Baseball Takes On North Carolina State In NCAA Regionals
6/3/2010 3:00:00 AM | Baseball
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON at the NCAA Regionals
Dates: Friday, June 4 - Monday, June 7
Times: 7 Friday, 1:00/7:00 Saturday & Sunday, 1:00 Monday
Place: BB&T Coastal Field, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Radio: ESPN RADIO 910-AM in Charleston - Ted Byrne, Play-by-Play
Live Stats: GameTracker via www.GoCCUsports.com
TV/Live Video: Live Streaming at www.GoCCUsports.com
2010 NCAA Regionals - Myrtle Beach, S.C.
#1 Coastal Carolina (51-7)
Conference/Record - Big South/25-0
Head Coach - Gary Gilmore
Friday Starter - LHP Cody Wheeler
Saturday Starter - RHP Anthony Meo
#2 College of Charleston (42-17)
Conference/Record - Southern/22-8
Head Coach - Monte Lee
Friday Starter - RHP Kevin Decker
Saturday Starter - RHP David Peterson
#3 North Carolina State (38-22)
Conference/Record - Atlantic Coast/15-15
Head Coach - Elliott Avent
Friday Starter - RHP Jake Buchanan
Saturday Starter - RHP Cory Mazzoni
#4 Stony Brook (29-25)
Conference/Record - America East/15-9
Head Coach - Matt Senk
Friday Starter - RHP Nick Tropeano
Saturday Starter - RHP Tyler Johnson
BATTING PRACTICE
- Charleston has won at least 30 games in nine straight seasons and at least 35 games in seven straight.
- The 42 wins so far this season marks the fourth time that the Cougars have tallied at least 40 victories.
- Junior CF Cole Rakar leads the team with a .369 average, 93 hits, 26 doubles, 69 runs and 20 stolen bases.
- Sophomore 3B Matt Leeds tops the team in home runs with 20 and the RBI chart with 81.
ALL-TIME VS. COASTAL CAROLINA
The Cougars lead the all-time series 13-12, including the last five games. This season CofC took a 5-4 win at Patriots Point on March 16 and a 10-4 victory here at BB&T Coastal Field on May 18. The last time Charleston lost to Coastal Carolina was April 22, 2008, an 8-6 defeat on the road.
ALL-TIME VS. NORTH CAROLINA STATE
College of Charleston trails in the series, 1-3. The two teams have not faced each other since 2004, when NC State took a pair of games in Charleston at Riley Park by scores of 6-4 and 7-2 on February 29. The Cougars' lone victory came on March 4, 1997, as CofC won a 9-8 decision before falling the following day 17-8.
ALL-TIME VS. STONY BROOK
College of Charleston leads the all-time series, three games to none. The Cougars swept a three-game series with the Seawolves in 2007, winning by scores of 10-3, 13-3 and 4-1 on March 3--4.
2010 COUGARS BASEBALL RADIO SCHEDULE
The College of Charleston announced its updated radio broadcast schedule which includes five road games and eight home games, as well as the Southern Conference Tournament and the NCAA Regionals. Games are scheduled to air on ESPN Radio 910-AM in Charleston and can also be heard live on the internet at www.CofCSports.com. Ted Byrne will be handling the broadcasting duties for the season.
HOLLER EARNS SOCON ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS
Junior SS Jamie Holler was named to the 2010 Southern Conference All-Tournament Team after leading the Cougars with a .500 average at the plate over the three games. Holler, batting out of the nine-hole, led the team in hits with seven, doubles with two and was tied for the team-high in RBIs with five. The Rock Hill, S.C. native also added a sacrifice bunt and a stolen base, while leading the team with 12 assists in the field.
LEEDS SWEEPS PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONORS; THREE OTHERS JOIN ON MEDIA FIRST TEAM
Just 24 hours after being crowned the 2010 Southern Conference Player of the Year by the league's coaches, sophomore 3B Matt Leeds was again honored with that title, this time by the voting members of the Southern Conference Sports Media Association (SCSMA). Leeds was a .340 hitter during the regular season, while belting SoCon-highs with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs. As a sophomore, Leeds started in all 56 games for the nation's 29th-ranked team. He recorded a .730 slugging percentage with 22 doubles and 57 runs scored.
Joining Leeds on the all-conference first team are junior CF Cole Rakar, sophomore LF Jose Rodriguez and redshirt-sophomore C Rob Kral. Rakar and Rodriguez were repeat first-teamers from the coaches' ballot yesterday, while Kral joined the first team after earning a second-team nod by the coaches. Senior 1B Greg Blake and senior RHP Kevin Decker represent the Cougars on the conference's second team. Blake batted .341 on the season with 14 home runs, 49 RBI and a team-best three triples. Decker was a perfect 7-0 on the season in nine starts. The senior led the team with a 3.69 ERA and kept opposing batters to a .243 batting average.
This season's honorees mark the ninth straight season that the College has had a Southern Conference Player or Pitcher of the Year and the seventh straight season in which the program has had at least four selections to the all-conference teams.
LEEDS NAMED SOCON PLAYER OF THE YEAR; RAKAR AND RODRIGUEZ GARNER COACHES FIRST TEAM NODS
Sophomore 3B Matt Leeds has been voted the 2010 Southern Conference Player of the Year, while junior CF Cole Rakar and sophomore LF Jose Rodriguez joined Leeds on the all-conference first team. Senior 1B Greg Blake and senior RHP Kevin Decker join redshirt-sophomore C Rob Kral on the conference's second team. Freshman RHP Christian Powell was the Cougars' lone representative on the conference's All-Freshman team. The league's 11 head coaches selected two all-conference teams and an all-freshman team.
Leeds provided the power in the middle of the order for the conference's most potent offense. The sophomore batted .340 for the regular season while pacing the league with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs. Leeds had a pair of multi-homer games, and he drove in more than one run 21 times in 56 starts. In addition to his home runs, Leeds also belted 22 doubles, scored 57 runs and recorded a .730 slugging percentage.
RAKAR HITS FOR THE ALL-ELUSIVE CYCLE
Junior CF Cole Rakar hit for the cycle, going 4-for-5 with four RBI as College of Charleston rolled to a 15-5 victory over host Appalachian State May 15 at Smith Stadium. Rakar became the first Cougar to hit for the cycle since Ben Lasater completed the feat in a 21-9 win at Wofford on April 1, 2007. The junior accomplished the task in order, a bunt single in the first, a double to left center in the second, a RBI triple to right center in the third and a three-run homer in the seventh. He also walked in the fifth inning.
LEEDS HAS RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE AGAINST UPSTATE
Sophomore Matt Leeds went 5-for-5 with three doubles and two home runs to propel College of Charleston to a 20-3 victory over USC Upstate May 11 at Patriots Point. The 14 total bases for Leeds sets a program single-game mark, while his three doubles equals the Cougars' single-game record.
Leeds also became the first Cougar to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in a single game since Shawn Lopez achieved the feat on March 27, 1994. His second-inning blast came right-handed off Upstate starter Austin Moyer, while his two-run shot in the fourth was left-handed off reliever Chris Knauff. Leeds broke the single-game total bases mark of 13 set by Lee Curtis against Virginia Military Institute on May 12, 2002 and tied the doubles record held by eight Cougars, most recently Austin Morgan on May 2, 2009.
LEEDS NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Sophomore Matt Leeds was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III First Team. The honor is voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) whose schools are in the region. By being named to the first team, Leeds advances to the national Academic All-America ballot. In order to be nominated for this honor, a student-athlete must be a starter or significant reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.30 grade point average in both undergraduate and graduate work. The student-athlete must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution and completed at least one full academic year at the same school. Leeds, an economics major with a 3.89 GPA, leads the Cougars with 19 home runs and 70 RBI.
DENNY'S GRAND SLAM HAS NOTHING ON US
Sophomore Matt Leeds and redshirt-sophomore Rob Kral both hammered grand slams in a 12-run second inning and freshman Dre Watts added a third grand slam in the eighth as College of Charleston cruised to a 28-6 victory over host Charleston Southern March 24 at CSU Ballpark. The 12 runs in the inning set a program record for most runs in the second inning and the three grand slams in a game tied a Cougar baseball mark set by the team in 2008, as Jeremie Tice, Gabe Marchant and current junior Cole Rakar all hit grand slams in a 31-3 win over Davidson on March 21. The second-inning output was one off the all-time record of 13, set in the fifth inning of a 27-9 win over Furman on March 29, 2009.
KRAL EARNS SECOND SOCON PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Redshirt-sophomore C Rob Kral was named the Southern Conference Baseball Player of the Week for the period from Apr. 26 - May 2. It marks the second time this season he has received the honor. Kral hit three home runs and six RBI to lead the Cougars to a three-game sweep over Davidson this past weekend. He went 7-for-12 (.583) and posted a .643 on-base percentage while adding five runs for CofC. After recording a double and scoring twice in the series opener, Kral hit a home run and RBI on Saturday. He belted a pair of home runs in the series finale, giving him 13 on the season.
LEEDS GARNERS SOCON PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD
Sophomore 3B Matt Leeds was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week for all games from April 12-18 after leading College of Charleston to a 3-1 week, including a weekend sweep of visiting Wofford at Patriots Point. Leeds batted .556 (10-18) on the week with three home runs, three doubles, a triple and 13 RBI.
Leeds had at least two hits in all four games last week and reached the five-RBI plateau in two games. In the midweek clash at USC Upstate, his three-run blast to straightaway center cleared the backdrop at approximately 440 feet, as he went 3-for-4 adding a single and a triple. During the week, Leeds drove in 13 of the Cougars 38 runs (34.2%) for the week and only struck out twice in 18 at-bats.
COUGARS SWEEP SOCON WEEKLY AWARDS
College of Charleston redshirt-sophomore DH Rob Kral was named the Southern Conference Baseball Player of the Week, while teammate senior RHP Kevin Decker 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 redshirt-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
College of Charleston senior Joey Bergman was selected as the Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year by the league's baseball coaches. Senior Ryan Daniels joins Bergman on the Preseason All-Conference First Team at the designated hitter spot. Junior Cole Rakar earned a second-team preseason all-conference spot in the outfield. College of Charleston baseball was 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 was selected to the 2010 Louisville Preseason All-America Baseball Team by Collegiate Baseball. Bergman, who was named to the second team, received All-America 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.
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