Baseball Begins SoCon Play This Weekend

STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern University opens Southern Conference play this weekend as the Eagles play host to Western Carolina. The three-game series begins Friday night (March 21), first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday’s game is a 2:30 p.m. start then 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The third installment of the Clements Tailgate takes place prior to Saturday’s game. Subway will be sponsoring the Tailgate, free to fans prior to the 2:30 p.m. start.

Fans can listen to every Georgia Southern game on Eagle 102.9 FM or via the internet at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com. For ticket information contact the ticket office at 800-GSU-WINS.

The Eagles (11-8 overall) and Catamounts (6-11) faced each other last year on the final weekend of conference play. Western, the defending regular season co-champion, took 2-of-3 but the Eagles eliminated WCU in the Southern Conference Tournament.

Three times in the last four games GS recorded at least 20 hits and 17 runs scored. A NCAA record 14 home runs were hit in the first game of that stretch against Columbia. Overall the Eagles own a Southern Conference-leading .353 team batting average, .970 fielding percentage and 6.79 ERA. Georgia Southern has also been aggressive on the base paths, swiping 40-of-47 bases.

Eight starters are batting .290 or better. In fact, 12 Eagles who have started a game are batting at least .290 this year.

Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) extended his hitting streak to a team season-high 13 games. The junior outfielder owns a .422 batting average with 17 runs scored, three home runs, 16 RBI and a .486 on-base percentage.

Chris Shehan (Strasburg, PA/Lampeter-Strasburg), the reigning SoCon ‘Player of the Week’ and one of eight ‘National Players of the Week’ by Collegiate Baseball, continues to lead the squad in several categories. The junior outfielder paces the offense in: batting average (.432), runs scored (27), doubles (7), home runs (8), slugging percentage (.878), on-base percentage (.558), stolen bases (10-of-10) and walks (17).

Among the SoCon leaders, Shehan is tied for first in home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and total bases, second in stolen bases, third in batting average and runs scored, then fourth in walks and RBI.

Aaron Eubanks (Moultrie/Colquitt County), Drew Murray (LaGrange/LaGrange) and Andy Moye (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) are probable starters for the series.

Eubanks is 2-1 with a 7.58 ERA in 19 innings. The senior left-hander has struck out 13 and walked seven. Murray (1-0) picked up his first win of the year last weekend. The junior right-hander brings a 7.54 ERA into the weekend, striking out a team-high 20 batters to five walks allowed in 22.2 innings. Moye fell to 2-2 last weekend. The redshirt-freshman righty has a 5.75 ERA through 20.1 innings pitched, striking out 13 to four walks.

Western dropped its second straight game, losing 8-3 at Georgia on Tuesday. In fact of its 11 losses, five have been to a nationally-ranked opponent. The Catamounts took 2-of-3 from Hartford at home last weekend, including a 32-3 decision in the series opener. Overall they are batting .307 with a .947 fielding percentage and 6.78 team ERA.

Brent Greer (.388, 13 RBI) and Nick Liles (.380, 15 runs scored, 9 doubles) pace the offensive attack. Tyler Kirkpatrick had 19 RBI and a team-leading six home runs. J.C. Lyons (.254, 18 RBI) and Blake Murphy (.250, 16 RBI) recorded five home runs each. Drew Saberhagen (0-2, 5.09) has made five starts this year while Tyler Sexton (0-2, 9.70 ERA) and Garrett Ozar (2-1, 6.94) started four times apiece.

Category: Baseball

Published on Wednesday, 19 March 2008 00:04