Baseball Travels to UNC Greensboro For Weekend Series
3/19/2010 3:00:00 AM | Baseball
Games 20-22
CofC (14-5, 1-2 SoCon) vs. UNC Greensboro (11-5, 0-0 SoCon)
Friday, March 19 • 7:00 p.m.
RHP Christian Powell (3-1, 2.82 ERA) vs. RHP Blake Hassebrock (0-0, 3.15 ERA)
Saturday, March 20 • 2:00 p.m.
RHP Kevin Decker (2-0, 2.45 ERA) vs. TBA
Sunday, March 21 • 1:00 p.m.
TBA vs. TBA
- BATTING PRACTICE
College of Charleston picked up a pair of impressive one-run victories in two mid-week games this week, knocking off #8 Coastal Carolina 5-4 Tuesday night and scoring a run in the bottom of the ninth to defeat Jacksonville 3-2 on Wednesday. Junior CF Cole Rakar (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Wando) continues to lead the team with a .385 batting average, 30 hits and 10 stolen bases. Sophomore 3B Matt Leeds (Boca Raton Fla./American Heritage) and junior LF Jose Rodriguez (Hialeah, Fla./Broward College) are tied for the team- lead in home runs with four apiece, while Rodriguez tops the RBI chart with 21. Friday's starter, freshman RHP Christian Powell (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood), has a 3-1 record and a team-leading 2.82 ERA. Powell is tied for the team-best in strikeouts with 21 in four appearances.
- Scouting the Spartans
UNC Greensboro enters the weekend with a record of 11-5 after a pair of victories over visiting Harvard this week. Corey Overholtzer is the Spartans' leading hitter with a .377 average, while Ed Jayjack has four home runs and 19 RBI. Greg Smith is 4-0 on the season with eight appearances out of the bullpen. He has a 2.25 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 24 innings of work.
- All-Time vs. UNC Greensboro
The Cougars lead the overall series with Greensboro 21-16, with CofC sweeping the season series last year by scores of 8-0, 11-4 and 7-1 at Patriots Point.
- Start It Up
FRIDAY - Freshman RHP Christian Powell (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) moves to Friday night for the first time this season. Powell had a solid outing in his last start, scattering six hits in 5.2 innings and allowing four runs, two earned, in a 14-4 victory over Samford on March 13.
SATURDAY - Senior RHP Kevin Decker (Washington, Ind./Seminole CC) takes the mound as a starter for the first time this season after five appearances out of the bullpen. In his last appearance, Decker tossed two innings of no-hit relief to earn the win in the Cougars win against #8 Coastal Carolina on March 16.
SUNDAY - To be determined.
- 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.
###
