ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd baseball team opens conference play hosting the defending national champions, Nova Southeastern, for a three-game series at the Turley Athletic Complex.
GAMES 11-13: Nova Southeastern (8-2, 0-0 SSC) at Eckerd (3-7, 0-0 SSC)
Friday 6 PM | Saturday (DH) 12 PM
COVERAGE:
Stats |
Video
MIDWEEK MATCHUP
- Eckerd lost a close game Tuesday night at the Turley Athletic Complex, 9-7, against undefeated Southeastern (Fla.) University.
Robin Allen (0-1) took the loss for Eckerd in 3.1 innings pitched.
Cameron Lanzilli,
Lucas Spetsas, and
Justin Carrillo threw scoreless innings in relief. The Tritons pounded 13 hits in the loss with
Sam Cochrane and
Chase Achuff amassing three hits apiece.
RED-HOT UNDERCLASSMeN
- Freshmen Cochrane and Achuff and sophomore
Mitch Calandra and
Nick Conti are four of the five offensive leaders for the Tritons.
- Cochrane and Achuff enter the weekend hitting .419 and .357 respectively. Both had big games Tuesday with three hits apiece. Cochrane has gone 7-for-14 in his last three games smashing three doubles. Achuff had a two-RBI single Tuesday night and is 4-for-9 in his last two games.
- Conti leads the team in offensive production hitting .439 with two doubles and eight RBIs. Calandra, hitting .306, had an RBI single and provided stellar defense at third base in Tuesday night's loss.
- Cochrane and Conti look to extend their hitting streak this weekend as both had hits Tuesday night to push their streaks to 10 games.
ON THE MOUND
- Starting pitcher
Dillon McCollough has been dominant thus far giving up only three runs in 13.2 innings pitched. With a 1.98 ERA in three games, McCollough is tied for first in the conference in strikeouts (25) and leads the conference in strikeouts looking (15).
ABOUT NOVA SOUTHEASTERN
- NSU comes into the series ranked No. 1 in the country. The Sharks have only lost two games, and both losses were in close games with the University of North Georgia.
- Seven starters in the Sharks' lineup are batting over .300. Jeremy Vasquez (.485), Andrew Liberty (.471), Jancarlos Cintron (.447), and Brendan Cutting (.429) are hitting above .400. Three others - Kevin Suarez (.350), Dylan Woods (.333), and Jake Anchia (.324) - are hitting above .300 as well.
- NSU leads the conference in total home runs (22). Brandon Gomez (5) leads the team with Anchia (4), Woods (3), and Vasquez (3) close behind.
- Starting pitchers Devein Meyer (2.70 ERA), Joe DiBenedetto (3.86), and Jonny Ortiz (4.97) have tossed a combined 30 innings pitched with 28 punch-outs.
LAST TIME THEY MET
- The Sharks swept Eckerd in last year's series on March 4-5 in Fort Lauderdale.
