Concord Stats –
Shepherd Stats –
In-Game Statistics
ATHENS, W. Va. – After a nearly month long homestand, the Concord University baseball team takes to the road for the first time since Feb. 17 looking to extend its eight-game winning streak when it plays four games March 15-16 at Mountain East Conference foe Shepherd University.
Live Coverage
• The Shepherd University sports information department will provide live stats for all four games this weekend. First pitch for game one on both Saturday and Sunday is set for 1:00 p.m. Click
here to access the live stats.
Records and Standings
• Concord won 10 of its 11 games over its recent stretch of home contests to improve its record to 11-3 on the season overall and 8-0 in MEC play. The first place Mountain Lions are the only team in the league without a conference loss.
• Regionally speaking, Concord was slotted fourth this week in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's Atlantic Region top-10 poll.
• Shepherd enters the weekend sitting fourth in the MEC standings at 8-5 overall and 6-2 in league play. The Rams lost three consecutive games to start the season, but have rebounded to win eight of its last 10.
The Series
• Shepherd holds a 22-19 advantage over the Mountain Lions dating back to 1995. The Rams have won five of the series' last six games. The teams split a doubleheader last season at Anderson Field.
Last Meeting
• After taking the opening game of a doubleheader over Shepherd, 6-5, Concord scored two early ones in game two only to have the Rams comeback to force the game into extra innings before eventually besting the Mountain Lions, 4-3, in nine innings March 20, 2013.
•
Ryan Johnston hit a home run and drove in a pair of runs while
Joey Miller went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI to lead Concord.
Mountain Lion Notes
• The Concord bullpen has not given up a run in the groups last 10 innings pitched. The streak started with freshman relief pitcher Nate Warner recording the final two outs in CU's 13-8 loss Feb. 23 against Pitt-Johnstown and has carried over into Concord's eight-game winning streak.
• In addition to Warner's work vs. UPJ, seniors
Tim Leather and
Chris Baker both have not allowed a run in their last three innings pitched with junior
Barinder Rakkar also throwing 2.1 scoreless innings and senior
Dustin Nuckels adding a perfect inning of relief work as well.
• The Mountain Lions' starting rotation of senior
Ryan Weatherholtz (3-0), senior
Tyler Coyle (2-1), sophomore
Chris Kelly (2-1) and freshman
Zach Kelly (2-0) are averaging 6.02 innings pitched and two runs allowed per start over the last eight games.
• Weatherholtz has won his last three starts and has thrown consecutive complete games. In four starts this year, Weatherholtz has pitched 27.0 innings with 16 strikeouts and just four walks, all of which came in CU's season-opener against Mount Olive. He currently leads the MEC in innings pitched, wins and batters struck out looking (eight)
•
Chris Kelly struck out a career-high six batters in Concord's 8-2 win vs. Notre Dame March 9.
• Through 14 games, six Concord starters are hitting .300 or better with one more (Johnston / .298) on the cusp of making it seven. Concord is 19th in the nation with a .329 team batting average.
• Miller continues to hit nearly everything that comes his way with team-highs of 24 hits, a .490 batting average, three home runs, 22 RBI and a .796 slugging percentage. His six doubles are also tied with junior second baseman
Jerrod Groves for a team-best. In the NCAA's first national statistical report, Miller ranked 15th in RBI, 24th in slugging percentage, 29th in RBI per game and 36th in batting average.
• In his last three games, senior outfielder
Bret Blevins is 5-for-11 (.455) with five runs, three doubles and one stolen base, which was the 62nd of his career; the most in CU history.
• Groves and sophomore designated hitter
Joe Camp were both instrumental parts in Concord's recent sweep of Notre Dame. In four games, Groves went 6-for-15 with three runs, one RBI, two doubles and a pair of stolen bases while Camp collected six hits, four runs, four RBI and three doubles from the middle of the Mountain Lions' batting order.
• Five players (Camp, Groves, Blevins, Johnston and senior catcher
Brandon Costa) take four-game hitting streaks with them into the Shepherd series.
• As a team, Concord is hitting .356 (78-for-219) with runners on base and .311 (47-for-151) with runners in scoring position (RISP). Miller (.524), Camp (.429), junior
T.J. Brockway (.417) and Blevins (.400) are all hitting at least .400 with RISP.
• Concord's 7-0 victory over Notre Dame College last weekend capped off a four-game sweep of the Falcons and was also the 100th victory in head coach
Andrew Wright's career.
• Wright, who is in his fourth season as a head coach, is just the fifth MEC coach to record 100 career victories at the NCAA level. Joining Wright in the 100-win club from the MEC are West Virginia State's Cal Bailey (36 years / 1,029 wins), West Virginia Wesleyan's Randy Tenney (27 / 669), Wheeling Jesuit's Terry Edwards (nine / 110 wins) and Urbana's Mike Goldschmidt (six / 108).
Scouting Shepherd
• Through 13 games, Shepherd has averaged 6.5 runs per game while allowing 3.7 runs a contest.
• The Rams are tied with Concord for second in the league in team batting average at .329. Shepherd also leads the league in doubles (27) and ranks second in hits (118), home runs (six) and RBI (77).
• Shepherd No. 1 starter Paul Hvozdovic, the reigning NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Week, is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 16 strikeouts over 18 innings pitched this season. Jamie Driver is also 2-0 with 13 strikeouts and a 0.95 ERA in four appearances.
• Offensively, the Rams have been led by Spencer Wolfe and Ryan Messina. Wolfe is batting .386 with two home runs and 15 RBI while Messina has driven in 13 runs with seven stolen bases.
• Former Concord graduate assistant coach Jeff Jefferson currently serves on the Rams' staff as recruiting coordinator / infield coach.
The Coaches
•
Andrew Wright is in his fourth season at Concord. Since taking over the program, Wright has guided the Mountain Lions to a pair of conference titles and a record of 100-76.
• Matt McCarty is in his second season at Shepherd. McCarty went 26-22 in his first year as the Rams' coach in 2013.
Up Next
• Concord remains on the road when it travels to Urbana University March 22-23 for a pair of MEC doubleheaders.
