Baseball Begins Five-Game Week with Winthrop, No. 17 Wake Forest

Tuesday, April 25

Rock Hill, S.C.

4:00 p.m.

Davidson College

Winthrop

Photo by: DavidsonPhotos.com

Baseball Begins Five-Game Week with Winthrop, No. 17 Wake Forest

4/24/2017 4:22:00 PM | Baseball

DavidsonPhotos.com
Live Stats (Winthrop) | Live Stats (Wake Forest)
Video (Winthrop) | Video (Wake Forest)
Game Notes

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson baseball carries momentum into the week, coming off a sweep of in-state foe North Carolina A&T over the weekend. The 'Cats will play five games this week, beginning Tuesday at Winthrop in Rock Hill, S.C., before returning home for a quick trip Wednesday, where they will host No. 17 Wake Forest.

Davidson enters the week at a 21-16 ledger, while Winthrop comes in at 23-17 and Wake begins at 29-13. The 'Cats and the Eagles will play at 4:00 p.m., and first pitch is scheduled with the Demon Deacons at 6:00 p.m.

Davidson Athletics will be sponsoring a special day Wednesday at Wilson Field. Hot dogs will be $1 and there will be inflatables as Davidson honors the Davidson Force 11U baseball team, who will be traveling to Cooperstown, N.Y., for a prestigious tournament.

Fans can follow both contests via live stats links provided, or the @dcbaseball_ Twitter account for in-game updates. Video streaming will also be available for both games.

THE SERIES WITH WINTHROP
Davidson and Winthrop begin the first of a two-game series Tuesday, as the Eagles and Wildcats will face off in early May at BB&T Ballpark in Uptown Charlotte to finish the set. The two teams will meet for the 43rd time this week, with the Eagles holding a 29-12-1 advantage.

The two split their series last year, with the 'Cats winning the first game marathon style 12-10, but dropped the later game 15-6. Then-rookie Max Bazin led the offense, hitting at a .750 clip as he tallied six hits and a .778 OBP in the two games. His classmate Eric Jones was right behind him, also hitting .750 as he went 3-for-4 with a homer. The duo of Brian Fortier and Jake Sidwell each tallied five hits, and Westin Whitmire picked up a save, working an inning of scoreless relief with a strikeout in the victory. Then-sophomore Josh Smutzer also had a solid outing, striking out three over 2.0 innings in the win.

THE SERIES WITH WAKE
The Wildcats and Demon Deacons will conclude their two-game set Wednesday after facing off earlier this season in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest and Davidson will meet for the 129th time, as Wake holds a commanding 98-28-2 lead in the all-time series.

When the two squared off back in late February, sophomore Eric Jones delivered his first two-run homer game of his career, but it wasn't enough to propel the 'Cats, who fell 13-5. At the time, it was Wake's fifth consecutive game scoring double digit runs. The bullpen of sophomores Josh Hudson and Dan Spear and freshmen ZJ Zabinzki and Jaret LaCagnina combined for four scoreless outings of relief.

THE WILDCATS RUNDOWN
After taking a weekend off in league play, the 'Cats remain in the race for the Atlantic 10 Championships held in late May. The Wildcats lead the conference in home runs (38) and rank second in total extra-base hits (106), trailing by just four to Saint Louis. The veteran duo of Will Robertson and Brian Fortier continue to rank near the top or lead the league in multiple offensive categories, including home runs, total bases, RBI, runs, hits, and slugging.

After the sweep, the 10 seniors became the winningest class in program history with 106 victories. Redshirt senior Durin O'Linger, who tossed a complete game shutout where he fanned 9 and scattered just three hits Friday to begin the streak, becomes the winningest player in school history with 126 (2013-17). He was named Atlantic 10 Co-Pitcher of the Week for his efforts.

THE BASH BROTHERS
The Davidson offense has been heavy hitting as of late. The 'Cats have belted at least one long ball in 12 of their last 17 games, and more than one in six of them. In that 17-game time span the team has totaled 21 home runs, led by veteran Will Robertson's six. The Wildcats lead the league with 38 homers, and have turned in 11 contests this season where they have homered twice or more, including back-to-back games with three (4/21-4/22). Every member of the 'Cats who has homered (eight total players) with the exception of two has went on to hit another blast this season.

-Tuesday, Robertson and Fortier each belted a solo shot in the fourth inning at No. 18 South Carolina. Junior Cam Johnson homered in back-to-back at bats Friday at A&T, sophomore Eric Jones homered once Friday and twice in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, and his classmate Justin Lebek also crushed a solo shot in Game 1 Saturday. Fortier leads the team now with 11 long balls, while Robertson and Jones are tied with eight each.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Winthrop comes in at a .271 clip, led by junior Mitch Spires' .353 average with a team-best 53 hits. Right behind him is redshirt senior Anthony Paulsen at .347, slugging at .547 and a squad-best .448 on-base percentage. Veteran Babe Thomas tops the team with seven homers and 34 RBI. The Eagles have shown patience at the plate, totaling 160 walks. Winthrop leads the Big South conference at a 10-5 ledger.

SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
Wake will come into Wednesday on a .313 team average, with six starters hitting above the .300 mark and three with double-digits in homeruns. Every position player in the Deacs' lineup has went yard at least twice this season, helping Wake to rank second in the country in homeruns (71). Jonathan Pryor boasts a .390 average, while former National Player of the Week Gavin Sheets supports a team-best 15 long balls and 63 RBI. The 'Cats will face previous MLB draft pick Parker Dunshee, as the usual Friday night starter will make a rare midweek start.

THE MOUND MAKEUP
Tuesday, April 25: 4:00 p.m. | Game 38
Jr. RHP Daniel Willcutt (4.81 ERA, 2-0, 24.1 IP, 14 K) vs. So. RHP Josh Hudson (6.85 ERA, 1-2, 22.1 IP, 14 K)

Wednesday, April 26: 6:00 p.m. | Game 39
Sr. RHP Parker Dunshee (4.12 ERA, 7-1, 63.1 IP, 71 K) vs. TBA

UP NEXT
After Tuesday, the 'Cats will have played nine of their last 12 games on the road. Their road trip will continue after a quick break Wednesday, as they go on the road to Washington, D.C., for a three-game stint against league foe George Washington this weekend.