University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville Baseball Heads to Winthrop for Big South Series
04.07.2011 | Baseball
The Bulldogs (10-18, 4-5) hope to end a three-game losing streak Friday night. However, Asheville will face a stern test from the Eagles. Winthorp is 15-14 overall and 6-3 in league play. Last weekend, the Eagles posted an impressive three-game sweep at High Point. They knocked off The Citadel 9-0 on Wednesday.
"We're going to face a Winthrop team that's playing pretty good baseball right now," commented Bulldog coach Tom Smith. "They've had some great non-conference wins over Michigan and Notre Dame and look like they're really coming together. Our guys are going to have to play at our best to have a chance at winning."
The Bulldogs were swept last year at McCormick Field by Winthrop. The Eagles posted a 12-11 win in 13 innings in the first game and then won 15-3 and 10-8.
Asheville is coming off a 6-3 loss at Davidson Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to start Ryan Dull on Friday night with Grier Harrington and Tommy Houmard going on Saturday and Sunday.
BULLDOG NOTES
The Bulldogs have lost six straight games to Winthrop and has not defeated the Eagles since a 10-8 victory on May 18, 2008. Asheville's last series win against Winthrop came in the 2002 season when the Bulldogs took two of three games vs. the Eagles at Greenwood Field. The Bulldogs are just 2-14 vs. the Eagles at Winthrop Ballpark since 2001.
Asheville is 4-2 in one-run games this year and are 3-0 in BSC one-run games.
Danny Baatz leads the Bulldogs in stolen bases with 10. He led Asheville last season with just eight. Danny carries a seven-game hitting streak into this weekend's play
Ryan Dull is 3-1 in his last four BSC starts dating back to last season. Dull has two complete games and a shutout during that stretch. During those games, the junior right-hander has compiled a 2.40 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched and 22 hits allowed.
The Bulldog program currently has four former players playing professional baseball. Ty Wigginton is continuing his major league career with the Colorado Rockies. He is in 10th year of MLB service. Kevin Mattison will start the 2011 season with Jacksonville, the Florida Marlins Double A franchise. Alan DeRatt is at Modesto which is the Colorado Rockies High A franchise. Justin Schumer, a 2010 graduate, is with the San Francisco Giants' Single A franchise, Augusta.
Junior infielder Jordan Lurie is having a great season for Asheville. Lurie is second on the team in hitting with a .314 average. He leads in hits (38), total bases (45) and tied for the team lead in RBI (14).
