Baseball Returns to Wilson Field to Host Western Carolina

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Catching the Action

Admission to Wilson Field is free. Live video and live stats will be available for all three games. Twitter updates will be available from @DavidsonWildcat.

LEADING OFF

- Davidson returns home and to SoCon play after a non-conference, mid-week road loss at No. 1 North Carolina. The Wildcats are 5-3 at home and 0-2 on the road.

- Western Carolina is playing its first SoCon series of the season and its first road series. The Catamounts won their only true road game this past Tuesday at Georgia, winning 12-7. They have also played a neutral tournament at Fluor Field losing all three contests against Michigan State, Miami (Ohio) and Cincinnati. The Miami and Cincy games were 10 inning contests though.

- Nathan Becker, who transferred to Davidson from North Carolina (was not a member of the baseball team) before last season, currently leads the team in batting at .400. He has started all 10 games. Four other Wildcats have averages above .300.

- Freshman Lee Miller has four of the team's six home runs. He has also started all 10 games this season.

- Davidson snapped an 11-game losing streak against Appalachian State with a walk-off win last Saturday.

THE SERIES

VS. WESTERN CAROLINA: Davidson trails in the all-time series, 25-86, which dates back to 1977. The Wildcats claimed 1-of-3 games last season. Davidson ended a 15-game losing streak against WCU in 2011. Last year, Davidson dropped the first game of a doubleheader at Western Carolina, 12-6, after surrendering nine runs in the sixth inning, but rallied with a six-run seventh inning in the second game for a 7-5 win, at Hennon Stadium. Forrest Brandt went 4-for-7 with three walks and scored three runs on the day, while Andrew Barna went 4-for-5 with two RBI in the first game. Cody Jones went 3-for-7 with four RBI to lead WCU at the plate. In the rubber match, Jake Berman drove in all three of Davidson's runs, but WCU claimed the series with a 5-3 win. Bradley Strong went 2-for-3 with three RBI to pace WCU, while Jones went 3-for-3 with a walk.

SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA

Cody Jones leads the team with a .354 batting average, while Tyler White leads the team with four home runs and 15 RBI. Senior Bryant Noteboom drove in two runs on a game-high three hits and White blasted his team-leading fourth home run of the season as Western Carolina claimed its second-straight road win over Georgia, scoring in bunches Tuesday night to upend the Bulldogs 12-7 in midweek nonconference action at Foley Field. Led by Noteboom, five Catamounts turned in multiple hit games as WCU pounded out a season-high 15 hits against eight different Bulldog pitchers in winning for the third-straight game. WCU scored multiple runs in three separate innings, twice lighting the scoreboard for five runs in a single frame in the victory. Western Carolina returns all 56 starts and 30 victories on the mound from last season's 32-win team, as well as nine of the 10 position starters. WCU returns all three weekend starting pitchers – LHP Morgan McKinney, RHP Jeremy Null and RHP Jordan Smith. WCU brings back eight hitters which batted over .300 last season including senior Tyler White who hit .354 to help the Catamounts lead the SoCon with a collective .310 average. A total of 128 of the team's 155 extra base hits are back in the Catamount lineup.

THE PAST WEEK

Cody Stubbs drove in three runs and four pitchers combined to keep Davidson's bats in check, as No. 1 North Carolina defeated the Wildcats, 10-2, in non-conference baseball action on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in Boshamer Stadium.

Corner infielders Andrew Barna and Ryan Lowe drove in the two Davidson (5-5) runs, as the 'Cats were held to four hits.

Davidson went 1-2 in its first Southern Conference series, hosting Appalachian State. Appalachian State took advantage of Davidson miscues and made timely pitches to defeat the Wildcats, 4-1, in the first game Friday. Centerfielder Forrest Brandt (1-for-3, BB) hit an RBI-triple in the fifth inning for the lone Davidson run. The Wildcats left 12 runners on base, coming up empty with the bases loaded in both the first and ninth innings.

Starting RHP Jamie Nunn (3-0) pitched well for Appalachian State, allowing just the one run on five hits and three walks while striking out eight. Closer LHP Rob Marcello (4) allowed the Wildcats to load the bases with two outs in the ninth, but earned a strike out to end the contest. Third baseman William Head led the Mountaineers offensively, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. He also reached on an error in the seventh inning and then scored on a pair of wild pitches.

Brandt's triple to drive in shortstop Michael Zeblo (1-for-4, BB) from first base in the bottom half of the frame made it a two-run game, but Head's run in the seventh restored the three-run margin. For Davidson, RHP Ryan Lowe (2-1) allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks and struck out four.

A single to centerfield by freshman Sam Foy and a fielding error by the centerfielder gave Davidson a walk-off victory over Appalachian State, 4-3, in Game 2 Saturday. Davidson trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the ninth inning, but the bottom of the order keyed the Wildcat comeback. The seventh and eighth hitters in the lineup, Ryan Lowe (1-for-4) and Nathan Becker (2-for-4), both singled, and nine-hole hitter Chris Dyer (1-for-2, 2 BB) walked to load the bases with no outs. RHP Taylor Thurber took the mound for Appalachian State (6-2, 1-1 SoCon) in relief of RHP Josh Wilson (0-1) but leadoff batter Jack McLindon was able to drive in Lowe for the first run of the inning by grounding out to second base. With runners on second and third and one out, Foy (2-for-5) singled to shallow center to drive in Becker for the tying run, but the ball slipped past centerfielder Jaylin Davis, allowing freshman pinch-runner Aaron Ruzinsky to score the winning run from second base. Dating back to 2009, Davidson had lost the last 11 games against Appalachian State.

Davidson starting RHP Danny Mooney struck out a career-high nine batters, pitching seven innings and then facing the first two batters in the eighth inning. He allowed just six hits and one walk and was charged with all three Appalachian runs. RHP Matt Saeta (1-0) was perfect in two innings, aside from allowing an inherited runner to score in the eighth, and struck out one batter.

However, Appalachian State scored seven runs in the first four innings before allowing a hit in a 10-4, series-clinching win over Davidson Sunday. Appalachian State RHP Sam Agnew-Wieland (3-0) was perfect through the first three innings before hitting a batter and issuing a walk in the fourth inning. Designated hitter Ryan Lowe (1-for-2) singled up the middle for the first Davidson (5-4, 1-2 SoCon) hit in the fifth inning.

Centerfielder Forrest Brandt and right fielder Nathan Becker led the Wildcats with two hits and an RBI each, while freshman left fielder Lee Miller hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season.

NOTES

HOME GAME IN GREENVILLE: Davidson will play the series finale against Furman in Greenville, S.C., Sunday, Mar. 17. Fluor Field is home of the Greenville Drive, a Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, and will also be the site of the SoCon Baseball Championship. Davidson is one of 21 collegiate teams to play at Fluor Field as part of its 2013 College Baseball Series.

1-2 vs. No. 1: Head coach Dick Cooke, who is continuing to recover from injuries sustained in a car accident back in September, is now 1-2 all-time against the top-ranked team in the nation. Davidson lost to No. 1 North Carolina (3/5/13) and to No. 1 South Carolina in 2000. The Cooke-led Wildcats defeated No. 1 Georgia Tech in 1994. Current Duke head coach Chris Pollard pitched 8.1 innings for the 'Cats in the win over future Majoe Leaguers Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek and Jay Payton.

LOSING STREAK ENDS: Dating back to 2009, Davidson had lost the last 11 games against Appalachian State, but finally prevailed on Mar. 2. With runners on second and third and one out in the bottom of the nith, freshman San Foy singled to shallow center to drive in Nathan Becker for the tying run, but the ball slipped past centerfielder Jaylin Davis, allowing freshman pinch-runner Aaron Ruzinsky to score the winning run from second base.

LEOPARDS SWEPT: Davidson's top-two offensive performances came in a pair of games against Lafayette, Feb. 23 and 24. The Wildcats won the first game 13-6, scoring double-digit runs for the first time in 35 games, dating back to last season. Chris Dyer drove in four runs and Andrew Barna went 4-for-5 to lead Davidson.Centerfielder Forrest Brandt and shortstop Michael Zeblo both went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Sophomore RHP Ryan Lowe (2-0) and the Wildcats' bullpen held Lafayette (0-2) to six hits, while the 'Cats posted 16. Home runs from Lee Miller and Andrew Barna, as well as strong pitching, led the Wildcats to their second straight victory over Lafayette, 9-3, the following day.

WINNING STREAK ENDS: Freshman Lee Miller's second home run in as many games was Davidson's lone score, as NC Central defeated the Wildcats, 3-1, on Feb. 20. The victory was the first for NC Central in nine meetings against Davidson. LHP Jordan Quinn (1-0) held the Wildcats to one run on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

LET IT SNOW: Snow made Wilson Field unplayable Feb. 16 with Davidson leading George Washington, 6-5, in the top of the 7th inning, and by rule, it was determined to be an official game, giving the Wildcats the series sweep. Lee Miller paced Davidson by going 2-for-3 with his first career home run and three total RBI. A time-lapse video of the snow's arrival was shown on The Weather Channel and has nearly 10,000 views on YouTube. It's the second-most watched video on Davidson's YouTube Channel.

GRAND OPENING: Forrest Brandt hit a grand slam in the seventh inning and a two-RBI double in the eighth to give Davidson the cushion it needed to defeat George Washington, 7-5, in the season opener. It was the first of his career and the first by a Wildcat since Michael Zeblo hit one as a freshman in 2010.

SUPPORT FOR COACH COOKE: Many Davidson fans donned fake mustaches in honor of head coach Dick Cooke, who is guiding the Wildcats for a 23rd season. Known for his trademark mustache, he was seriously injured in a car accident in September.

NEW ASSISTANTS: Dick Cooke is in his 23rd year at the helm of the Wildcats, but his assistants are all new this season. Rucker Taylor came to Davidson from SoCon rival Samford, where he spent the last six seasons on the coaching staff serving as the outfield coach and assisting with hitting and the infielders. Taylor is a 2006 graduate of Vanderbilt University, where he saw significant starting time at second base, shortstop and designated hitter, and played on two NCAA Regional teams. In 2004, he was a member of the first Vanderbilt team to reach a Super Regional. Taylor is a native of Montrose, Ala. Wayne Miller most recently served as an assistant coach at Emory & Henry College. In one season at Emory & Henry, Miller guided four all-conference players and one first-team all-region selection. The team tied its mark for best overall record and reached the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament for the first time in 15 years as a No. 3 seed. A 2010 cum laude graduate of Samford University, Miller was a four-year starter at second base and centerfield and posted a .328 career batting average. He was selected to the All-Southern Conference second team and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team as a senior. Andy Carter, a 2005 Davidson graduate and former player in the New York Yankees' organization, will serve as a volunteer assistant for the Wildcats after most recently serving as the head coach of the North Mecklenburg H.S. varsity squad. Carter was a 35th round selection of the New York Yankees after graduating from Davidson in 2005, and was a member of the 2005 Gulf Coast League Champion GCL Yankees team. In 2006, he pitched for the Washington Wildthings (Frontier League) and Gary Southshore Railcats (Northern League), and in 2007 he played for the Anderson Joes (South Coast League). He later worked for both the Yankees and Baltimore Orioles in baseball operations, working on advance scouting reports, minor league video input, and other special projects. Carter, a native of Williamsville, N.Y. was twice named the Wildcats' most valuable pitcher during his career, and still ranks second at Davidson in career strikeouts (258) and innings pitched (322.1). As a senior, he led the 'Cats to their first winning season in 13 years.

UMPIRES BEWARE: Head coach Dick Cooke was appointed chair of the NCAA Baseball Rules committee over the summer. Cooke's term on the rules committee began this past July and he will serve through September 2015. The chair appointment is year-to-year. As chair, Cooke will be responsible for leading the committee's deliberations at the annual meeting and serve as the committee's spokesperson. The committee is charged with protecting the integrity of the game, making sure student-athlete safety is paramount and balancing offense and defense.

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