Cougars Jet North For Weekend Set at Northeastern

Friday, April 19

Boston, Mass.

2:30 PM

College of Charleston

Northeastern

Photo by: Al Samuels

4/18/2019 6:07:00 PM | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (24-13, 7-2 CAA) at NORTHEASTERN (17-19, 7-5 CAA)
Games No. 39-41 | Boston, Mass. | Friedman Diamond

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Twitter: @CofCBaseball
Live Stats: CofCStats.com
Video: Howlin' Huskies Productions
Audio: None

Probable Pitchers
Friday | 2:30 pm ET: RHP Griffin McLarty (6-2, 1.32 ERA, 70 K) vs. RHP David Stiehl (2-4, 5.80 ERA, 32 K)
Saturday | 2:00 pm ET: RHP Blake Robinson (0-0, 4.50 ERA, 22 K) vs. LHP Sean Mellen (4-1, 1.64 ERA, 67 K)
Sunday | 11:00 am ET: TBA vs. RHP Kyle Murphy (4-2, 5.20 ERA, 36 K)

CHARLESTON, S.C. --- The College of Charleston baseball team heads North to Boston, Mass. this weekend to resume its Colonial Athletic Association schedule with a crucial three-game series with the Northeastern Huskies. First pitch on Friday is slated for 2:30 p.m. with junior right-hander Griffin McLarty (Buckner, Ky.) taking the ball opposite Northeastern junior David Stiehl.

Weekend Preview
The Cougars head north to Boston for a critical series in CAA play against rival Northeastern. Charleston and the Huskies currently sit second and third, respectively, in the conference standings entering the stretch run.

Scouting Northeastern
Northeastern enters the weekend with a 17-19 overall record and a 7-5 mark in CAA play after falling to Boston College, 5-3, on Wednesday. The Huskies rank eighth in the nation and first in the conference with 17 triples, and are 19th in the country in stolen bases (72).

Corey DiLoreto paces the Huskies with a .325 batting average, eight doubles and 29 RBI's; Ian Fair has accounted for six home runs, 23 RBI's and a .324 batting average. Projected Saturday starter Sean Mellen carries a 4-1 record with a 1.64 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 55 innings.

Series History
The Cougars are 7-9 all-time against Northeastern after taking two of three from the Huskies at Patriots Point last season. Northeastern has won five of the last seven in the series, including a season sweep in 2017.

Last Five Games in Series
L, 1-2             4/15/18 in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
W, 5-4 4/14/18 in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
W, 4-1 4/13/18 in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
L, 5-8             5/26/17 in Wilmington, N.C.
L, 3-6             4/16/17 in Boston, Mass.

Last Time Out
The Cougars' bats exploded for a season-high 19 hits in a 13-6 come-from-behind victory at Coastal Carolina on Tuesday night, led by two homers from Danny Wondrack and a 4-for-5 effort by Chris Graham.

Lots of Swings, Few Misses
Charleston has been one of the most disciplined teams in both the nation and the CAA this season, entering the week with the fewest strikeouts in the conference (209) while also leading the league with nearly seven plate appearances per strikeout - more than 1.1 better than second-best Northeastern.

Sweet Sweepin'
The Cougars completed the season sweep of Coastal Carolina for the first time since 2015 with a 13-6 win in Conway, S.C. on Tuesday evening, and only the fourth time overall in their series history with the Chanticleers.

Shining at the Bottom
The bottom third of the Cougars' batting order shone brighter than its has for much of the season on Tuesday evening, as Bradley Dixon, Chris Graham, and Luke Manzo combined for eight of Charleston's 19 hits. Graham delivered perhaps his best performance of the season with three RBI's, three runs scored, and two stolen bases in a 4-for-5 effort.

Late Inning Prowess
Charleston has been one of the most dangerous offenses in the nation during the late innings this season with a run differential of +48 in the sixth inning or later - compared to its overall run differential of +49. The Cougars have scored 93 of their 222 runs (41.89%) in innings six through eight, and lit up opposing bullpens to the tune of a 6.18 earned run average.

Southpaw Slammers
Left-handed pitchers have struggled with the Cougars for much of the season, with Charleston posting a .323 (108-for-334) batting average against southpaw hurlers. Logan McRae (.429), Danny Wondrack (.395), Chris Graham (.379), and Chaz Davey (.359) lead the way against left-handers.