Preview: Eagles to take on five-game week at home
April 22, 2019
After claiming a series win over Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern baseball will take on another week full of games- five to be exact.
Georgia Southern (23-17, 10-8)
The Eagles have looked good so far on the season, showing a winning record for both overall and conference play.
GS is coming off a series win over CCU after winning two of the three games played in the weekend series.
As a team the Eagles are batting an average of .279 after notching 259 runs, 395 hits and 31 home runs on the season. Leading GS on the bats is junior infielder Steven Curry, who is averaging .364 behind the plate after logging 35 runs and 56 hits off off his 154 at-bats this season.
Pitching-wise junior pitcher Seth Shuman has shown immense growth this season and has been on fire these past few games. The junior has logged a season ERA of 2.67 after 57.1 innings pitched. Shuman has logged an impressive 79 strikeouts, while only allowing 44 hits and 25 runs while on the mound.
The Citadel (10-28, 3-9)
The first team the Eagles will match up against during their busy week of play will be the Citadel Bulldogs on Tuesday.
The Citadel has struggled on the back end of their season so far, logging an eight-game losing streak. Previously this season when the Eagles faced the Bulldogs back in March, GS took the win, 6-2.
On the bats the team is averaging .236 behind the plate, being led by freshman infielder Tyler Corbitt. Corbitt shows for a .331 batting average while tallying 26 runs and 49 hits off his 148 at-bats this season.
The Eagles should expect and prepare to see senior pitcher Jordan Merritt on the mound Tuesday, as he currently leads the bulldogs with a 3.60 ERA after his 65 total innings pitched. Merritt has struck out 53 batters on the season, while allowing 71 hits and 30 runs.
The Eagles will take on the Citadel at J.I. Clements Stadium on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The match will be streamed on True Blue TV as well as the Georgia Southern Sports Network.
College of Charleston (26-14, 9-3)
The Eagles will secondly face CoC on Wednesday, this being the two teams’ third matchup of the season. Both previous contests between the two resulted in wins for GS, 8-0 and 3-1.
The Cougars are coming off a series win over Northeastern, where they were able to start a two-game win streak. They’ll be looking to use and bring that momentum to Statesboro when they take on the Eagles.
As a team, CoC shows for a .279 batting average after logging 236 runs, 373 hits and 33 home runs on the season. The team also shows for a slugging percentage of .414. Leading the Cougars on the bats is redshirt-senior outfielder/third baseman Bradley Dixon who has logged a batting average of .333 off his 105 at-bats on the season.
During the course of the game the Eagles should expect to see junior pitcher Griffin McLartyon the mound at some point, as the junior has logged an impressive ERA of 1.58 after his 68.1 innings pitched on the season. McLarty has notched 74 strikeouts, while only allowing 43 hits, 19 runs and has tallied only 12 errors on the season.
GS will take on the Cougars on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The match being played at J.I. Clements Stadium will be streamed on True Blue TV as well as the Georgia Southern Sports Network.
University of South Alabama (19-20, 8-10)
The USA Jaguars will be the next conference opponent the Eagles will face as they will compete in a three-game weekend series.
The Jaguars are currently on a four-game win streak as they’ve claimed their four previous games over Southern Miss as well as a series over Georgia State.
Before facing the Eagles, USA will be traveling to Montgomery, Alabama to take on Alabama State on Tuesday, giving them a little practice before taking on their conference opponent.
As a team the Jaguars show for a batting average of .253 while tallying 234 runs, 323 hits and 36 home runs. Freshman outfielder Ethan Wilsoncurrently leads the Jaguars behind the bats with his .322 batting average. The freshman has logged 38 runs, 49 hits and 11 home runs off his 152 at-bats.
Pitching wise the Eagles might want to be on the lookout for senior pitcher Zach Greene. While the senior is fourth in innings pitched among the Jaguars, he’s still logged an impressive ERA of 0.53 after 33.2 innings pitched on the season. Greene has tallied 52 strikeouts while only allowing 19 hits and four runs. Greene has also only showed four errors.
The Jaguars will be continuing their travelling stint as they make their way to Statesboro to take on the Eagles. The series will be played in three games over the course of the weekend, beginning Friday and ending Sunday. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Kaitlin Sells, The George-Anne Sports Editor, gasports@georgiasouthern.