B. Costa Interview –
Concord Stats –
Wheeling Jesuit Stats –
Live In-Game Statistics ATHENS, W. Va. – Winners of seven of its last eight games, the Concord University baseball team will look to continue its hot streak with four more victories April 12-13 at Wheeling Jesuit. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. start with games three and four on Sunday set to get underway at 1:00 p.m.
• Watch senior catcher
Brandon Costa discuss his duties behind the plate, his approach to hitting and much more in the latest Concord Players Perspective
here.
Live Coverage• The Wheeling Jesuit sports information office will offer live in-game statistics for all four games this weekend. Click
here to view the coverage option.
Records and Standings• After winning three out of four games against Charleston, Concord takes an overall record of 21-11 and an 18-8 mark in league play into the weekend. The Mountain Lions currently stand third in the MEC standings behind Shepherd and Urbana.
• Wheeling Jesuit is 13-15 overall and 13-11 in MEC competition, slotting them seventh in the conference standings. The Cardinals have lost six of their last eight games.
The Series• The Mountain Lions hold a commanding 6-1 lead all-time against Wheeling Jesuit including five consecutive victories.
Last Meeting•
Jerrod Groves and
Charles Goss each drove in three runs while
Devin Smith,
Will Zuspan and
Cody Justus combined for a three-hit shutout in Concord's 11-0 March 24 victory over the Cardinals.
Mountain Lion Notes• With six more wins Concord will assure itself of the program's 11th winning season in the last 12 years. Since 1999, CU has compiled winning records in 13 of 15 seasons and is 425-285 (.599) over the time span. The winning percentage is the second highest of any MEC school over the same period behind only West Virginia State at .664 (494-250).
• Concord's series victory over Charleston was highlighted by another weekend of solid pitching performances from CU's starting rotation; senior
Ryan Weatherholtz (3-4), senior
Tyler Coyle (3-2), sophomore
Chris Kelly (5-2) and freshman
Zach Kelly (4-1) all threw complete games with Coyle's three-hit shutout victory in game two earning him MEC Pitcher of the Week honors.
• The four hurlers have now thrown 10 complete games this season, already five more than last year's starters, and have pitched into at least the sixth inning of contests in 19 of their combined 30 starts. For their efforts, Weatherholtz (50.2 innings pitched), Coyle (46.2) and C. Kelly (44.2) rank first, third and fifth in the league in innings pitched.
• Senior first baseman
Joey Miller continues to lead the Mountain Lions' offensive charge. He enters the Wheeling Jesuit series batting .440 with a .479 on-base percentage, 27 runs, eight home runs, 38 RBI, 10 doubles and a .780 slugging percentage.
• Along with Miller, sophomore shortstop
Brad Sullivan also continues to swing a hot bat, tallying hits in 16 of Concord's previous 19 games. In the last month Sullivan has raised his batting average 58 points from .294 on March 8 to .352, the second-highest average on the team.
• Sophomore designated hitter
Joe Camp has recorded hits in seven of Concord's last nine games, going 13-for-29 (.448) with one home run and seven RBI. On the year, Camp is batting .322 with 23 RBI.
• Senior outfielder
Bret Blevins and sophomore outfielder
Andrew Seigel rank second and third in the MEC, respectively, in stolen bases at 15 and 13.
• With six more RBI, Blevins will pass former teammate
Josh Wenger for sixth place in Concord history in career RBI with 68.
Scouting Wheeling Jesuit• As a team, Wheeling Jesuit ranks third in the MEC in stolen bases (39), fifth in runs scored (121) and fifth in RBI (104).
• Wheeling Jesuit's offense has been paced by Tyler Kowalczyk, who is batting .329 with three doubles and 15 RBI.
• In addition to driving in 10 runs, Tony Connacher has a team-high 11 stolen bases.
• The Cardinals pitching staff is led by Ethan Weiss, who is 5-2 with a 4.32 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 43.2 innings.
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 110-84 (.567).
• Terry Edwards is 110-232-2 in eight seasons at Wheeling Jesuit.
Up Next• The Mountain Lions play their final midweek series of the season with a doubleheader 1:00 p.m. April 15 at West Virginia State.
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