Baseball Opens Conference Home Slate with UNCG
3/15/2012 8:00:00 PM | Baseball
STATESBORO, Ga. - After a five-game road trip, the Georgia Southern Baseball team returns home and is looking to get off the schneid in Southern Conference home opener against UNCG on Friday at 6 p.m. The series continues at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and concludes on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The Eagles have won nine-straight contests against the Spartans at J.I. Clements Stadium, but were swept in Greensboro a year ago.
Georgia Southern (7-10, 0-3) was swept in the SoCon opener at Elon last weekend, just the second time in program history that the Eagles were swept in their first SoCon series of the year. The 2007 Eagles were swept at home by Furman but finished the year 34-28 after posting a 10-game winning streak late in the year.
Eric Phillips (Carrollton, Ga.) leads the team with a .466 batting average, eight doubles and 23 RBIs. The senior captain has hit in every game this season and is tied for the NCAA lead in hits with 34. Phillips tied his career-high 18 game hitting streak with a bunt single at Wake Forest and will look to extend it into the top-5 of GSU history this weekend. Scooter Williams (Detroit, Mich.) is hitting .375 in his last five contests and holds a nine-game hitting streak.
Chris Beck (Jefferson, Ga.) takes a 1-2 record and a 4.33 ERA to the mound Friday night against UNCG's (10-6, 1-2) Tyler Hollstegge (2-0, 3.12). Josh Stevenson (Social Circle, Ga.) will make his first start of the season after seven appearances out of the bullpen this season. The junior college transfer threw 2.2 innings at Wake Forest on Tuesday and struck out three batters while allowing a run on two hits. Will Middour (Atlanta, Ga.) returns to the rotation on Sunday for the first time since May 5, 2011.
Not much has changed for UNCG, who finished second in the Southern Conference last year behind solid pitching and sacrifice bunting. The Spartans lead the nation this year with 32 sacrifice bunts and are sixth in the league with a 3.97 staff ERA. New to the offense this year is the long ball. UNCG, who hit just 23 homers in 2011, is second in the conference with 19 home runs. Trevor Edwards leads the squad with seven long balls and 15 RBIs, while a pair of others have hit three home runs.
The Eagles hold a narrow 25-22 advantage in the all-time series after dropping all three games last season. GSU is 15-6 at home against the Spartans and are 6-4 in the last 10 meetings between the two teams.
All games can be heard on Boomer 103.7 FM and inside the stadium on 88.1 FM. Audio for all games is also available on the web and subscription video is available for all home games at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com/Eaglevision.
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