Baseball Hosts Charleston Southern in Mid-Week Clash
3/30/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Game 27 • Tuesday, March 30 • 5:00 p.m.
College of Charleston (19-7, 5-4 SoCon)
LHP Jake Zokan (1-0, 7.02 ERA)
vs.
Charleston Southern (10-15, 1-4 Big South)
RHP Patrick Dolan (0-2, 12.96 ERA)
- BATTING PRACTICE
Junior CF Cole Rakar (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Wando) has a team-high .420 average, 47 hits and 12 stolen bases. Leeds tops the team in home runs with nine and the RBI chart with 34. Senior RHP Kevin Decker (Washington, Ind./Seminole CC) leads the Cougar pitching staff with a 3-0 record and a 2.08 ERA, while freshman RHP Christian Powell (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) has a team-best 31 strikeouts.
- SCOUTING THE BUCCANNEERS
- ALL-TIME VS. CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
College of Charleston leads the all-time series, 42-14, and has won the last 12 meetings between the two squads. The Cougars went 4-0 against CSU last season, picking up wins of 13-4 and 15-8 on the road and 10-3 and 5-2 victories at Patriots Point. Earlier this season, CofC defeated CSU 12-7 at Patriots Point on March 3 and the above-mentioned 28-9 victory on March 24 at CSU Ballpark. The last loss against Charleston Southern was Feb. 20, 2007, a 17-9 loss on the road.
- START IT UP
- CHARLESTON PLAYER NOTES
2B Joey Bergman - returned to action at the plate against Charleston Southern on March 24 after hamate bone surgery put him on the shelf earlier this season... led the team last week with a .538 average (7-for-13) and a double and five RBI.
DH Rob Kral - batted .231 with six RBI... had one home run, one of the three grand slams in 28-9 win over Charleston Southern.
3B Matt Leeds - led the team with three home runs and 12 RBI last week... batted .313 for the week... was hit by pitch three times in Friday's 11-8 in over Western Carolina... had one of the three grand slams in 28-9 win over Charleston Southern.
CF Cole Rakar - team-high 10 hits during the week, including two doubles and a home run... batted .476 over last four games.
LF Jose Rodriguez - batted .412 with a .824 slugging% last week... led the team with four doubles over the last four games... added a home run and five RBI.
- COUGARS SWEEP WEEKLY AWARDS
College of Charleston junior DH Rob Kral (Randolph, N.J./Randolph) was named the Southern Conference Baseball Player of the Week, while teammate senior RHP Kevin Decker (Washington, Ind./Seminole CC) was selected as the league's Pitcher of the Week on March 22.
Kral had a career day at the plate on March 19, hitting three home runs with five RBIs in the Cougars' series-opening win at UNC Greensboro. Kral's three home run output ties the program's record for home runs in a game with four others, including current head coach Monte Lee (1999). The sophomore had at least one RBI in all five games for the Cougars that week as CofC went 5-0. He had four multi-hit games, 10 RBIs and slugged 1.000.
Decker went 2-0 in two appearances that week, coming out of the bullpen to pick up the victory versus No. 8 Coastal Carolina and then making his first start at UNC Greensboro. The senior right-hander allowed only three hits in nine total innings, highlighted by two frames of hitless, shutout ball against the nationally-ranked Chants on March 16. He followed that by allowing two runs on three hits in seven innings of work against the Spartans March 20. Decker held opponents to a .103 batting average, giving up two singles and a double over 34 batters.
- ALL-SOCON COUGARS
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 PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA NODS
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.
- ON DECK
- SEASON-LONG PROMOTIONS
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.
