Baseball Travels to Davidson
4/17/2008 4:28:00 AM | Baseball
STATESBORO,
A 7 p.m. start is scheduled for Friday night (April 18), 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Fans can listen to every
The Eagles (18-17 overall, 5-7 SoCon) will look to snap a skid having lost nine of their last 12, including 7-of-8 in league play. Davidson (9-22, 1-11) ended a nine-game losing streak on Tuesday, defeating
HENNON HITS ONE MILESTONE, NEARS ANOTHER:
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS: Davidson enters the game trying to snap out of a 14-of-16 losing streak... The Wildcats ended a nine-game skid on Tuesday defeating
EAGLES DROP MIDWEEK TO TECH:
RECORD HOME RUN PACE:
.300 OR BETTER:
STOP THIEF: Through 35 games, the Eagles have stolen 71-of-84 bases, an average of 2.03 per game. However, they stepped up the pace over the past eight games stealing 23-of-28... In the Appalachian State opener, GS matched a season-high stealing seven bases... Career ?Top 10' member Jeremy Beckham (Griffin/Griffin) improved to 20-of-23. Chris Shehan remains perfect at 14-of-14. Phillip Porter is next with eight steals followed by Ty Wright at 6-of-7.
SIX HIT DOUBLE-DIGITS: Six different
MORE SCORING NOTES: The 3-1 win at North Florida was just the second time this year
SHEHAN LEADS THE WAY: Chris Shehan continues to put up All-America worthy numbers this season... The junior outfielder, ranked 12th nationally by Rivals.com, paces the offense in: batting average (.474), runs scored (52), doubles (12), home runs (12), slugging percentage (.850), on-base percentage (.598) and walks (35)... This week Shehan was ranked among the ?Top 25' nationally in nine different categories... His 12 home runs equal his previous two year total... Shehan's current .374 career batting average (having met the 300 AB minimum) would rank third all-time.
SoCON LEADERS: Chris Shehan leads the conference in batting average with Phillip Porter second and Ty Wright tied for sixth... Shehan also ranks first in: total bases, on-base percentage, runs scored and slugging percentage. The junior is tied for eighth in doubles, stands fourth in home runs, second in RBI, sixth in stolen bases and tied for second in walks... Wright met the minimum requirements this week. He ranks third in runs scored and tied for fifth in home runs... Griffin Benedict is third in RBI and tied for eighth in triples... Jeremy Beckham is tied for first in stolen bases... Blake Nation (Brooks/Starr's Mill) is tied for fourth with five saves... Drew Murray (LaGrange/LaGrange) is third with 22 strikeouts looking. He and Benedict are tied for seventh with three pickoffs.
IRON MAN: Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) extended his consecutive games started streak to 146 games. The junior sat out the first seven games of his freshman year, came into the next game as a defensive replacement, started the next and has not been out of the starting line-up since... He recorded his second career home run, a 3-run shot on his 21st birthday during game two against
BECKHAM IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Senior second baseman Jeremy Beckham again holds the team lead in stolen bases, swiping 20-of-23 this year. He improved his career numbers to 55-of-62 steals. Beckham passed Mike Yuro and Carl Gardner for ninth place on the GS career ?Top 10' list. Up next is Rocky Baker with 61 steals... Beckham jumped his season batting average up to .333 with 28 runs and 16 RBI.
- - Leadoff Home Runs - -
? Western Carolina game 3 (W 15-12)
? at
? at Elon game 3 (L 8-12)
? Appalachian State game 1 (W 13-6)
WIRNSBERGER OWNS THE HOT CORNER: Sophomore third baseman A.J. Wirnsberger enters this weekend hitting .287 with 35 runs scored (T-2nd on team), 36 RBI (3rd) and 10 home runs (2nd)... Wirnsberger is in the process of leading the team in hit by a pitch (11) for the second straight year... Wirnsberger hit his first career grand slam during the
PORTER AMONG LEADERS: Phillip Porter continues his personal-best season at the plate. The junior outfielder ranks second on the team and in the SoCon batting .407, thanks to five straight multi-hit games... Earlier this year he recorded a team season-high 15-game hitting streak. Porter began the streak with a personal-best five hits, including a walk-off single against
PARK IT: Senior Jeremiah Parker continues to be a threat at the plate... He finished the month of February hitting at a .217 clip with three RBI... During the month of March Parker hit nearly 80 points better... Last year's home run leader, Parker now has six homers including a 2-HR game in the
BENEDICT BEHIND THE PLATE: Junior Griffin Benedict continues to impress both offensively and defensively. Benedict brings a .348 batting average into this weekend with 11 doubles, team-leading two triples and nine home runs (third on the team). He has scored 33 runs and driven in 47. Benedict holds second place for the team RBI lead and is third in the Southern Conference... Behind the plate Benedict has posted a .978 fielding percentage and shares the team lead with three pickoffs.
RICH IN A PINCH: Senior David Richardson has made the most of his time in the starting line-up this year, starting the last 17 consecutive games... He made two pinch-hitting performances against
STRIKEOUT LEADER: Drew Murray improved to 4-1 after earning the win against Appalachian State to open the series... After three consecutive no-decisions to start the season
BANK ON IT: Aaron Eubanks (Moultrie/Colquitt County) has been used in a variety of roles this year, from starter to long relief, and been successful... The senior left-hander is tied for the team lead at 4-1, making five starts in 10 appearances. He ranks second on the team logging 36 innings... Overall Eubanks owns a 9-8 record and 5.78 ERA in 123 innings.
KAMPPING OUT: Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine Academy) continues to make the transition to a starting role. The junior right-hander fanned 30 in 31.2 innings so far as opponents are batting just .278... Last weekend Kamppi turned in career-highs of seven strikeouts in six innings pitched.
ONE NATION: Blake Nation pitched only 18 innings during his first two years as an Eagle, 11 coming last year, with 11 Ks. The junior right-hander has easily surpassed those previous career numbers, 23.2 IP and 19 strikeouts... Nation owns a 1-3 record with five saves (two against Western Carolina,
STROHECKER RETURNS: Sophomore Charlie Strohecker (Alpharetta/Milton) returned from an injury that sidelined him most of 2007... He picked up his second win of the year, in as many decisions, during the
GILBERT THROWING STRIKES: Sophomore A.J. Gilbert (Marietta/Kell) is enjoying his first year on the mound after missing the last two years with an injury. He has struck out 11 batters in just 9.1 innings of work. In 11 outings, Gilbert has allowed more than one earned run three times. Twice the lefty has struck out the side (
FRESHMAN IMPACT: True-freshman Tony Chisman (Conyers/Salem) continues to be a reliable arm out of the bullpen. He is tied for the team lead with 16 appearances, posting a 5.79 ERA... In 18.2 innings Chisman has given up 24 hits and struck out 22 to 11 walks allowed.
FAN THE SIDE: Seven different times this year the Eagles have struck out the side. A.J. Gilbert has done it twice. Tony Chisman and Kyle Kamppi are next in line. Chisman did one time solo and the other shared. Kamppi has shared twice.
