Davidson College Athletics
UMass
Baseball Readies for 2017 Regular Season Finale at UMass
5/17/2017 12:19:00 PM | Baseball
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DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson baseball will wrap up its final series of the year, traveling north to Amherst, Mass., for a two-day, three-game stint with Atlantic 10 foe Massachusetts slated to begin Thursday, May 18. The Wildcats will play a doubleheader Thursday beginning at noon, and conclude the series on Friday.
The series with UMass is critical for postseason implications, as the 'Cats currently sit in seventh and the last team in the A-10 Tournament, held in Saint Louis on May 24-27.
Davidson dropped a heartbreaker last Tuesday (5/9) on the road at No. 3 North Carolina, leading by three with two outs in the ninth inning, before falling 7-6 in 10 innings. The 'Cats blasted a season-high four homeruns, and outhit the Tar Heels 11-5. Will Robertson went back-to-back, while Jake Sidwell hit his second bomb of the season, and Cam Johnson belted his sixth. The team responded with another multi-homer game the following night, where they outlasted border-rival Winthrop 7-6, also in 10 innings. Robertson went yard twice, again, and Brian Fortier knocked his team leading 15th.
Fans can follow all three contests via the live stats and video streaming links provided. The @dcbaseball_ Twitter account will also provide in-game updates.
THE SERIES
Davidson has won four of five contests with UMass since first meeting in 2014. The 'Cats swept a doubleheader with the Minutemen in Davidson the year before they joined the league, and then took the first two of a three-game series last year as league opponents.
Eric Jones had a fantastic rookie showing against UMass last season, where he both hit and slugged at a .750 clip. Then-junior Jake Sidwell went 5-for-8 at the plate with four RBI, also throwing out a runner. Then-sophomore Andrew Born also collected five hits, finishing the series with a .455 average.
Durin O'Linger tossed 7.2 innings in the Saturday win against UMass, scattering just four hits while striking out five. Sidwell carries a career batting average of .556 against UMass, while fellow veteran Brian Fortier is hitting .267 lifetime with a .533 slugging.
THE WILDCATS RUNDOWN
Despite a losing record at 4-6, the 'Cats have carried hot bats over the last 10 games. The veteran trio of Fortier, Robertson, and Sidwell are all hitting at an above .330 clip, while junior Alec Acosta leads the way at .386, pounding out 17 hits. The three seniors have combined for 11 homers and nine doubles in the 10-game span, scoring 25 runs. In the last five games, Sidwell and Fortier have tallied eight hits, while Robertson collected seven.
Sophomore Eric Jones tops the squad in conference play, posting a .342 average. Three other Wildcats support an above. 300 clip in league action, with Robertson at .322, Fortier at .306, and Acosta at .305. The four have combined for 12 home runs in conference, but have collected 55 RBI and scored 61 times.
ROBERTSON EARNS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK, HELPS REACH MORE PROGRAM MILESTONES
For his efforts last week, Robertson garnered both National and A-10 Player of the Week honors. He is the second Wildcat to earn national honors this season, joining Fortier, who claimed the title in early February. This is the first time in school history that two separate Davidson players have earned the accolade in the same season. Robertson is the first Davidson player to earn a league award twice in the same season since Mac Chapman, a third baseman, did so in 1994.
The 2017 Davidson squad has now set a new record, with the most single-season weekly league plaudits in program history at five. Robertson was named Player of the Week twice, Fortier once, and their classmate Durin O'Linger took home Pitcher of the Week honors in mid-April. Freshman Brett Centracchio was tabbed Rookie of the Week in early April.
SCOUTING THE MINUTEMEN
UMass enters the series coming off a historic win Tuesday, where the Minutemen enjoyed a 6-5 walk-off victory to hand skipper Mike Stone his 750th career win. They carry a 14-30 record overall, but a 7-14 ledger in conference. The squad boasts just one above .300 hitter in Nolan Kessinger (.301), but Ryan Lever tops with 47 hits and 28 RBI. UMass carries a unique threat in Sunday starter, senior righty Mike Geannelis, former A-10 Pitcher of the Week, who has tossed five complete games this year, ranking him amongst the top in the nation for the statistic.
THE MOUND MAKEUP
Thursday, May 18; Noon | Game 1 of 2 (DH) | Game 48
So. RHP Justin Lasko (3.67 ERA, 3-6, 76.0 IP, 54 K) vs. RSr. Durin O'Linger (3.06 ERA, 6-2, 79.1 IP, 71 K)
Thursday, May 18; 2:30 p.m. | Game 2 of 2 (DH) | Game 49
Jr. RHP Kevin Hassett (7.77 ERA, 2-3, 22.0 IP, 17 K) OR Sr. RHP Ryan Moloney (8.22 ERA, 0-3, 15.1 IP, 9 K) vs. Jr. RHP Josh Smutzer (4.08 ERA, 5-3, 68.1 IP, 31 K)
Friday, May 19; Noon | Game 50
Sr. RHP Mike Geannelis (4.16 ERA, 5-6, 80.0 IP, 64 K) vs. Jr. LHP Evan Roberts (4.85 ERA, 2-1, 52.0 IP, 31 K)
