Davidson Welcomes Saint Joseph's for League Weekend
3/30/2017 3:47:00 PM | Baseball
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DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson baseball returns to Wilson Field for its final weekend series before a road-heavy April, welcoming Saint Joseph's, and highly touted MLB prospect Deon Stafford, Jr., for a three-game stint beginning Friday, March 31.
The 'Cats are looking to snap a six-game losing skid and move back to .500, currently at 11-12 on the year and 2-4 in Atlantic 10 play. SJU comes into the weekend with a 5-12 ledger, and will begin league play against Davidson.
Fans can follow along through the @dcbaseball_ Twitter account for in-game updates, and can also view the game via the live stats and streaming links provided.
THE SERIES
Davidson leads the all-time series with the Hawks at a 4-1 margin. The 'Cats took two of three from SJU in 2016, shutting them out on Friday and winning in a narrow 8-7 decision Saturday, before dropping the Sunday affair 10-1. On Friday, then-juniors Jake Sidwell and Tyler Agard each collected two hits, and Saturday Alec Acosta collected two hits and scored twice while Sidwell notched three RBI. Then-sophomore Andrew Born also scored twice during the series, adding two RBI and a run, and Westin Whitmire picked up the Saturday save.
The Hawks will come to Wilson seeking revenge, as they were eliminated by the 'Cats in last year's A-10 semifinals, beating the Hawks 6-4 after a career-high seven innings from then-sophomore Josh Smutzer.
THE DAVIDSON RUNDOWN
The 'Cats comeback fell short Tuesday night in Durham, as they dropped an 8-6 affair to Duke. The squad started down 8-0 and used a middle-innings rally to claw back, paced by first-time collegiate home runs from freshman Brett Centracchio and sophomore Justin Lebek. Lebek went 3-for-4 on the day, tallying his third three-hit game of the season, while scoring twice and adding three RBI.
Senior Will Robertson snapped a 16 game hitting and reached base streak after going 0-3 last Sunday vs. Rhode Island. The streak was the longest of his career, and ties for the second-longest in program history. The leader is 17 games, set in 1996 by Luke Goodwin. Robertson did collect a hit in Tuesday's contest at Duke.
Despite recent struggles, several 'Cats still rank both nationally and in the tops of the league in multiple categories. As a team, Davidson bests SJU in every category except three (home runs, fielding %, opponent batting average).
SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Saint Joseph's enters on a hot streak, having won four of their last five contests. Led by Stafford at .333 with a team-high 12 runs, the Hawks are hitting .243 as a team but have 21 home runs, one more than Davidson. Brian Lau carries a team-high four, and Dominic Cuoci tops the squad with 12 RBI. The Hawks return 23 players from last year's squad, including eight starters.
THE MOUND MAKEUP
Friday, March 31, 6:00 p.m. | Game 24
Sr. RHP Tim Brennan (4.45 ERA, 2-2,30.1 IP, 25 K) vs. RSr. RHP Durin O'Linger (4.64 ERA, 1-2, 33.0 IP, 32 K)
Saturday, April 1, 2:00 p.m. | Game 25
Sr. RHP Pat Vanderslice (6.56 ERA, 1-2, 23.1 IP, 24 K) vs. Jr. RHP Josh Smutzer (3.93 ERA, 4-0, 34.1 IP, 20 K)
Sunday, April 2, 1:00 p.m. | Game 26
So. LHP Lucas Rollins (3.97 ERA, 0-1, 22.2 IP, 10 K) vs. TBA
UP NEXT
The 'Cats will head on the road for their first conference weekend, traveling to the Philadelphia to face La Salle.
