After dropping its last Southern Conference weekend series, the Georgia Southern University baseball team will look to reassert themselves against rival and future Sun Belt foe Appalachian State University.

With a 9-3 record against SoCon opponents, GSU sits atop of the conference with the chance to increase its lead over Elon University and its 10-5 conference record. The Mountaineers are tough to beat at home where they are 7-4, but the Eagles are no pushovers on the road with a record of 6-4.

Sophomore catcher Chase Griffin and senior first basemen T.D. Davis lead the SoCon with 34 and 33 RBIs respectively.

The top of the lineup for GSU is strong, along with Griffin and Davis; junior infielder Ben Morgan and junior outfielder Robbie Dodds are batting above .300 on the season.

This offense can put runs on the board but its decision-making needs to improve, the Eagles’ offense leads the SoCon in strikeouts while the Mountaineers are dead last.

The GSU offense, through 28 games played, has more strikeouts (248) than the Eagles’ rotation (237).

Not allowing this Mountaineer offense to make contact will be tough for the Eagles’ rotation, the Mountaineers, through 24 games played, have only 161 strikeouts as an offense.

Senior infielder Hector Crespo has a .327 batting average in 107 at-bats, and he leads the Mountaineers in hits (35) and runs scored (21).

Despite their difference in strikeouts, the two teams have similar batting averages. The Eagles’ batting average is .279 while the Mountaineers’ batting average is .275.

The game will come down to the team that thrives on the mound. Both teams have stellar rotations and a strong bullpen.

The Mountaineers are better than the Eagles when it comes to ERA, posting a 4.43 ERA in comparison to a 5.01 ERA.

However, the 237 strikeouts by the Eagles’ rotation are more than the 192 strikeouts by the Mountaineers.

First pitch is set to be thrown at 6 p.m. tomorrow, with game two beginning Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and the finale beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.