GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University baseball team returns to action this weekend when the Pioneers host nationally-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University for a three-game South Atlantic Conference series at Pioneer Park.
The two teams will play a Friday doubleheader beginning at noon and will conclude the series on Sunday with a 3 p.m. nine-inning contest.
Lenoir-Rhyne will be the fourth nationally-ranked opponent Tusculum has faced this season. TU has previously taken on No. 36 Illinois Springfield, No. 29 Molloy and No. 26 Young Harris where the Pioneers have a posted a 5-3 record.
The Bears are off to one of their best starts in program history. Lenoir-Rhyne is 21-1 overall (3-0 SAC) this season and come to Greeneville riding a school-record 18-game winning streak. L-R's lone loss was in a 3-1 setback at Emmanuel over a month ago.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Tusculum (9-9, 1-5 SAC) is coming off a 3-0 shutout victory over Lincoln Memorial last Saturday for the Pioneers' first league victory of 2022. In that game, Sam Loew and Jacob Willett combined on a three-hit shutout as TU salvaged a win out of the three-game weekend set.
Senior outfielder Wes Reynolds leads the Pioneers at the plate where he has a .352 batting average while totaling 19 hits including three doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI. Two of his homers came in last week's mid-week win at Carson-Newman. Last week, Reynolds went 10-of-18 at the plate including a 3-for-3 performance in the series finale with LMU.
Will Samuelson is second on the roster with his .325 batting average where he has accounted for a pair of doubles and one home run.
Sophomore Zane Keener leads Tusculum with 19 hits while belting four home runs and has a team-best 18 RBI.
Murphy Flood is fourth in hitting with his .297 average, while Zach Wilson is batting .288 and went 4-for-5 in last Saturday's first game with Lincoln Memorial.
Senior first baseman Luis Ezra shares the team lead in home runs (4) with Keener, while also batting .265 with a team-best five doubles.
The pitching duo of Harbor Jefferson and Gunner Becker are slated to get the starts in Friday's doubleheader. Jefferson is 3-2 with a 4.56 earned run average. He has pitched in a team-high 25.2 innings with 21 strikeouts and three walks. Becker, a 2021 All-SAC selection, is 1-3 this year with a 4.91 ERA. He has pitched in 22 innings with a team-high 22 strikeouts against nine walks.
Drew Sliwinski is 1-1 with a save in his six appearances on the bump. He has a 3.45 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 15.2 innings of work. Justin Parker has appeared in a team-high seven games where he is 1-1 with a save and a 3.94 ERA.
Eighteen (18) pitchers have seen action for the Pioneers this season as the TU hurlers have a 5.28 team ERA and are limiting the opposition to a .273 batting average.
SCOUTING LENOIR-RHYNE
The Lenoir-Rhyne Bears come to Greeneville this weekend as probably the hottest team in the country. The Bears have won 18 in a row and are off to a 3-0 start in the South Atlantic Conference.
L-R is nationally ranked in both Division II polls (20th in CBN; 11th in NCBWA) and lead the nation in hits (265). The Bears are listed tops in the league in team batting average (.340 – 11th in NCAA II), ERA (2.88 – 13th in NCAA II), fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.90 – 10th in NCAA II), home runs (30 – 7th in NCAA II), on-base percentage (.446 – 14th in NCAA II), runs scored (210 – 2nd in NCAA II), shutouts (4 – 2nd in NCAA II), strikeouts per nine innings pitched (12.8 – 4th in NCAA II), slugging percentage (.522 – 28th in NCAA II), on-base percentage (.446 – 14th in NCAA II) and WHIP (1.22 – 13th in NCAA II).
Leading the Bears offensively is Wade Cuda, who is batting a hefty .480 which is third in the SAC and 27th in the nation. Cuda leads the team with 36 hits including six doubles and a SAC-leading nine home runs (5th in NCAA II). His 30 runs scored are also tops in the SAC and second in the country. His .538 on-base percentage is fourth in the league, while his 29 RBI are second in the conference and eighth in the nation. He leads the SAC with his .920 slugging percentage (16th in NCAA II) to go along with his league-leading 69 total bases (5th in NCAA II). He enters this weekend's series riding a 13-game hitting streak while also scoring a run in every game in his last 13 outings.
Luis Atiles is second on the team with his .471 batting average (4th in SAC/35th in NCAA II) while totaling 33 hits (4th in SAC/7th in NCAA II) including four doubles, one home run and 25 RBI (4th in SAC/21st in NCAA II).
Also highlighting the L-R offense are: Drew Yniesta (.388, 6 doubles, 4 HR, 22 RBI), Anthony Porrino (.378 (4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 29 RBI), Nick Clarno (.371, 2 doubles, 3 HR, 17 RBI), David Bell (.324, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 23 RBI, SAC Player of the Week), and Cole Laskowski (.321, 4 doubles, HR, 15 RBI).
On the mound, right-hander Andrew Patrick is slated to get the game one start for the Bears. Patrick is a perfect 5-0 in his five starts where he has a 2.10 ERA with a pair of shared shutouts. The 2021 All-SAC second team choice is second on the team with 35 strikeouts and is limiting batters to a .167 average. He tossed a no-hitter last season against Catawba, the first by a Bears pitcher since 1997.
Sophomore right-hander Joshua Lanham has also been in the weekend rotation where he is 4-0 in his five starts and has a 1.74 ERA. The 2021 SAC Freshman of the Year has recorded a team-best 41 strikeouts in 31 innings while walking only four so far this season.
Western Illinois graduate transfer Austin Edwards is 2-0 with a 4.30 ERA with 30 strikeouts in his five mound starts for the Bears.
Relief pitchers Caleb Cockerham and Jackson Reid have made 10 mound appearances apiece. Cockerham has a 0.87 ERA with a 1-0 record with 15 strikeouts in 10.1 innings. Reid is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA with 17 strikeouts and four walks in 11.1 innings.
FOLLOW THE GAMES
Live statistics will be provided for all games this weekend at www.TusculumStats.com and also on www.TusculumPioneers.com. There will be a video stream for all three games available on the SAC Digital Network as well as the Tusculum web site.
TICKETS
Admission for Tusculum home baseball games is $5 for all entrants and children 12 and under will be admitted free. Tusculum students and faculty & staff will be admitted free and a valid Tusculum ID is required. Fans may also purchase tickets online in advance through HomeTown Ticketing at www.TusculumPioneers.com/information/tickets.
Spectators using HomeTown Ticketing can choose to print tickets at home or use mobile entry tickets at the gate. NO CASH PAYMENTS for game tickets will be accepted at the stadium.
