Baseball Begins Seven Game Homestand Friday vs. Elon
3/26/2009 4:25:00 AM | Baseball
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern Baseball opens their Southern Conference home schedule this weekend against Elon. Friday's (March 27) first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Saturday's 1 p.m. game is the first of two home contests that will be televised live on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast this year. Sunday is a scheduled 1:30 p.m. start.
Every baseball game can be heard on www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com and via the Georgia Southern Radio Network, flagship station Eagle 102.9 FM in Statesboro. Ryan Chambers will call the game and the broadcast will begin 30 minutes before first pitch.
The Eagles (17-5 overall, 3-1 Southern Conference) are coming off a 2-1 loss (10 innings) at South Carolina on Wednesday night. Georgia Southern is also looking to improve on its 13-1 record at J.I. Clements Stadium.
Junior Chris Mederos (Valdosta/Gordon College) is scheduled to start Friday night. He is 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA, striking out 36 in 30 innings. The junior right-hander enters this week tied for third nationally in victories and 36th in strikeouts.
Freshman Matt Murray (Spring City, PA/Owen Roberts) will go on Saturday, bringing a 1-1 record and 3.49 ERA into the televised contest. Murray is coming off a career-high 7.1 innings pitched at Appalachian State and now has struck out 19 batters in 28.1 innings with an opponent batting average of .267.
Sophomore Andy Moye (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) is scheduled to go Sunday. Moye worked six innings but received a no-decision Tuesday against Kennesaw State. He is 3-0 with a 4.33 ERA in 27 innings, striking out 23 to 10 walks as opponents are batting .265 against him.
Senior catcher Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) not only leads the team with his .397 batting average, but also leads the SoCon with 12 hit by pitches. He entered the week ranked 18th nationally. Kevin Bowles (Statesboro/Statesboro) is next batting .333 with 11 walks and a .485 on-base percentage.
Phillip Porter (Marietta/Sprayberry) leads the team with 23 runs scored and six doubles. Ty Wright (Montrose/ABAC) and Jonathan King (Athens, TN/Young Harris) are tied for the team lead with 16 walks each ? both ranking among the SoCon ?Top 10'.
Georgia Southern enters the weekend with a .292 team batting average, Southern Conference-leading .975 fielding percentage (20th nationally) and 3.80 ERA (45th nationally). The team's ERA is more than three runs per game better than last year's total.
Elon is coming off a doubleheader sweep at #20 Clemson Tuesday night, falling to 12-7 overall (6-3 in the SoCon). The Phoenix banged out 25 hits in the double-tilt but managed 10 runs, losing 5-3 and 8-7. Overall they bring a .319 team batting average, .970 fielding percentage and 5.75 ERA into the series. Elon has stolen 36-of-48 bases, nearly four times as many as the opposition (10-16).
Cory Harrilchak leads the hitting attack at a .432 clip with nine doubles and team-leading 24 runs scored. Pat Irvine owns a .404 average, hitting a team-best seven home runs with a .907 slugging percentage. Five starters are batting .330 or higher.
Ken Ferrer (4-1, 3.41 ERA), Jimmy Reyes (3-0, 5.18) and Daniel Britt (1-0, 4.72) are scheduled to start on the mound.
