Baseball Slips One Spot in National Ranking
4/13/2009 6:34:00 PM | Baseball
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern Baseball drops one spot in the national poll as the Eagles prepare to end a six-game road trip and begin a five game stretch at J.I. Clements Stadium this week.
The Eagles (24-9 overall) slipped one spot to 27th in the latest Collegiate Baseball poll after going 3-2 last week, including a 23-3 win at #8 Georgia Tech and series win at Western Carolina.
On Tuesday, GS wraps up the six game stretch away from home with a 7 p.m. contest at North Florida (15-22). Sophomore Andy Moye (Alpharetta/Alpharetta) will get the start, bringing a 3-0 record and 6.64 ERA. He has struck out 34 batters in 39.1 innings.
Jacksonville (23-10) has only one midweek game, traveling to J.I. Clements Stadium Wednesday night for a 6 p.m. start. Last month the Eagles made a late charge but suffered its second loss of the season in an 8-7 defeat in Jacksonville. Sophomore Michael Hester (Evans/Greenbrier) is slated to start. Hester owns a 2-0 record and 6.62 ERA, striking out 16 in 17.2 innings.
Every baseball game can be heard on the Georgia Southern Radio Network, flagship station Eagle 102.9 FM in Statesboro, and via the internet at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com. Ryan Chambers will call the game and the broadcast will begin 30 minutes before first pitch.
Three Eagles are currently riding a double-digit hit streak, led by senior Ty Wright's (Montrose/ABAC) team- and career-high 16 games. Wright improved his overall batting average to .378 with 40 runs scored, 30 RBI and 10-of-11 in stolen bases. In Sunday's series clinching win at Western he matched career-highs with five hits, four runs scored and two stolen bases.
Senior catcher Griffin Benedict (Dunwoody/St. Pius) continues to lead the team with his .415 batting average and ranks third in the SoCon. Benedict, riding a 12-game hitting streak, also leads the conference getting hit by 16 pitches. Senior Brian Pierce (Roswell/Roswell) improved his streak to a career-high 10 games. He brings a .317 batting average into this week with 23 runs scored and 21 RBI. Kyle Kamppi (Savannah/Benedictine) leads the pitching staff with five saves, posting a 2-1 record and 3.47 ERA.
Georgia Southern enters the week posting a .316 team batting average, Southern Conference-leading .976 fielding percentage and 5.03 ERA.
North Florida (15-22) dropped 2-of-3 at Lipscomb last weekend, the victory a 1-0 win while being limited to just two hits. The Eagles held a 3-2 lead against UNF two weeks ago but the game was rained out and will be rescheduled at a later date. The Ospreys own a .292 team batting average, .949 fielding percentage and 5.41 ERA.
JU swept a three-game series at East Tennessee State last weekend, improving to 23-10 overall. The Dolphins own a .314 batting average, .940 fielding percentage and 5.57 team ERA. Jeremy Gillan leads the hitting attack at a .422 clip and Chuck Opachich is close behind at .404.
