was also named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association of America Pro-Line Athletic Preseason All-America third team.
Elected the 2009 Southern Conference Player of the Year, Bergman had a .452 average while drilling 15 home runs last season. He became the 10th player in Southern Conference history to record 100 hits in a single season. He garnered third-team All-America status by Collegiate Baseball and the ABCA.
Season Long Promotions:
Two-for-Tuesdays - Two tickets for $5 to all Tuesday night games
Faculty/Staff Fridays - free entry to College of Charleston faculty and staff with their staff ID card
Family Fun Saturdays - free entry for two children with an adult ticket purchase
Military Appreciation Sundays - up to four free tickets with a military ID at all Sunday home games.
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