University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville Baseball Starts Five-Game Homestand on Tuesday vs. WCU
03.22.2010 | Baseball
Last week was a tough one for Asheville (4-12, 0-3 BSC). The Bulldogs lost all five games they played, including two heart-breaking one-run losses at Radford over the weekend.
"We battled pretty hard at Radford and were a play or two away from winning two games against a tough team on the road," said first-year Asheville coach Tom Smith. "We're going to be fine but we need to find a way to win some close games. We've got a tough week coming up."
Western Carolina (13-6-1) is one of the top teams in the Southern Conference this year. They beat the Bulldogs last week, 10-3 in Cullowhee. Asheville hosts North Carolina Central on Wednesday and then entertains Big South foe Liberty this weekend for a three-game series starting on Friday.
"We're glad to be playing some home games," admitted Smith. "Our guys have been on the road for much of the first month of the season. It will be nice to play on our home field this week."
Freshman catcher Ian Graham is having a great rookie season for the Bulldogs. He's hitting a team-high .386 and brings a seven-game hitting streak into Tuesday's action. Graham has yet to commit an error in 16 games.
NOTES
Asheville is 1-5 in one-run games this year...the Bulldogs have not beaten WCU at Greenwood Field since the 2003 season...Asheville pinch-hitters are hitting .286 this year...the Bulldogs play eight of their next 10 games in Asheville with six at Greenwood Field and two at McCormick Field.
