FORMER EAGLE FRANK PFISTER SELECTED BY REDS IN MLB DRAFT

(June 6) Former Emory University third baseman Frank Pfister was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 17th-round of the 2008 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.

Pfister was chosen by the Reds with the 509th-overall pick, the highest an Emory position player has ever been selected.  He was the third Division III player to be chosen in the 2008 draft.

Pfister gained National recognition during the Eagles' 2007 run to the NCAA Division III World Series, capturing the South Regional Tournament's Most Valuable Player honor while batting .640 over the five-game stretch.  In 2008, Pfister was named the University Athletic Association's (UAA) Most Valuable Player, and the South Region's Gold Glove third baseman, along with a selection to the ABCA/ Rawlings all-South Region second team.  Pfister is a three-time all-UAA first team honoree.

The 21-year old Los Angeles, Calif. (Harvard-Westlake) product batted .379 in 2008, leading the team with six home runs and 51 runs batted in.  Pfister, a .369 hitter with nine home runs and 143 runs batted in over 162 career games, finished his career with 220 hits, the third-most in school history.

"Frank was not only one of the most talented players to ever put on an Emory uniform, but one of the best kids," said Emory Head Coach Mike Twardoski.  "I am so proud of his maturity level both on and off the field, and his hard work, that has allowed him to become this caliber of player."

Pfister is the fourth Eagle drafted since Emory reinstated its varsity program in 1991 after a 100-year absence.  Twin brothers and pitchers Scott and Jeff Kramer were both drafted in 1994, Scott in the 13th round by the Cleveland Indians and Jeff in the 30th round by the Milwaukee Brewers.  Neither made it to the major leagues.  Third baseman Andrew Pinckney was drafted in 2004 by the Boston Red Sox, and is currently playing for the team's Double-A affiliate.

Former Eagle and all-American Jason Glushon is also currently in the minor leagues, playing for the double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.  Glushon signed with Oakland as a non-drafted free agent following the 2007 season.

PFISTER AND ROTH EARN ABCA ALL-REGION HONORS

(May 19) Seniors Frank Pfister and Joe Roth, of the Emory University baseball team, each earned all-region honors for their performances during the 2008 season.  Pfister was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/ Rawlings All-Region Second Team, while Roth was named an honorable mention.  In addition, Pfister was named the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove third baseman for the South Region.

This is the first regular season all-region honors for Pfister, who batted .379 with six home runs and 51 RBIs this season.  In addition, the senior made just nine errors in 143 chances for a .937 fielding percentage.  Pfister was one of only two players named to an all-South Region team, and awarded a South Region Gold Glove.

 This is the second all-region honor for Roth, who earned a nod to the all-region first team in 2007.  Roth hit .382 with two home runs, and 43 RBIs with a .484 on base percentage during the 2008 season.

EMORY FALLS SHORT OF NINTH-INNING COMEBACK IN LOSS TO NORTH GEORGIA

(Apr. 26) In the Eagles' regular-season finale, 29th-ranked Emory University fell just short of a come-from-behind upset victory over North Georgia College and State University, ranked 24th in Division II, as the Eagles dropped a 5-3 decision to the Saints.

Heading into the top of the ninth inning trailing 5-1, David Hissey led the inning off with a single, followed by a pinch hit single for Sam Schreiber to put runners on the corners with nobody out and chase all-region starting pitcher Chris Curtis from the game.  Michael Saleh would plate the first run of the inning for the Eagles on a fielder's choice to the shortstop to bring the game to within three runs.

After a Tommy Dugan fly ball was caught in centerfield for the second out of the inning, Jeremy Bolian and Andrew Cohn would each single to bring another run across and put the potential game-tying runs on base.  However, Dan Molnar would strike out swinging to end the Emory threat, and the game.

Emory's other run came on a Frank Pfister two-out single, scoring Molnar in the sixth inning to pull the Eagles within a run of the Saints, 2-1.  North Georgia would score three more runs in the bottom of the inning to cement their lead over Emory.

Senior Julian Smith, making just the second start of his career, pitched well despite taking the loss on the day to drop his record to 3-2.  Smith allowed six hits over six innings pitched, giving up five runs and one walk, while striking out four.  Sophomore Matthew Katten pitched the final two innings for Emory, allowing no runs on one hit and striking out a batter.

Pfister went one-for-four in the game, collecting his 220th-career hit and passing former Eagle Allen Rigell on the career hit list for sole possession of third place in school history.  Molnar went two-for-four with a walk and a run scored, and is one walk shy of matching the school record for walks in a single season.

Cohn ended his regular season on a 19-game hitting streak, picking up a hit in every game since the Eagles' March 18th game against Purchase College (N.Y.).  The freshman has the longest streak this season by an Eagle, and has hit in 31 of 37 games for the Eagles this year, including 28 of the last 30 contests.  Three Emory players, Hissey, Pfister and Dugan, finished the season with eight-game hitting streaks.

The Eagles, who finished the season 25-11-1, will now play the waiting game to see if they will make the NCAA Tournament.  The selection process for the tournament will take place on May 11th, with the first regional games beginning on May 14th.

EMORY TO WRAP UP ITS REGULAR SEASON AT DIVISION II'S NORTH GEORGIA

(Apr. 24) The Emory University Baseball team will conclude its 2008 regular season on Saturday, travelling to North Georgia College and State University, a NCAA Division II institution, for an 8:00 PM game.

THE TEAMS
Emory will enter the game with a 25-10-1 record this season, including a mark of 7-3-1 on the road.  The Eagles are ranked 29th in the nation according to the latest College Baseball Newspaper poll, and received votes in the D3baseball.com poll.  The Eagles are coming off a 10-6 win against Oglethorpe University (Ga.) earlier this week and have won four of their last five games.  Emory is led by head coach Mike Twardoski, who is 194-109-1 over the course of his career.  He is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde Partin. 

North Georgia is 33-18 this season, including a record of 22-11 in home games.  The Saints have won six of their last seven games, and are led by junior first baseman Rob Flanigan, who is batting .422 with 18 home runs and 68 RBIs this season.  North Georgia is coached by Tom Cantrell, who is assisted by Brett Hall, Derrick Tucker, and Gerald Allison.

This will be the 14 meeting between the two teams, with the Saints holding a 8-5 advantage in the previous meetings.  Last season the Eagles suffered a 10-1 defeat to the Saints, as sophomore Dan Molnar went one-for-two with a double and an RBI in the game.

EMORY NOTES
The NCAA has announced that out of the 54 teams in this year's Division III Baseball Tournament, six will be Pool B teams, and 14 will be Pool C teams... As a team that is part of a conference that does not award an automatic (Pool A) bid, Emory is eligible for both a Pool B and Pool C bid... Emory sophomore Dan Molnar has walked 34 times this season (including three times against Oglethorpe on Tuesday), and is just two walks shy of matching Drew Schwartz's school-record for walks in a season, set in 1999... Molnar is batting .386 this season, and leads the Eagles with a .508 on base percentage... Junior David Hissey has stolen 22 bases this season, giving him 75 swipes over his career, good for a tie for fourth-place in school history... He is one steal shy of tying Schwartz for third in school history in the category... Frank Pfister has 219 hits over his career, tying him with Allen Rigell for third in school history... Pfister also has 142 career RBIs, and is three shy of passing Rigell to take sole possession of second place in the category in school history.

EMORY DEFEATS OGLETHORPE 10-6 IN CHAPPELL PARK FINALE

(Apr. 22) Playing in their final game of the season at Chappell Park, Emory University came from behind to defeat Oglethorpe University (Ga.) 10-6 in the final of four meetings between the two teams.

The Eagles struck first in the ballgame, scoring a run in the second inning on an RBI groundout by Tommy Dugan, to take a 1-0 lead.  However, Oglethorpe would score four unanswered runs off of starting pitcher Charlie Robbins to take a 4-1 lead over Emory after three and a half innings.

The Stormy Petrel lead, however, would not last long.  After getting the first two outs in the inning, Oglethorpe starter Spencer Kennedy would hit Steve Bralver with a pitch, followed by a pair of walks to Dugan and Michael Saleh.  With the bases loaded, catcher Jeremy Bolian would belt a double off the wall in left field, clearing the bases and knotting the game at four.  The Eagles would score one more run in the inning, on a triple for Andrew Cohn, to take a 5-4 lead.

The triple for Cohn extended the freshman's hitting streak to 18 games, the longest this season by an Emory player. 

The Eagles would tack on another run in the fifth, and two more in each of the sixth and seventh.  Oglethorpe would add on two runs in the top-half of the seventh, but it would not be enough to overcome the Emory lead.

Emory's Brian Cournoyer pitched four innings in relief of Robbins, allowing just two runs on five hits and earning his first win of the season.  Sophomore Matthew Katten would pitch two perfect innings to close the game out for Emory. 

It was a career day for Bolian at the plate, as the freshman went two-for-four with four RBIs in the game. Bolian is batting .244 this season with 16 runs batted in.

Sophomore outfielder Dan Molnar went 0-for-2 in the game, but walked three times, giving him 34 this season and pulling him within two walks of the school single-season record of 36, set by Drew Schwartz in 1999.  Batting out of the third-spot in the lineup for the first time this season, junior David Hissey finished the day two-for-five with a double and two RBIs.

The win raises Emory's record to 25-10-1 this season, while Oglethorpe fell to 11-28, as the Eagles finished the season with a 3-1 record against the Stormy Petrels.  Emory will finish the regular season with a 14-5 record at home this season.  The Eagles will wrap up the 2008 regular season on Saturday at 8:00 PM, at North Georgia College and State University. 

EMORY DEFEATED BY UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS 11-5

(Apr. 20) The 18th-ranked Emory University baseball team's postseason hopes narrowed on Saturday, as the Eagles suffered an 11-5 defeat at the hands of the University of Dallas (Texas).

The Eagles were able to record 13 hits on the day, but left 12 men on base in the game, including 10 through the first five innings.  Dallas recorded 17 hits in the game, scoring at least a run in every inning except for the eighth. 

After Emory pulled the game to within a run, 6-5 in the fourth inning, Joe Packard entered the game in relief of Dallas' starter, pitching six innings of three-hit shutout baseball to earn the victory.

For Emory offensively, Joe Roth and Steve Bralver each had a pair of RBIs, while Andrew Cohn went two-for-four with two runs scored, extending his hitting streak to 17 games.  The streak is the longest this season by an Eagle.

Emory dropped to 24-10-1 with the loss, while the Crusaders raised their record to 22-14.  Emory has two regular season games remaining next week, before the Eagles place their playoff fate into the hands of the NCAA selection committee to see if they will make the tournament.

EMORY DEFEATS DALLAS 10-1 ON SENIOR DAY AT CHAPPELL PARK

(Apr. 19) Making his first career start on senior day, Emory University senior Julian Smith pitched five shutout innings, and sophomore Dan Molnar finished a triple-shy of the cycle, as the 18th-ranked Eagles defeated the University of Dallas (Texas) 10-1.

Smith allowed just five hits over the outing, striking out two batters.  The senior did not issue a walk on the day, as he lowered his season's earned run average 1.27 and improved to 3-1 on the year. Smith got into trouble just once during the day, loading the bases with nobody out in the second inning, but pitched out of the jam with a fly out, infield fly, and a strikeout.

Emory's bullpen followed suit in the game, allowing just one run over the final four innings.  Freshman Elliot Coor made his return to the mound for the first time since getting hit with a batted ball last month, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of Smith.

The Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, after a two-out single for Tommy Dugan, followed by an RBI double for Jeremy Bolian.  Emory would secure the victory with runs in each of the final five innings of the game.

Molnar would add on two of the Eagles runs with a two-run home run in the eighth inning, his third of the season and first career home run at Chappell Park.  He would finish the day three-for-four with three RBIs and two runs scored, raising his season average to .398.

Junior David Hissey would continue his recent tear at the plate, going three-for-four with two runs scored and a stolen base.  Freshman Andrew Cohn would extend his hitting streak to 16 games with a bunt hit in the sixth.

Senior day marked an opportunity to honor Emory's three graduating seniors, Smith, Frank Pfister, and Joe Roth.  Pfister drove in a pair of runs during the day, while Roth picked up a first inning hit and a run in the game.

With the victory, Emory improved to 24-9-1, while the Crusaders dropped to 21-14.  The two teams will meet again at Chappell Park on Sunday at 1:00 PM.

18th-RANKED EMORY DEFEATS MARYVILLE 11-10 ON MOLNAR'S WALK-OFF SINGLE

(Apr. 16) Emory University's Dan Molnar broke a 10-10 ninth inning tie with a walk off, bases loaded single, as the 18th-ranked Eagles defeated Maryville College (Tenn.) 11-10 at Chappell Park.

The game was a back-and-forth contest throughout.  After both starting pitchers - Paul Schwendel for the Eagles and A.J. Herron for the Scots - faced the minimum number of batters in the first inning, Maryville scored seven runs in the top of the second to chase Schwendel from the game after just one and a third innings pitched.

The Eagles would answer back with five runs in the bottom half of the frame, including a two-RBI single for Molnar, to pull the game back to within two runs.

Emory would take the lead for the first time of the day with two outs in the fourth inning.  After a Joe Roth double scored the first run of the frame for the Eagles, the Scots intentionally walked Frank Pfister to load the bases for David Hissey.  On the first pitch of the at bat, Hissey executed a perfect bunt single down the third base line, allowing Sam Schreiber to score from third, and Roth from second on an accompanying throwing error by the pitcher, giving the Eagles an 8-7 lead.

After Emory tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth inning to increase its lead to 10-7, the Scots would answer back with two runs of their own in the top of eighth to pull the game back within one.  With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth, Maryville's Nathan Nehf would single to left field to drive in the tying run.  However, Hissey, the Emory leftfielder, would go on to relay the ball to Pfister, who in turn threw home to Jeremy Bolian to nail Chris Hollander at the plate, who tried to score to take the lead on Nehf's single.

In the bottom of the ninth, Tommy Dugan led the inning off with a double to the left-centerfield gap.  Rolling the dice, Dugan would successfully steal third base to put the go ahead run just 90 feet away.  After back-to-back intentional walks loaded the bases for Molnar with nobody out, the sophomore would single up the middle to clinch the game for Emory.

Molnar would finish the day three-for-five with three RBIs and a walk, raising his season batting average to .388.  Hissey finished the day four-for-five with two runs and two RBIs, and is batting .625 (10-for-16) with seven RBIs over his last four games. Dugan went three-for-four in the game with the double, an RBI and two runs scored.

Emory sophomore Matthew Katten pitched the final two outs of the game to earn his first collegiate victory.  The loss in the game went to Maryville's Zach Smigiel.

The victory raises Emory's record to 23-9-1 this season, while Maryville fell to 12-24 with the loss.  The Eagles will return to action Saturday, as Emory will host the University of Dallas (Texas) for ‘Senior Day' at Chappell Park.

18th-RANKED EMORY SHUTS OUT HUNTINGDON 12-0

(Apr. 15) Emory University freshman Matt Ryckman pitched six innings of one-hit shutout baseball, and the Eagles offense amassed 12 runs on 17 hits, as 18th-ranked Emory defeated Huntingdon College (Ala.) 12-0 at Chappell Park on Tuesday.

Emory pitching held the Hawks to just four hits on the day.  Ryckman, who improved to 5-1 with a 2.55 earned run average this season, spread six walks and a hit over six innings of work, striking out three.  The only hit of the day off Ryckman was a soft fly ball to shallow right field that fell in between the Eagles' defense.

Junior outfielder David Hissey got the Eagles started with a solo home run in the second inning, his third of the season and second in as many games.  Hissey went two-for-four with two RBIs in the game.

Freshman catcher Jeremy Bolian picked up a career-best three hits in the game, going three-for-four with two RBIs.  Sophomore outfielder Dan Molnar added a one-for-two performance with a pair of walks and two RBIs.

Freshman Andrew Cohn went three-for-four in the game with a pair of doubles, bringing his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest this season by an Emory player.

The win brings the Eagles to 22-9-1 this season, while Huntingdon falls to 18-15, as the Eagles completed a sweep of the three-game season series against the Hawks.  Emory will be back in action on Wednesday, when the Eagles will host Maryville College (Tenn.).

EMORY BASEBALL TO PLAY FOUR HOME GAMES THIS WEEK

(Apr. 14) The 18th-ranked Emory University baseball team will look to rebound from a loss last week, as the Eagles will return home to face Huntingdon College (Ala.) on Tuesday at 3:00 PM, Maryville College (Tenn.) on Wednesday at 3:00 PM, and the University of Dallas (Texas) on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 PM.

The Teams
Emory will begin the week with a 21-9-1 record, including a 10-4 mark at home this season.  The Eagles are ranked 18th in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, and 22nd in the D3baseball.com poll.  The Eagles are coached by Mike Twardoski, who is 290-108-1 during his nine years with the squad.  He is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin. 

After opening its season with a 1-10 record, Huntingdon has caught fire to improve to 18-14 overall this season, including a 4-5 mark on the road.  This will be the third and final meeting this season between the two teams, as the Eagles swept a two-game set in Montgomery earlier in the year, winning 11-8 and 17-4 contests.  During the two-game series, Emory's Frank Pfister went seven-for-11 with trhee doubles and five runs batted in, while Joe Roth hit .429 with a home run and four RBIs.  Emory holds a 17-6 all-time advantage in the series with Huntingdon.  The Hawks are coached by D.J. Conville, who is assisted by Matt Lyles.

Emory and Maryville will meet for the second time this season, after the Eagles defeated the Scots 8-5 earlier in the campaign.  During the game, Pfister went three-for-four with five RBIs and a home run, and Roth drove in three runs of his own.  Emory is 27-19 all time against the Scots.  Maryville is 12-23 this season, including a 4-7 mark on the road.  The team is coached by Daniel Washburn, who is assisted by John Rypel and Jimmy Reese.

The University of Dallas will begin the week with a 19-13 overall record, including a 4-10 mark in road games during the year.  Last season, the Eagles took a pair of games from the Crusaders, winning 8-1 and 11-6 at Chappell Park, as Roth went six-for-eight over the two games with two doubles and a triple.  The Eagles are 2-2 all time against the Crusaders.  Dallas is coached by Chris Strockbine.

18th-RANKED EMORY UPSET BY OGLETHORPE IN 5-4 LOSS

(Apr. 9) 18th-ranked Emory University suffered an upset loss on Wednesday night, as the Eagles were beaten 5-4 by the Oglethorpe University (Ga.) Stormy Petrels.

The Eagles had their chances to even the score in the ninth inning.  Entering the frame trailing 5-3, Dan Molnar led off with a walk, followed by a single for Joe Roth and an RBI single for Frank Pfister.  However, after a balk advanced the tying and go-ahead runs to scoring position, the Eagles made three-straight outs without bringing the runners in to end the game.

Emory left a total of 12 runners on base during the game, six of which were in scoring position.  The Eagles were just three-for-12 in the game with men in scoring position, with two of the three hits coming off Pfister's bat.

Pfister went three-for-five in the game, marking the eighth time this season that he has had three or more hits in a game.  The senior is batting .397 this season, and his two RBIs in the game give him a team-best 47 on the campaign.

Senior David Hissey hit his second home run of the season, a solo shot with one out in the third inning.  Sophomore Tommy Dugan added an RBI triple in the eighth inning, his second three-bagger of the year.

Freshman Andrew Johnson made the start for the Eagles, taking his first loss of the year as he dropped to 2-1 on the season.  Sophomore Matthew Katten pitched well in relief of Johnson, throwing one-and-a-third perfect innings with two strikeouts.  The Emory bullpen allowed just one run on two hits through the final three-and-a-third innings of the game.

The loss drops Emory to 21-9-1 this season, while Oglethorpe improved to 9-23, as the Stormy Petrels ended an 11-game losing streak to the Eagles.  Emory will return to Chappell Park on Tuesday, April 15th to face Huntingdon College (Ala.) at 3:00 PM.

18th-RANKED EMORY TO TAKE ON OGLETHORPE UNIVERSITY

(Apr. 9) The Emory University Baseball team will compete in its second-to-last road game of the 2008 season on Wednesday night, as the Eagles will travel across town to face Oglethorpe University (Ga.), in the third of four meetings between the two teams this season.

The Teams
Emory will enter the game with a 21-8-1 record this season, including a 7-2-1 record in road games this season.  The Eagles are ranked 18th in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, and 22nd in the NWCBA/ D3Baseball.com poll.  The Eagles are coached by Mike Twardoski, who is 288-107-1 during his nine years with the squad.  He is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin. 

Oglethorpe will open the game with an 8-23 record, including a 5-10 record in home games.  The Stormy Petrels are coached by Dan Giordano, who is assisted by Justin Bach.

This will be the third meeting between the two squads this season.  In the March 6th meeting, a 9-4 Emory win, Frank Pfister hit a solo home run, and Charlie Robbins allowed just one earned run over six innings pitched.  During a 15-10 Eagle win over the Stormy Petrels on April 1st, Dan Molnar went two-for-four with a triple and four RBIs, and Pfister went three-for-six with a double and two RBIs.  Emory is 33-10 all time against Oglethorpe, and has won the last 11 games in the series.

Emory Notes
The Eagles will begin the week ranked fourth in Division III in both walks (166) and stolen bases (85)... Emory is also 14th in the nation in fielding percentage (.966), 16th in hits (333), and 21st in runs (237)... Individually, Frank Pfister is ranked 19th in the country in doubles (13), 22nd in hits (50), and 11th in RBIs (43), Joe Roth is ranked eighth in walks (26), and 28th in RBIs (37), Dan Molnar is ranked 17th in runs (40) and 15th in walks (24), David Hissey is ranked 19th in stolen bases (18) and Adam Genn is ranked fourth in saves (six)... Pfister has 210 career hits, and is three shy of moving into a tie with Chris McAuley for fifth place in school history in the category... The third baseman has 137 career RBIs (including a team-best 45 this season), and is tied with Bryan Langbord for fourth in school history... Roth has 185 career hits, and is now 15 shy of becoming the ninth player in school history to reach the 200-hit milestone... Former Eagle Jason Glushon ('07) made his AAA debut with the Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday night, pitching a one-two-three eighth inning, inducing three ground ball outs against the heart of the Portland Beavers order... Each of the three batters that Glushon faced had major league experience, including former Indian Jody Gerut, who hit 22 home runs for Cleveland during the 2003 Major League season.   

FORMER EAGLE JASON GLUSHON PROMOTED TO TRIPLE-A

(Apr. 8) Former Emory University pitcher Jason Glushon ('07) was promoted to the Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday, the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.

Glushon was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Oakland Athletics following his 2007 season with the Eagles, during which he led the team to the NCAA Division III Championship game.  Glushon went 13-2 during the season with a 2.23 earned run average, en route to being named the South Region pitcher of the year, and a second team all-American.

Following his Emory career, Glushon split time in the minor leagues on both the rookie and double-A levels.  In 17 minor league games, the Encino, CA product went 4-4 with a 3.68 ERA, while striking out 51 batters and walking just four over 63.2 innings pitched. 

Glushon is expected to join the team immediately, and will be available to pitch as soon as Tuesday night.

14th-RANKED EMORY UPSETS FIFTH-RANKED PIEDMONT 6-4

(Apr. 7) In the third and final regular season meeting between two of the top-ranked teams in the South Region, 14th-ranked Emory University picked up a 6-4 upset victory over fifth-ranked Piedmont College (Ga.) at Chappell Park.

After a scoreless top half of the first inning for the Lions, Emory was able to get a run of their own on a Joe Roth RBI single in the bottom of the frame to take a 1-0 lead over Piedmont.  However, the Lions would score a run in each of the second and third innings off of Emory's starter Paul Schwendel to take a 2-1 lead over the Eagles. 

Emory would answer back in the bottom of the third, however, scoring a run on Roth's second RBI single of the game, two more on a triple for Frank Pfister, the senior's first three-bagger of the season.  The Eagles would tack on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out, two-RBI single for David Hissey, taking a 6-2 lead at the time.

Piedmont would pull the game within two with a pair of runs in the seventh inning, but Emory pitching would hold out to secure the victory.

Schwendel earned the victory for the Eagles, his team-best sixth of the season, allowing two runs on seven hits over five innings pitched.  Freshman Patrick Sandman would pitch 3.1 solid innings of relief work, allowing just two runs and striking out five, bridging the gap to senior Julian Smith, who recorded the final two outs for his first save of the season.

Hissey, Pfister and Roth each finished the game with two RBIs.  Pfister leads all Eagles with 45 runs batted in this season, while Roth is right behind him with 39 on the campaign.  Hissey also led the Eagles with three hits during the game, raising his average to .336 this season.

The win raises Emory's record to 21-8-1 this season, while Piedmont falls to 24-8.  The Eagles will be back in action on Wednesday, as Emory will travel across town to face Oglethorpe University (Ga.) for the third of four meetings between the two squads this season.  

14th-RANKED EMORY SWEPT IN DOUBLEHEADER BY #5 PIEDMONT

(Apr. 6) The 14th-ranked Eagles suffered a setback to their campaign on Sunday, as the squad was swept in a doubleheader at fifth-ranked Piedmont College (Ga.).  Emory dropped the first game 7-6, followed by a 10-6 loss to the Lions in the nightcap.

In the first game, the Eagles took a 5-1 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning.  After the Lions scored three runs in the inning to pull the game to within one, Emory would add an insurance run to increase the lead to 6-4.  However, Piedmont would score three more runs in the bottom of the ninth, including a walk-off, game winning double for Justin Vorherr.  Sophomore Will Gumm took the loss for Emory, dropping to 0-2 on the season.

Freshman Matt Ryckman pitched 5.2 innings of four-hit baseball for Emory, striking out eight batters in the process.  Sophomore Dan Molnar went two-for-five with his second home run of the year.

In the second game, Emory fell behind 4-1 after two innings, but answered back with a five-run fourth inning to take a 6-4 lead.  However, Piedmont would once again come storming back, scoring a run in the fourth, three in the sixth, and two more in the bottom of the eighth to secure the 10-6 victory over Emory.

In the nightcap, Joe Roth led the Eagles with a two-for-four performance at the plate and four RBIs, including a bases-loaded double in the fourth inning that plated three runs. 

The pair of losses drops Emory to 20-8-1 this season, while Piedmont improved to 24-7.  The two teams will finish off a three-game series on Monday at Chappell Park, starting at 3:00 PM.

14th-RANKED EMORY TO FACE #5 PIEDMONT IN A THREE-GAME SERIES

(Apr. 4) Emory University will take part in arguable its biggest series of the season this weekend, as the 14th-ranked Eagles will play a three-game set against fifth-ranked Piedmont College (Ga.).  The two teams are scheduled for a doubleheader at the Loudermilk Baseball Complex in Demorest, GA on Sunday at 1:00 PM, followed by a game at Chappell Park on Monday at 3:00 PM.

The Teams
Emory will enter the weekend with a 20-6-1 record, and are undefeated in the team's last seven games, going 6-0-1 during the stretch.  The Eagles are 7-0-1 when playing in their opponents building's this season, and 9-4 at home.  Last season, the Eagles swept a three-game series with the Lions, as David Hissey batted .615 (8-13) and Steve Bralver drove in 10 runs with five doubles and a triple.  Emory is 22-9 all time against Piedmont, including four-straight wins over the Lions.  The Eagles are coached by Mike Twardoski, who is 287-105-1 during his nine years with the squad.  He is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin. 

Piedmont will open up the series with an overall record of 22-7 this year, including marks of 17-5 at home and 5-2 on the road.  Besides being ranked fifth in the latest College Baseball Newspaper poll, the Lions are also ranked 16th in the latest D3baseball.com poll.  Piedmont is coached by Jim Peeples, who is assisted by Richard Dombrowsky and Justin Scali.

Emory Notes
In the first release of the NCAA Division III statistical leaders at the beginning of the week, Emory is ranked 13th in the Nation in fielding percentage (.968), 22nd in hits (290), 24th in runs scored (203), fourth in stolen bases (73), and ninth in walks (143)... Individually, Frank Pfister is ranked eighth in the Nation in RBIs (40), 23rd in hits (44), Joe Roth is ranked eighth in walks (24), David Hissey is ranked 14th in stolen bases (17), and Adam Genn is ranked sixth in saves (five)... Hissey has now scored 124 runs over his career, the eighth-highest total in school history... Pfister has driven in 134 runs over his career, and is now three shy of tying Bryan Langbord for fourth in school history in the category... Roth is ninth in the category with 128 runs batted in... The Eagles are batting .356 as a team with the bases loaded this season, while holding opponents to a .250 batting average with the bases full.

HISSEY POWERS EMORY TO A 7-6 WIN OVER SEWANEE

(Apr. 2) Emory University's David Hissey hit a two-run home run, and freshman starter Andrew Johnson pitched five and a third strong innings, helping the 14th-ranked Eagles to a 7-6 win over the University of the South (Tenn.).

The Eagles would jump out to a quick lead, scoring three runs in the first inning off a RBI double for Dan Molnar, a RBI single for Joe Roth, and a wild pitch that scored Roth from third base.

The Tigers would answer back with two runs on two hits in the bottom half of the frame, before Johnson would lock down the Tigers for the next four and one third innings.  The freshman would allow just the two runs on seven hits en route to his second victory in as many starts this season, improving to 2-0.
 
The Eagles would add on insurance runs later on, plating three in the seventh and one in the eighth, including two on a home run for Hissey, his first of the season. 

Sewanee would pull the game back to within a run, but Adam Genn would allow just one hit over the final inning and a third to close out the game for his sixth save of the season.

Molnar finished the game two-for-three with a double, a triple and two RBIs, while Roth went three-for-five to improve his season average to a team best .422.  Senior Frank Pfister added a double, his team-leading 13th of the season.

Emory is now undefeated in its last seven games, going 6-0-1 during the stretch, the longest streak for the Eagles this season.  With the loss, Sewanee fell to 4-18 on the campaign.  Emory will next turn their attention to a key weekend series, as the Eagles will play three games against Piedmont College, the fifth-ranked team in the latest ABCA poll.

EMORY BASEBALL DOWNS OGLETHORPE 15-10

(Apr. 1) Emory University's Dan Molnar hit a two-out bases loaded triple in the fifth inning to give the Eagles a lead they would not relinquish, as 14th-ranked Emory defeated Oglethorpe 15-10 at Chappell Park.

Freshman Paul Schwendel got the start for the Eagles, allowing four earned runs over five innings, striking out two and walking one.  After the Molnar three-RBI triple, Schwendel left the game with an 8-5 lead to earn his team-best fifth victory of the season.

The Eagles slugged out a total of 16 hits during the game, and took advantage of nine walks and four hit batsmen. 

Molnar paced the Eagles, going two-for-four at the plate with four RBIs and a walk.  Third baseman Frank Pfister had three hits in six at bats with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Michael Saleh went two-for-two with two runs scored, two RBIs and two walks. 

With the three hits, Pfister surpassed former Eagle Bryan Langbord to take sole possession of sixth place on Emory's career hit leaders.  The senior now has 206 hits over his career, and is tied for the team lead with Joe Roth with a .412 batting average this season.

The Eagles improved to 19-6-1 with the victory, while Oglethorpe fell to 7-20.  The Eagles, who have gone undefeated in their last six games (5-0-1), will travel to Sewanee, TN tomorrow to face the University of the South at 3:00 PM EST.

14th-RANKED EAGLES TO FACE OGLETHORPE & SEWANEE IN MID-WEEK MATCHUPS

(Apr. 1) The Emory Baseball team will be back in action this week, returning home for a Tuesday matchup against Oglethorpe University (Ga.) at 3:00 PM, followed by a road game at the University of the South (Tenn.) at 3:00 PM.

The Teams
Emory will begin the week with an 18-6-1 record, following a 3-0-1 record last week, which included wins over LaGrange College (Ga.) and DePauw University (Ind.), in addition to a win and a tie at Methodist University (N.C.).  The Eagles, ranked 14th in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and D3Baseball.com polls, are 8-4 at home this season and 6-0-1 in road games.  The Eagles are undefeated in their last five games, and have gone 6-1-1 in their last eight contests.  The Eagles are coached by Mike Twardoski, who is 287-105-1 during his nine years with the squad.  He is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin. 

Oglethorpe will open the game with a 7-19 record, including a 2-9 record in road games.  This will be the second of four meetings between the two teams this season, with Emory coming away with a 9-4 victory in the game earlier this season.  In the March 6th meeting, Frank Pfister hit a solo home run, and Charlie Robbins allowed just one earned run over six innings pitched.  The Eagles are 32-10 all time against Oglethorpe, and have won 10 straight against the Stormy Petrels.  Oglethorpe is coached by Dan Giordano, who is assisted by Justin Bach.

The University of the South (Tenn.) will enter Wednesday's game with a 4-17 record this season, including a 1-3 mark at home this season.  The two teams last met in Sewanee on April 3rd, 2007, with Emory coming away with a 23-3 win.  In that game, Joe Roth hit two home runs and drove in six runs, while Tommy Dugan went two-for-two with a double and two RBIs.  Emory is 30-4 all time against the Tigers, including 10 consecutive victories.  Sewanee is led by sixth year head coach Scott Baker, who is assisted by Adrian Norris.

Emory Notes
Emory's tie with Methodist on Sunday was just the second tie in the 17-year history of the program, and the first since Emory and Southwestern University (Texas) tied 2-2 in 12 innings on February 25th, 1995... The game also marked the first tie of Head Coach Mike Twardoski's career... Against DePauw University (Ind.) last Wednesday, Emory senior Frank Pfister picked up his 200th-career hit, becoming just the eighth Eagle to reach the mark, and the first Emory player to do so since Bryan Langbord in 2006... Pfister now has 203 career hits, the seventh-most in school history, and is one shy of matching Langbord for sixth all-time in the category... Emory closer Adam Genn picked up two saves last week, pitching four total innings over three appearances without allowing a run on two hits... In eight appearances out of the bullpen this season, Genn has recorded an ERA of 2.40 with a 1-0 record and five saves... The sophomore is five saves shy of matching the school record for saves in a season, set by Keith Meizler in 2004... Emory all-America second baseman Joe Roth is batting .579 with one home run, four doubles and 14 RBIs over his last nine games. 

EMORY BASEBALL RECORDS ITS FIRST TIE SINCE 1995

(Mar. 30) In a game plagued by consistent rain, the 14th-ranked Emory University Eagles and the Methodist University (N.C.) Monarchs played to an 8-8 tie.  The game was ended by the umpires after 10 innings, due to the deluge and the resulting field conditions.

The tie is just the second in school history, and the first since the Eagles recorded a 2-2 tie in 12 innings against Southwestern University (Texas) on February 25th, 1995.

Emory tied the game in the top of the ninth inning, after Steve Bralver tripled to open the frame, followed by a pinch hit RBI single for Mathew McDonough.  The Eagles were able to get runners on second and third with one out in the inning, but were unable to send the go-ahead run across the plate, and the game went into extra innings. 

The Eagles loaded the bases in the 10th inning, as Monarchs pitching gave up three two-out walks.  However, for the second-straight inning, the Emory was unable to push the potential winning run across the plate.

Emory received four strong innings from the back of their bullpen, as Will Gumm, Julian Smith, Patrick Sandman, Paul Schwendel, and Adam Genn combined to hold Methodist scoreless over the final four frames, with just three hits.

Despite seeing his 11-game hitting streak come to an end, senior Joe Roth was able to drive in two runs during the game, giving him 31 this season.  Frank Pfister drove in a run as well, and now has a team-best 40 on the campaign.  Andrew Cohn and Jeremy Bolian each had a pair of hits in the game to pace the Eagles in the category.

The tie brings Emory's record to 18-6-1, while Methodist moved to 19-9-1 this season.  The Eagles will return to Chappell Park on Tuesday, to face Oglethorpe University (Ga.) at 3:00 PM.  

NO. 14 EMORY DEFEATS METHODIST 7-6

(Mar. 29) Emory University's Frank Pfister hit a two run home run, and David Hissey picked up the game-winning RBI with a two-out single in the eighth inning, as the 14th-ranked Eagles (18-6) defeated Methodist University (19-9) 7-6 in Fayetteville, NC.

The game was a back-and-forth contest between the two South Region squads, each of which reached the South Regionals in 2007.  The game featured three lead changes, and was tied on three separate occasions.

With the contest even at six runs apiece heading into the top of the eighth inning, Emory's Tommy Dugan led the frame off with a single, followed by a walk to Dan Molnar.  After a strikeout and a fielder's choice left runners on first and third with two outs, Hissey played the hero, bunting in Dugan from third for his third hit and second RBI of the day.

The Eagles would receive an inning each of hitless relief work from Will Gumm and Adam Genn to close the game out.  Genn, a sophomore, would earn his fifth save of the season after a one-two-three ninth inning.  Despite allowed two runs, one earned, senior Julian Smith picked up the victory to improve to 2-1 on the season.

Pfister, Emory's third baseman would go one-for-three in the game with a two run home run in the fifth inning, his team-leading sixth of the season.  The six home runs are the most by an Eagle in a single season since Andrew Pinckney hit seven in 2004.  Pfister is batting .422 this year with 39 runs batted in.

Hissey, Joe Roth, Andrew Cohn, and Michael Saleh each had three hits in the game.  The Eagles recorded a total of 17 hits in the win.

The victory is the fourth-straight for  the Eagles, who will conclude the two-game weekend set with Methodist on Sunday at 2:00 PM.

PFISTER PICKS UP HIS 200th-CAREER HIT AGAINST DEPAUW

(Mar. 28) Emory University's Frank Pfister reached a rare milestone on Wednesday, as the Eagles' third baseman picked up his 200th-career hit with a single in the third inning against DePauw University (Ind.).

Pfister becomes the eighth Eagle to reach the mark, and the first since Brian Langbord recorded the milestone during the 2006 season.  The senior went two-for-three in the game, and now has 201 career hits, tying him with Mike Garvis for seventh in school history in the category.  Pfister is now three-hits shy of Langbord's 204 career knocks for sixth in school history, 11 shy of Chris McAuley for fifth, and 14 shy of Brad wands for fourth.  Last season, he set the school single-season record in hits with 87, batting .387 during the year.

Pfister is batting .424 through 23 Emory games, and has played every inning for the Eagles this season at third base, committing just six errors in 85 chances.  He has a team-bests with five home runs and 37 runs batted in, and is on pace to set the school record in the latter category. 

Earlier in the week, Pfister was named the University Athletic Association's Most Valuable Player, earning a spot on the all-Association first team for the third-straight season.  In 2007, Pfister was named to the all-NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament team, and was the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA South Regional Tournament.

14th-RANKED EAGLES CLAIM 8-5 WIN OVER DEPAUW

(Mar. 26) The 14th-ranked Emory University Baseball team won its third-straight game on Wednesday and ended an eight-game winning streak for the DePauw University (Ind.), as the Eagles claimed an 8-5 win over the Tigers at Chappell Park.

Emory freshman Andrew Johnson pitched well in his first career start, using just 54 pitches to get through five innings of three hit baseball and earn his first collegiate victory.  Four of Johnson's five innings were one-two-three innings, as he allowed just one earned run (two runs total) and struck out one batter. 

The Eagles gave their young starter some runs to work with, scoring two in the second inning off RBI hits for Michael Saleh and Jeremy Bolian.  Emory would tack on three more runs in the third inning, off RBIs for David Hissey and Andrew Cohn, and a rundown with two outs that allowed Cohn to score.

Saleh and Joe Roth each finished the game with a run on three hits, and Frank Pfister went two-for-three with a double.  Roth is now batting .696 (16-for23) over his last seven games, and has an on-base percentage of .719 during the stretch.

When Pfister picked up his first hit of the game, a single in the third inning, it marked his 200th-career hit, becoming just the eighth Emory player to reach the milestone. The senior third baseman now has 201 career hits, tying him with Mike Garvis for seventh in school history in the category.

The victory raises Emory's record to 17-6 this season, as the Eagles have won three-straight games and five of their last six contests.  The Tigers fell to 16-4 with the loss.

Emory will be back in action this weekend, travelling to Methodist University (N.C.) for a two-game series against the Monarchs.

14th-RANKED EMORY DEFEATS LAGRANGE 11-8

(Mar. 25) Emory University's Joe Roth went three-for-three with four RBIs, and Dan Molnar scored four runs with four hits, as the 14th-ranked Eagles defeated LaGrange College (Ga.) 11-8 on Tuesday.

Emory got the majority of its offensive production during the game from the top of its lineup.  Leadoff hitter Tommy Dugan went two-for-four with three runs scored and three RBIs, including a two-run inside-the-park homerun in the eighth inning of the game to secure the Emory lead.   Dugan was followed by Molnar, who went four-for-four in the game with a career-best four runs scored.  Roth hit third for the Eagles, driving in the Eagles' first three runs of the ball game.

Junior outfielder David Hissey added two RBIs in the game, going two-for-five with his fifth double of the season.

After Tuesday's offensive explosion, the Eagles now have three hitters batting .400 or better this season.  Roth leads all hitters with a .436 batting average, including a .722 average with 10 RBIs over his last six games.  Molnar is hitting .407, raising his average almost 60 points over the past five games.  Senior Frank Pfister, despite going hitless for just the third time in 22 games this season, is batting .417 in 2008.

Freshman Paul Schwendel earned the victory for Emory, allowing five runs on eight hits over five innings, striking out four batters and walking six.  Schwendel improved to a team-best 4-0, and now has a 4.03 earned run average this season.

The win completes a two-game season sweep of LaGrange for the Eagles, who improved to 16-6 this season (5-0 in road games), while the Panthers fell to 12-10.  Emory will be back in action on Wednesday, as the Eagles will return home to face DePauw University (Ind.) at 3:00 PM at Chappell Park.

EMORY'S FRANK PFISTER NAMED THE UAA BASEBALL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

(Mar. 24) Emory University third baseman was named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Most Valuable Player, following his performance at the Association's Championship Tournament.  In addition, senior second baseman Joe Roth and freshman pitcher Matt Ryckman joined Pfister as all-UAA first team nominees, while freshman first baseman Andrew Cohn and sophomore outfielder Dan Molnar were named to the second team.

Pfister becomes the third-straight Emory player to earn the award, following David Hissey in 2006, and Jason Glushon in 2007, and the eighth Eagle to earn the honor overall.  The senior batted .462 (12-for-26) with two doubles and a home run during the six-game stretch, with a tournament-best 10 runs batted in.  This marks the third-straight season that Pfister has been named to the all-UAA first team.

Roth earned all-UAA honors for the second-straight season.  The senior batted .357 (10-for-28) during the six-game tournament, picking up two doubles, a home run, and six RBIs.

Ryckman tied for the tournament lead with two wins, compiling a 1.64 earned run average with 14 strikeouts in 11 innings.  He becomes just the second Emory freshman to be named to the all-UAA first team, the only other being infielder Burr Duryee in 1993.

Cohn batted .381 (eight-for-21) with a home run, five RBIs and five stolen bases during the tournament, while Molnar hit .429 (nine-for-21) with a home run, six RBIs and nine runs scored. 

Emory finished the UAA Tournament tied with Brandeis University (Mass.) for the Association Title, as the Eagles became the first school to win the UAA Championship in three-consecutive seasons.

EMORY BASEBALL TO TAKE ON LAGRANGE, DEPAUW AND METHODIST

(Mar. 24) The fifth-ranked Emory University Baseball team will continue a stretch of key South Region games this week, as the Eagles will travel to LaGrange College (Ga.) on Tuesday, host DePauw University (Ind.) on Wednesday, and travel to Fayetteville, N.C. for a two-game weekend series against Methodist University.

The Teams
Emory will begin the week with a 15-6 record 7-4 mark in home games, and a 4-0 record in road games.  The Eagles are ranked fifth in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, and 13th in the D3baseball.com/ NCBWA poll.  Emory is coming off a weekend split with Rhodes College (Tenn.), including an 8-4 defeat on Friday, and a 10-1 win on Saturday.  The Eagles are coached by Mike Twardoski, who is 284-105 during his nine years with the squad.  He is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin.

The meeting between Emory and LaGrange will be the second of two meetings between the teams this season.  On March 5th, the Eagles picked up a 9-6 victory over the Panthers, as Emory freshman pitcher Paul Schwendel earned the win in relief, and Steve Bralver went two-for-three with a double, a home run, and two RBIs.  LaGrange will enter the game with a 12-9 record, including a 10-5 record at home.  Emory is 22-7 all time against the Panthers, as the Eagles have won seven-consecutive games in the series.  The Panthers are led by former Emory coach Kevin Howard, who is assisted by Ryan Grice and Nick Nelson.

DePauw will begin the week with a 14-3 record, including a 5-1 record in road games, and will play a game on Monday against Birmingham Southern College (Ala.) and a Tuesday game against Piedmont College (Ga.), before coming to Chappell Park on Wednesday.  The two teams last met on March 28, 2006, with Emory claiming an 8-1 victory, as Frank Pfister led the team, going one-for-two with a double and two RBIs.  The Eagles are 9-3 all time against DePauw, including three-straight wins over the Tigers.  DePauw is coached by Matt Walker, who has compiled a 151-96 record in his six previous seasons with the team.  He is assisted by Jake Martin, P.J. Mitchell, Eric Bowman and John Walker.

Methodist will begin the week with an 18-8 record this season, including a 13-4 record at home, and will play one game before hosting Emory this weekend.  The two teams met three times last season, with the Eagles claiming a pair of 3-2 victories to open the 2007 season, and a 10-3 victory over Methodist at the NCAA South Regional Tournament.  Emory's Pfister batted .692 (nine-for-13) during the three games, with a double and three RBIs.  The Eagles are 15-15 all time against the Monarchs, but have won five-straight games in the series.  Methodist is coached by Tom Austin, who has the eighth-most wins in Division III Baseball history (870).  He is assisted by Kevin Allingham.

Emory Notes
The Eagles have an on base percentage of .429 this season, and are on pace to set the school single-season record in the category... Emory is batting .329 (11-for-29) with the bases loaded this season... Emory third baseman Frank Pfister went two-for-four with two doubles against Rhodes College (Tenn.) on Saturday, and is now one hit shy of becoming the eighth player in school history to record 200 hits over a career... The senior is also tied with former Eagle Mike Garvis for seventh in school history with 129 career RBIs... Pfister leads the team with a .440 batting average, five home runs, 10 doubles and 37 RBIs this season... Junior David Hissey has 68 stolen bases over his career, and his just two shy of matching former Eagle Doug Serafinfor fifth in the category in school history... Senior second baseman Joe Roth has walked 22 times through 21 games this season, and is on pace to break the school record in walks in a season, set by Drew Schwartz in 1999... Roth leads the squad with a .538 on base percentage this season. 

EMORY BASEBALL BOUNCES BACK TO DEFEAT RHODES 10-1

(Mar. 22) Emory University freshman Charlie Robbins pitched seven strong innings of five-hit baseball, and senior third baseman Frank Pfister went two-for-four with two doubles and three runs batted in, as the Eagles (15-6) defeated the Rhodes College Lynx (15-7) 10-1 at Chappell Park.

Robbins improved to 2-1 on the season with the victory, in what proved to be the best outing of his young Emory career.  Robbins allowed just one run on five hits during the game, striking out four batters and walking just one.  Out of the 21 outs the freshman recorded on the day, 13 were on fly balls.

The Eagles jumped out to a quick start, and never looked back.  Centerfielder Tommy Dugan hit a leadoff double to left-centerfield to start the bottom of the first for Emory.  After Dan Molnar moved Dugan over to third with a groundout, preseason all-American Joe Roth would plate Dugan on a sacrifice fly to put the Eagles on top 1-0.  Emory improved to 8-2 in games where the team scores in the first inning, and 13-2 in games where they score first.

Emory would tack on a second run on a Michael Saleh sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second inning, before putting four runs up in the bottom of the fifth, two onb Pfister's second double of the game, and two more on a Steve Bralver single.  All of Emory's base runners in the fifth inning would come with two outs.

The Eagles would put the game out of reach for Rhodes in the bottom of the eighth inning with a pair of runs batted in on a double for David Hissey, and an RBI apiece for Molnar and Pfister.

Pfister's two hits on the day give him 199 over his career, as he tries to become just the eighth player in school history to reach the milestone.  Pfister is now batting .440 this season with 10 doubles and 37 RBIs.

Bralver led the squad on the day with three hits, a double and two singles, raising his batting average 35 points to .238 on the year.  The junior's two RBIs on the day give him 15 on the season, the fourth-best total on the team.

Eight different players recorded hits for the Eagles in the game, and six different players had a run batted in.  Emory will continue its in-region schedule on Tuesday, travelling to LaGrange College (Ga.) for a 6:00 PM game on Tuesday night.

RHODES COLLEGE UPSETS FIFTH-RANKED EMORY 8-4

(Mar. 21) In the first game of a two-game series between two of the top teams in the South Region, Rhodes College (Tenn.) handed fifth-ranked Emory University a 8-4 defeat at Chappell Park.

Rhodes jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning, but Emory answered back in the bottom of the frame with RBI singles for Dan Molnar and Steve Bralver, and Molnar later scored a run of his own on a passed ball.

However, Rhodes would score three more runs in the top of the fourth to chase starting pitcher Matt Ryckman from the game, and add another two insurance runs in the fifth inning to take a commanding 8-3 lead.

The Eagles would tack on their fourth run of the ballgame on a sacrifice fly for Tommy Dugan in the sixth inning, but Emory was unable to sustain a late rally, hitting into five double plays.  Two of Emory's five double plays came in the last two innings, including a game ending one.

Ryckman would take the loss for Emory, dropping to 4-1 on the campaign after pitching just 3.2 innings on the day.  Sophomore Matthew Katten pitched the final three innings for the Eagles, walking just one and not allowing a hit.

Junior Andy Holt picked up the win for Rhodes to improve to 5-2 on the season.  The Lynx closer, Taylor Babich got the final outs of the game to earn his third save.

Emory dropped to 14-6 with the loss, while Rhodes improved to 15-6.  The two teams will face off again at Chappell Park tomorrow, beginning at noon.

FIFTH-RANKED EMORY TO HOST RHODES COLLEGE IN A KEY SOUTH-REGION MATCHUP

(Mar. 21) The eyes of Division III baseball fans everywhere will be on Atlanta, GA this weekend, as the Emory University Eagles, ranked fifth in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, will play host to the Rhodes College (Tenn.) Lynx on Friday at 3:00 PM and Saturday at 12:00 PM.

The Teams
Emory will enter Friday's game having won two-straight, with a 14-5 overall record this season.  The Eagles are 7-3 in games at Chappell Park this season.  The squad is ranked fifth in the latest Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, and 13th in the d3baseball.com/ NCBWA top-25 poll.  Emory is coming off a thrilling 9-8 extra-inning win over Purchase College (N.Y) on Tuesday, and a rainout of a scheduled game with Centre College (Ky.) on Wednesday.  The Eagles are coached by Mike Twardoski, who holds a 283-104 record during his nine years with the squad.  He is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin. 

Rhodes College will begin the series with a 14-6 overall record, including a 3-4 mark in road games during the year.  The Lynx are coming off a 6-1 loss to Oglethorpe University (Ga.), but have won seven of their last nine games.  Rhodes is led by head coach Jeff Cleanthes, who is now in his fifth season with the team, and led the team to a program-best 36-10 record last year.  He is assisted by Rob Schrier and Steve Wright. 

The Eagles and the Lynx faced each other twice last season in Millington, Tenn., resulting in a split of the two games.  Emory won the series opener in 2007 by a score of 14-3, while Rhodes bounced back to win the second game 8-3.  Emory's Tommy Dugan hit a three-run home run during last year's  games, and Dan Molnar went two-for-three with four runs scored, a triple, a home run and two walks over the two games.  Emory is 5-1 all time against Rhodes.

Emory Notes
The Eagles matches a school single-game record on Tuesday against Purchase, stealing 13 bases during the game... Emory last stole 13 bases in a game on February 17, 2004, against the University of the South (Tenn.)... Junior David Hissey and sophomore Dan Molnar each stole three bases during the game... Hissey now has 68 stolen bases over his career, and his just two shy of matching former Eagle Doug Serafin for fifth in the category in school history... Third baseman Frank Pfister went two-for-five against Purchase, and is now just three hits shy of 200 for his career... Pfister is now batting .446 with five home runs and is on pace to set a new school record in RBIs, with 34 through 19 games this season... Shortstop Michael Saleh went four-for-five with a walk against Purchase, including the game-winning RBI single with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning.   

EMORY DEFEATS PURCHASE COLLEGE 9-8 IN 10 INNINGS

(Mar. 18) Emory University shortstop Michael Saleh went four-for-five, including a walk-off bases loaded single in the bottom of the 10th inning, as the Eagles defeated Purchase College (N.Y.) 9-8 on Tuesday.

After third baseman Frank Pfister led the inning off with a walk, followed by a sacrifice bunt for Sam Schreiber.  Pfister then proceeded to steal third, followed by a pair of walks to Andrew Cohn and Andrew Carroll to load the bases with one out for Saleh.  With the Panthers' infield pulled in to cut the run off at the plate, the sophomore singled through the right side to end the game.

Saleh finished the game four-for-five with a walk, four singles, two runs scored, and the game-winning RBI.  He is now batting .409 this season.

Emory's Paul Schwendel earned the win in relief, striking out two in the 10th inning, his only frame of work during the day.  Schwendel improved to 3-0, and lowered his season ERA to 2.91. 

The win raises Emory's record to 14-5 this season, while Purchase dropped to 1-7.  The Eagles will be back in action at Chappell Park on Wednesday to face Centre College (Ky.).

EMORY BASEBALL RETURNS HOME TO FACE PURCHASE; CENTRE

(Mar. 18) Fifth-ranked Emory University, fresh off its third-consecutive University Athletic Association (UAA) title, will return home for two midweek games, facing off against Purchase College (N.Y.) at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, and a regional opponent in Centre College (Ky.) at 3:00 PM on Wednesday.

The Teams
Emory University, ranked fifth in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll, and 13th in the latest D3baseball.com/ NCBWA poll.  The Eagles are 13-5 this season, including a 4-2 mark in conference play and a 6-3 record in games at Chappell Park.  The Eagles are coached by Mike Twardoski, who holds a 282-104 record during his nine years with the squad.  He is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin. 

Purchase will begin the game with a 1-6 record, and is currently mired in a six-game losing streak.  The Panthers concluded their 2007 season with a 12-17-1 record and a sixth-place finish in the Skyline Conference.  This will be the first meeting between the two teams in the history of the programs.  Purchase is coached by Bill Guerrero, who is in his sixth season with the team and has compiled a 28-78-1 record during his time with the squad.  He is assisted by Tyler Kavanaugh. 

Centre College will enter Wednesday's matchup with a 7-5 record, after dropping three games of a four-game series to Birmingham Southern University (Ala.) last weekend.  Last season, Emory defeated Centre 10-5 at Chappell Park, as Dan Molnar and Steve Bralver each had a pair of RBIs, and David Hissey picked up three hits during the game.  Emory is 2-0 all time against the Colonels.  Centre is coached by Mike Pritchard, now in his fourth season with the team.  He is assisted by Kyle Wynn.

Emory Notes
The Eagles went 4-2 during the UAA Tournament last week, matching Brandeis University (Mass.) for the best record and the tournament title... Senior third baseman Frank Pfister emerged as a candidate for the UAA Player of the Year, batting .462 (12-for-26) with a home run and a tournament-best 10 RBIs... Freshman starter Matt Ryckman has a chance to be the UAA Rookie of the Year and a first team selection, as he was one of two pitchers to pick up two wins during the tournament, compiling 14 strikeouts in 11 innings and recording a 1.64 ERA... Other Emory players who had a strong tournament included Dan Molnar (.429 average with nine runs scored), Andrew Cohn (.381 average with a home run and five RBIs) and Steve Bralver (.375 with two home runs and five RBIs)... Pfister now has 194 hits over his career, and is six shy of becoming just the eighth player in school history to break the 200-career hit mark... Pfister has recorded a team best 32 RBIs this season through 18 games, and is on pace to break the school record of 63 RBIs in a season, set by Ted Karniewicz in 2000... David Hissey has 65 stolen bases over his career, and is now just five shy of matching Doug Serafin for fifth in school history.

FIFTH-RANKED EMORY SPLITS SATURDAY DOUBLEHEADER TO SHARE UAA TITLE WITH BRANDEIS

(Mar. 15) Emory University completed a three-peat at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Baseball Championships on Saturday, as the Eagles suffered a 10-7 loss to Brandeis University (Mass.), but defeated Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) 10-0 in seven innings.  The two-game split, combined with a Washington University (Mo.) loss in the nightcap, means that Emory and Brandeis will be crowned co-champions of the UAA.

This is the ninth time the Eagles have won a UAA Championship, and Emory's fifth Association crown in the last six seasons. 

In the early game against Brandeis, the Eagles fell behind 5-0 in the first inning, and were unable to come back, despite threatening throughout the game, pulling the lead to within three runs three-separate times.  Down 10-7 with two outs in the top of the eighth inning, and with two men on base, senior Joe Roth sent a fly ball to the wall in straightaway centerfield, but for the second consecutive day the centerfield, this time Brandeis' Chuck Sheehan, would catch the ball with his glove to the wall to end the scoring threat.

Despite the long fly out, Roth put together a valiant effort during the game, going four-for-five with three RBIs and two runs scored, including his second home run of the year and a double.  Senior Steve Bralver went one-for-three with two walks and his third home run of the season.

In the second game, Emory avenged a loss to Case Western 10 days earlier, defeating the Spatans in seven innings due to the 10-run rule.  Emory scored a run in each of the first three innings, before scoring four runs during the fourth frame to break the game open.  During the fourth, Emory received three home runs, including freshman catcher Jeremy Bolian's first-career blast, and back-to-back home runs for Dan Molnar and Bralver.  Molnar, a sophomore outfielder, finished the game two-for-five with four RBIs, including the home run and a double.

Freshman Matt Ryckman started for the Eagles, and pitched five innings of three hit baseball, striking out six batters to earn his team-best fourth win of the season.  He finished the tournament with a 2-0 record, allowing just two earned runs while striking out 14 batters (second in the tournament) in 11 innings.

Emory's Frank Pfister hit .462 during the tournament (12-for-26) with 10 RBIs, two doubles and a home run.  Molnar went nine-for-21 with nine runs scored and six runs batted in, while Roth hit .357 with a home run, two doubles and six RBIs.

The split of the doubleheader brings Emory's season record to 13-5 on the campaign, as the Eagles finished their UAA season with a 4-2 record for the second-straight season.  Emory will be back in action Tuesday, facing SUNY Purchase at 3:00 PM at Chappell Park.

EMORY DROPS AN 8-7 HEARTBREAKER TO WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

(Mar. 14) Emory University almost pulled off its second come-from-behind victory in as many days, but fell one run short, as the fifth-ranked Eagles suffered an 8-7 defeat to Washington University (Mo.) at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Tournament.  The loss drops Emory to 3-1 in conference play, although the team remains in first place in the standings.

After cruising through the first four innings, freshman starting pitcher Charlie Robbins was unable to make it out of the fifth frame, allowing five Bears to cross the plate.

However, the Eagles would come storming back once again with five runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth, including a two-run home run for Andrew Cohn, the freshman's first of the campaign.

Washington would regain a three run lead, scoring a run in each of the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, putting Emory down 8-5 heading into the bottom of the ninth.

Once again, Emory would attempt a comeback.  With runners on first and second and one out, Frank Pfister would single in his 30th run of the season to pull the game within two.  With runners on first and third, David Hissey would reach on a throwing error by the third baseman, allowing the second run of the inning to score, and putting the game-tying run on second base, and the go ahead run on first.  After a fly out to right field for Cohn, Steve Bralver drew a 3-2 count before flying out to the warning track in straightaway centerfield to end the game.

Relief pitcher Julian Smith took the loss on the day, falling to 1-1 on the campaign, despite allowing just one run on three hits and striking out three in 2.1 innings of work. 

The loss drops the Eagles to 12-4 on the campaign.  Emory will still have a chance to clinch at least a share of the UAA Championship with a win over Brandeis at 11:00 AM Saturday. 

FIFTH-RANKED EMORY OVERCOMES SEVEN-RUN DEFECIT TO DEFEAT ROCHESTER

(Mar. 13) Emory University, ranked fifth in Division III, overcame an early seven-run deficit to defeat the University of Rochester (N.Y.) 15-11 at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship Tournament.  The win brings the Eagles to 3-0 in Association play, as they remained the only undefeated squad in the field.

The Eagles got off to a tough start to the game, as the Yellowjackets put up four runs in the first inning on starting pitcher Elliott Coor.  The freshman, who entered the game with a 3-0 record and a 1.74 ERA, came back with a strong second inning, but struggled again in the third, as Rochester scored three more runs to take a 7-0 lead on Emory and chase Coor from the game at the inning's end.

Emory would recover with its bullpen, which turned in one of its better performances of the season.  Following Coor, freshman Andrew Johnson pitched a scoreless inning, followed by two-and-two thirds of one-run, two-hit pitching for sophomore Matthew Katten, which allowed the Eagles to climb back into the game.

The Eagles would score a quick run in the fourth inning with after a Frank Pfister double to centerfield, followed by an opposite field RBI single for David Hissey.  Emory would get an addition four in the fifth inning, on an RBI double for Frank Pfister, a wild pitch, and a two-RBI single for Andrew Cohn, pulling the game to within two runs, a 7-5 score.

After the Yellowjackets added a run in the seventh, the Eagles would answer back with a big inning in the bottom of the frame.  Emory scored seven runs during the inning, including a two-run go-ahead pinch hit single for Steve Bralver to put Emory on top 9-8.  Despite starting the inning with a three-run defecit, Emory would end it on top 12-8, and would remain in the lead for the rest of the way.

Freshman Patrick Sandman made his Emory debut on the mound, pitching one-and-one third innings of relief work, allowing one run en route to earning the victory.  Junior Brian Cournoyer would get the final out of the game with the potential game-tying run on deck to earn his first save of the season.

The win over Rochester, which fell to 7-2 on the season and 2-2 in UAA play, keeps Emory at the top of the standings at the tournament.  The Eagles, who improved to 12-3 this season, will be back in action on Friday, facing Washington University (Mo.) at 11:00 AM, followed by a Saturday doubleheader against Brandeis University (Mass.) and Case Western Reserve University (Ohio), also beginning at 11:00 AM.

EMORY MOVES INTO FIRST PLACE AT THE UAA CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH A 7-5 WIN OVER BRANDEIS

(Mar. 12) The Emory University Baseball team, ranked fifth in the Nation, improved to 2-0 at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Tournament, as the Eagles defeated Brandeis University (Mass.) 7-5 Tuesday night.  The win gives Emory sole possession of first place with four games to go at the tournament.

Seniors Joe Roth and Frank Pfister each had a pair of hits and two runs batted in to lead the Eagles offensively.  Picking up an RBI apiece for Emory were sophomore outfielders Tommy Dugan and Dan Molnar.

After taking a one-run lead on a wild pitch in the third inning, scoring Michael Saleh, the Eagles broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth inning with a four-run frame, including back-to-back RBI singles for Roth and Pfister.  Emory would add insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings.

Freshman Paul Schwendel started the game for the Eagles, pitching four and two-thirds solid innings before leaving with a no decision.  Senior Julian Smith earned the win in relief of Schwendel with two and one-third innings of one-hit baseball.  Freshman Charlie Robbins got the final two outs of the game to earn his first career save.

The win raises Emory's record to 11-3 during the season, and 2-0 in Association play.  Emory will be back in action on Thursday afternoon, facing the University of Rochester (N.Y.) at 2:00 PM at Sanford Memorial Stadium.

EMORY HOLDS ON TO DEFEAT WASHINGTON (MO.) IN UAA OPENER

(Mar. 11) The fifth-ranked Emory University baseball team jumped out to a 6-0 lead over Washington University (Mo.) in its opening game of the University Athletic Association (UAA) Tournament, as was able to hold on for a 6-5 victory in Sanford, FL on Tuesday.

Emory freshman Matt Ryckman recorded one of his best performances to date, six strong innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and three walks.  Not only did Ryckman's eight strikeouts during the game mark a season-best total, but they equaled his season total through four games coming into the contest.

Meanwhile, on the offensive end, the Eagles' third baseman Frank Pfister got the team started in the first inning.  After a single for Dan Molnar, followed by a walk to Joe Roth and a double steal, Pfister cleared the bases with a two-run single.  Emory would tack on a third run in the second inning, on a Tommy Dugan single to take a 3-0 lead.

Dugan would score the Eagles' fourth run of the game in the fifth inning on a throwing error by the Bears' shortstop.  Later in the inning, with a man on third base, Pfister would top off the Eagles' day with a two-run home run, the senior's fifth of the season.  Pfister is now batting .456 with 26 RBIs through 13 games this season.

Washington would battle back, scoring four runs in the seventh inning, and another in the eighth to pull the game within a run.  In the ninth inning, with the potential game-tying run on base and no outs, sophomore reliever Adam Genn would enter the ball game, getting a ground out and back-to-back strikeouts to earn his third save of the season and secure the game for Emory.

The win for Emory (10-3, 1-0 UAA) sets up a Wednesday match with the only other undefeated team left in the tournament, Brandeis University (Mass.).  The two teams will face each other at 6:00 PM on Wednesday at Sanford Memorial Stadium.

CASE WESTERN EDGES FIFTH-RANKED EMORY 5-4

(Mar. 7) Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning, as the Spartans upset the fifth-ranked Emory Eagles 5-4 at Chappell Park.

The key play in the game came in the top of the ninth inning, with Emory leading by two and the bases loaded with nobody out for the Spartans.  Sophomore Clay Hurley hit a ground ball to third that was fielded by Frank Pfister, but the Eagles' third baseman threw the ball away, allowing three runs to score and giving Case the lead. 
Freshman Elliott Coor pitched six and a third strong innings for the Eagles, allowing just one run on five hits.  Coor lowered his season earned run average to 1.71 in the no decision.  Sophomore Will Gumm took the loss in relief, dropping to 0-1 on the season.

First baseman Andrew Cohn went three-for-four at the plate, improving his season average to .318.  His fellow freshman, catcher Scott Schwartz, went one-for-two with a two-RBI single.

The Eagles dropped to 9-3 on the season with the loss, while Case improved to 1-0.  Emory will be back in action on Tuesday, against Washington University (Mo.) at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Tournament.  

FIFTH-RANKED EMORY HANDS OGLETHORPE A 9-4 DEFEAT

(Mar. 6) Emory University freshman Charlie Robbins earned his first collegiate victory, and senior third baseman Frank Pfister hit his fourth home run of the season, as the Eagles topped Oglethorpe University (Ga.) 9-4 on the road Thursday night.

Robbins pitched six strong innings, allowing one earned run (four total) while spreading out six hits and a walk, and striking out four batters.  He improved to 1-1 on the season, while lowering his earned run average to 5.56.  Brian Cournoyer, Julian Smith and Andrew Johnson each pitched a scoreless inning to wrap up the game.

Emory took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning with two hits and a walk, including a Sam Schreiber RBI single through the left side, scoring Andrew Cohn from second base.

After Oglethorpe scored three runs in the bottom of the second to jump on top of Emory, Pfister would answer back with a solo home run to centerfield in the third inning, and sophomore Tommy Dugan singled in a run in the fourth to even the game at three runs apiece.

The Eagles would take the lead for good in the fourth inning.  After Pfister and David Hissey led the inning off by drawing back-to-back walks, designated hitter Steve Bralver hit an RBI double, followed two-batters later by a two-RBI single from freshman catcher Scott Schwartz.  The Eagles would cap off the inning with a run crossing the plate on a wild pitch, giving Emory a 7-4 advantage over the Stormy Petrels.

Emory would add on two late runs in the eighth inning on a two-out single for Cohn, scoring Hissey and Pfister. 

Pfister continued his recent tear, going two-for-four at the dish with three runs scored, an RBI and his team-leading fourth home run of the season.  Pfister has driven in 18 runs over his last six games, and leads the team with 22 RBIs this season, along with a .479 batting average.

Cohn and Schwartz each had a pair of hits, two RBIs and a run scored in the game.  Schwartz has five hits in seven at bats this season (.714), and has driven in four runs. 

The win raises the fifth-ranked Eagles' record to 9-2 this season, while Oglethorpe dropped to 2-11 on the campaign.  Emory will be back in action Friday, hosting Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) at 2:00 PM.   

EMORY LOOKS TO EXTEND ITS WINNING STREAK AGAINST OGLETHORPE, CASE WESTERN

(Mar. 6) Fifth-ranked Emory University will look to extend its four-game winning streak, as the Eagles will be in action at Oglethorpe University (Ga.) on Thursday, and return home to host Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) on Friday.

The Teams
Emory will enter Thursday's game with an 8-2 record this season, including a perfect 3-0 mark on the road this season.  The Eagles are ranked fifth in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Division III poll, and ninth in the d3baseball.com poll.  Emory is currently riding a four-game winning streak, as the Eagles have won eight of their last nine games.  The Eagles are coached by Mike Twardoski, who holds a 277-101 record during his nine years with the squad.  He is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin. 

Oglethorpe will enter the game with a 2-10 record this season, as the Stormy Petrels have dropped nine-consecutive games.  The Eagles are 31-10 all time against Oglethorpe, winning nine consecutive games.  Last season, Emory defeated Oglethorpe three times, as the Eagles' Dan Molnar went six-for-10 over the three games with four RBIs, three runs, two stolen bases and a triple.  The Stormy Petrels are coached by Dan Giordano, who is assisted by Justin Bach.

Case Western will open its 2008 season on Friday against the Eagles, in a prelude to the University Athletic Association (UAA) Tournament.  Although both schools are UAA teams, Friday's game will not count as a conference game.  The Eagles defeated the Spartans 10-4 at last season's UAA Tournament, getting home runs from Molnar and Steve Bralver.  Emory is 19-1 all time against Case Western.  The Spartans are coached by Matt Englander, who is assisted by Michaerl Krieger, George Radigan and Kevin McMillan.

Emory Notes
Emory's current winning streak of four games equals the Eagles' longest streak of the season... The Eagles are batting .339 as a team this season with runners in scoring position... Emory is 5-0 in games where the team does not commit an error, and is 28-4 in errorless games over the past four seasons... Third baseman Frank Pfister has been on a tear at the plate over his last five games, batting .640 (16-for-25) with five doubles, two home runs and 17 runs batted in during the stretch... The senior leads the team with a .477 batting average, three home runs and 21 RBIs through ten Emory games this season, and has hit in four-straight games for the Eagles... Preseason all-American Joe Roth has recorded a .600 on-base percentage and has walked 14 times already this season... Roth is on pace to set a new school record in walks during a season, a record currently held by Drew Schwartz, who walked 36 times in 1999... Roth is one sacrifice fly away from matching the school-record for sacrifice flies over a career (17)... This week's games will be the final two before the Eagles travel to Sanford, FL for the UAA Tournament.

FIFTH-RANKED EAGLES CLAIM FOURTH-STRAIGHT WIN WITH 9-6 VICTORY OVER LAGRANGE

(Mar. 5) The Emory University bats continued to thrive on Wednesday, as the fifth-ranked Eagles improved to 8-2 this season with a 9-6 win over LaGrange College (Ga.) at Chappell Park.

The Eagles got off to a quick start again, as Frank Pfister singled in a run in the first to give Emory an early 1-0 lead.  It marks the fourth-straight game that the Eagles have scored in the opening frame, and the fifth time overall this season.

After the Panthers scored two runs in the top half of the second, the Eagles answered back with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, including one on a sacrifice fly by Michael Saleh, and on RBI hits by Tommy Dugan and Dan Molnar.

LaGrange continued to battle, however, scoring two more runs to even the score heading into the bottom of the third.  Once again, Emory would answer with three more runs, after a solo home run by Steve Bralver, his second of the season, a squeeze bunt for Jeremy Bolian, and another RBI hit for Dugan.

The Eagles would later add another run in the fourth inning, and a late run in the bottom of the eighth to cement the lead.

On the mound, Paul Schwendel pitched five innings of relief work, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out five to improve to 2-0 this season.  Emory freshman pitchers are now 7-1 this season.

Bralver, the junior designated hitter, had a breakout day, going two-for-three with the home run, a double, two RBIs and two runs scored.  Despite having just four hits in 29 at bats, Bralver has two home runs and two doubles, and has driven in six runs this season.

Pfister continued his tear at the plate, going three-for-five with two RBIs and a double, and is now batting .640 (16-for-25) with five doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs over his last five games.  The senior third baseman leads the team with a .477 batting average, six doubles, three home runs and 21 RBIs through 10 games this season.

As a team, Emory has now scored eight or more runs in five straight games, averaging over 11 runs per game during the stretch.  Emory picked up 13 hits during the game, as the Eagles improved their team season batting average to .321 this year.

The Eagles will be back in action tomorrow, facing cross-town rival Oglethorpe University (Ga.) on the road for the first of four meetings between the two squads this season.  The Eagles will return home on Friday to host Case Western Reserve University (Ohio).    

EMORY TO HOST REGIONAL-RIVAL LAGRANGE ON WEDNESDAY

(Mar. 5) The fifth-ranked Emory Eagles will look to improve on their 7-1 in-region record this season, as the squad will host the LaGrange College (Ga.) Panthers on Wednesday at 2:00 PM.

Last Weekend
The Eagles capped off a 3-1 week with a pair of victories against Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala.  Emory came away with an 11-8 victory on Saturday, while defeating the Hawks 17-4 on Sunday.  The Eagles' 17 runs and 18 hits in the final game of the set are both season-best totals for the squad.  The 17 runs scored are the most for the Emory since the team registered 18 runs against the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point during last year's Division III Championship.  Emory, ranked fifth in the nation, is now 7-2 this season.

Hitting Streaks
Emory has three players with hitting streaks of note.  Senior leftfielder David Hissey has hit safely in each of Emory's nine games this season, including five multiple-hit games.  Senior third baseman Frank Pfister has hit in eight-straight games, including Emory's only four-hit game of the season thus far, coming Sunday against Huntingdon.  Senior second baseman Joe Roth has hit in seven-straight games, and eight of nine games this season.

Heating Up...
Pfister was named the University Athletic Association's (UAA) Athlete of the Week for baseball after batting .650 (13-for-20) with 15 runs batted in, two home runs and four doubles during Emory's four games last week.  The senior is now slugging .821 this season.  Not to be outdone, fellow senior and preseason all-American Joe Roth hit his first home run of the season on Saturday, and now leads the team with 12 walks and a .600 on-base percentage this year.

Seven Down, 24 To Go
With the Eagles having won seven of their last eight games, Head Coach Mike Twardoski is now just 24 wins away from the 300-victory mark for his career.  Twardoski, now in his ninth season at the Eagles' helm, began the year with a .731 career-winning percentage, the seventh-best mark among active Division III coaches.  He is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin.

Freshman Arms
The Eagles received three more victories from freshman pitching last week.  On Thursday at Maryville College (Tenn.), Paul Schwendel pitched five innings to earn his first-collegiate victory.  During the weekend, Elliott Coor improved to 3-0 with a win against Huntingdon, while Matt Ryckman went to 2-0 with a win over the Hawks on Sunday.

Collegiate Firsts
Freshmen Andrew Cohn and Scott Schwartz each recorded their first collegiate RBIs against Huntingdon.  Cohn had a two-RBI single on Saturday, while Schwartz added a two-run single of his own on Sunday.

LaGrange College
LaGrange College will enter the game with a 4-6 record this season.  The Panthers are led by outfielder Michael Sims, who was named an honorable mention to the d3baseball.com Preseason All-America Team.  LaGrange is coached by former Emory skipper Kevin Howard, who is 237-139 in eight seasons with the team.  He is assisted by Ryan Grice and Nick Nelson.

Series History
Emory holds a 21-7 advantage in the series against LaGrange, as the Eagles have claimed six-consecutive wins over the Panthers.  Last season, Emory picked up two victories against LaGrange, winning 5-4 at home and 10-0 in LaGrange.  In six career games against the Panthers, Pfister has recorded five RBIs, including four in two games last season.

Up Next...
Emory will play two more games this week - at Oglethorpe University (Ga.) at 7:00 PM on Thursday and hosting Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) at 2:00 PM on Friday - before heading to Sanford, FL for the UAA Tournament next week.

EMORY SWEEPS HUNTINGDON WITH 17-4 VICTORY

(Mar. 2) The Emory University Baseball Team completed a two-game weekend sweep of Huntingdon College (Ala.), as the Eagles defeated the Hawks 17-4 on Sunday. 

The Eagles opened the game with two runs in the first inning, scoring the runs on a sacrifice fly for Joe Roth, and an error by the leftfielder to take a 2-0 lead. 

Emory would secure the game with an eight-run second inning, during which the Eagles sent 12 batters to the plate.  Three Eagles - Frank Pfister, Patrick Sandman, and Scott Schwartz - each picked up two-RBI singles during the frame, while Dan Molnar drove in a run with an RBI single.  Huntingdon would not get any closer than five runs after the second inning.

Emory freshman starting pitcher Matt Ryckman pitched strong innings, allowing four runs on nine hits to improve to 2-0 on the season.  Ryckman struck out four and walked just one, as his season ERA moved to 2.81.

Pfister continued his tear at the plate, going four-for-six with three RBIs, a double and three runs scored.  The performance caps off a tremendous week for the senior third-baseman, who hit .650 (13-for-20) with two home runs, 15 RBIs, eight runs scored and four doubles during the four-game stretch.  This season, Pfister is hitting .462 with a team-best three home runs and 19 RBIs over Emory's nine games.

Roth, a preseason all-American, went two-for-three in the game with two RBIs, two runs scored and two walks, and is now leading the team with a .483 batting average this season.  Senior leftfielder David Hissey raised his batting average to .432, going three-for-five with two RBIs and two runs scored.  Hissey now leads all Emory players with 15 runs scored this season.

The win brings Emory's record to 7-2 this season, as the Eagles reversed their fortunes against Huntingdon this weekend , sweeping the Hawks after losing four-straight and five-of-six to the squad prior to Saturday's game.  The Eagles, ranked fifth in the nation, will return home Tuesday to host LaGrange College (Ga.).

NO. FIVE EAGLES HOLD ON TO DEFEAT HUNTINGDON 11-8

(Mar. 1) Emory University snapped a four-game losing streak to Huntingdon College (Ala.), as the fifth-ranked Eagles defeated the Hawks 11-8 in Montgomery, Ala.

The Eagles got off to a quick start, as Joe Roth hit his first home run of the campaign with one out in the first inning, a two-run shot to put the Eagles on top 2-0.  The Eagles would get two more in the inning of a Steve Bralver double to take a 4-0 lead.

After a two-run home run for Huntingdon's Garrett Sweat in the bottom half of the first frame, the Eagles would add one more in the second off a Dan Molnar RBI single, and two more in the third on an Andrew Cohn single.

Emory would tack on three more runs to the lead in the sixth inning off RBI singles for Sam Schreiber, Molnar and Frank Pfister.  Pfister would also plate the Eagles' final run of the game on an RBI double in the eighth inning.

Pfister finished the day three-for-five with two doubles, two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base.  In his last three games, the senior third baseman is nine-for-14 (.643) with three doubles, two home runs  and 12 runs batted in.

Freshman Elliott Coor made his third start for the Eagles, earning the win to improve to 3-0 on the campaign.  Coor allowed three runs on five hits through six innings, while walking three and striking out three.

The win brings Emory's record to 6-2, while Huntingdon drops to 1-9 on the campaign.  The two squads will face off again on Sunday, starting at 2:00 PM EST.

EMORY BASEBALL TRAVELS TO HUNTINGDON FOR A TWO-GAME SET

(Feb. 29) The fifth-ranked Emory University Eagles will conclude a three-game road trip this weekend, travelling to Huntingdon College (Ala.) for a 3:00 PM EST game on Saturday, and a 2:00 PM EST game on Sunday.

Team Records
Emory will enter the game with a 5-2 record this season, following an 8-5 victory over Maryville College (Tenn.) on Thursday, the Eagles' first road game of the season.  Huntingdon will enter the game with a 1-8 record on the campaign, as the Hawks have allowed 10 or more runs in six of their last seven games.

Series History
Huntingdon was the only team to beat the Eagles more than once in 2007, claiming 7-6 and 18-13 victories over the Eagles.  The 18 runs were the most allowed by Emory in a game last season, and one of just four times during the campaign that the Eagles allowed a double-digit run total.  The Eagles are 15-6 all time against the Hawks, but have not defeated Huntingdon since April 19, 2005, a four-game losing streak. 

The Coaches
Emory is led by Head Coach Mike Twardoski, who moved closer to the 300-win mark on Thursday with his 274th-career victory.  The Eagles' skipper holds a career record of 274-101, and his .731 career-winning percentage to begin the season was the seventh-best amongst active Division III coaches.  Twardoski is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin.

Huntington is coached by D.J. Conville, who took over the team's reins in 2005, entered the 2008 campaign with an 86-41 record with the Hawks.  The former Huntingdon middle infielder is assisted by Matt Lyles.

Emory Notes
The Eagles have had two University Athletic Association (UAA) Athletes of the Week this season... Freshman pitcher Elliot Coor earned the honor the first week of the season, and senior second baseman Joe Roth earned it the second week of the campaign... Senior third baseman Frank Pfister is on pace to win the honor this week, going six-for-nine with two home runs, a double and 10 runs batted in over his last two games... Pfister has already surpassed his home run total from all of last season (two), swatting three long balls with a .393 batting average and a team-best 14 runs batted in during the campaign... Roth leads Emory with a .500 batting average (11-for-22) and has 10 RBIs this season... Roth and Pfister are a combined 12-31 (.387) with runners on base this season... Senior leftfielder David Hissey is batting .429 out of the leadoff spot, scoring 11 runs and stealing five bases over Emory's first seven games... Sophomore Adam Genn earned his second save of the season against Maryville, matching his mark from all of last season... Freshman Elliott Coor is 2-0 this season with a 0.64 earned run average, allowing just 11 hits over 14 innings pitched during two starts... His fellow freshman starter, Matt Ryckman, is 1-0 this season with a 0.90 ERA. 

PFISTER POWERS FIFTH-RANKED EMORY TO AN 8-5 VICTORY OVER MARYVILLE

(Feb. 28) Emory University third baseman Frank Pfister drove in five runs, including a two-run home run, guiding the fifth-ranked Eagles (5-2) to an 8-5 victory over the Maryville College Scots (1-9) in Maryville, Tenn.

Pfister has driven in 10 runs over his last two games, going six-for-nine with two home runs and a double during the stretch.  The senior is now batting .393, and has team-bests with three home runs and 14 runs batted in this season.

Sophomore Dan Molnar got the Eagles started early in the game, tripling in the first inning and scoring on a Pfister ground out to give Emory a 1-0 lead.  After a two-run home run for Maryville's Ben Peters in the bottom half of the frame, Pfister struck again his next time up, plating Molnar on a single to left center in the third inning to even the game.

Emory would take the lead for good in the fifth inning.  With one out and runners on first and second, senior preseason all-American Joe Roth doubled down the left field line to score both runners.  Pfister followed Roth with a two-run blast to put Emory up 6-2.

Roth would pick up his third RBI of the game with a single in the ninth inning, while Pfister would add his fifth with a final-frame sacrifice fly.  Roth is second on the squad with 10 RBIs this season, and leads the team with a .500 batting average.

Emory's third senior in the lineup, leadoff hitter David Hissey, would go two-for-four with two runs scored, giving him 11 runs through the Eagles' first seven games.  Each of Emory's nine hits in the contest came from its top-four hitters in the lineup (Hissey, Molnar, Roth and Pfister).

Freshman Paul Schwendel got the start for the Eagles, earning his first collegiate win while allowing two runs on four hits, walking two and striking out four through five innings pitched.  Sophomore Adam Genn would pitch the final four innings to earn his second save of the season.

Emory has now won five of its last six games, and five of six against regional opponents.  The Eagles will return to action this weekend, with a two game set at Huntingdon College (Ala.).   

FIFTH-RANKED EMORY DROPPED BY ADRIAN, 12-11

(Feb. 26) The fifth-ranked Emory Eagles rallied late against Adrian College (Mich.), scoring nine runs in the final three innings, but the Bulldogs were able to hold on to edge Emory 12-11 at Chappell Park.

Senior third baseman Frank Pfister had a breakout day, going three-for-five with five runs batted in, a home run and a double.  Pfister pulled the Eagles within one run late, doubling to centerfield in the bottom of the ninth and driving in Joe Roth to make it a 12-11 game.  However, the game ended one batter later as Andrew Cohn flied out to center to end the game.

Pfister now has a team-leading two home runs and nine runs batted in on the campaign.  Roth improved his batting average to .474, and now has seven runs batted in this season.

The Eagles dropped to 4-2 on the campaign with the loss, while Adrian picked up the victory in its season-opening game.  The Eagles will return to action tomorrow, travelling to Maryville College (Tenn.) for their first road game of the campaign.

EMORY BASEBALL TO HOST ADRIAN ON TUESDAY; TRAVEL TO MARYVILLE WEDNESDAY

(Feb. 25) The Emory University Baseball team (4-1), ranked fifth in the Nation, will conclude a six-game home stand on Tuesday against Adrian College (Mich.) at 2:00 PM, before hitting the road for the first time this season with a mid-week matchup against Maryville College (Tenn.) on Wednesday at 3:00 PM.

This Week's Opponents
The Adrian College (Mich.) Bulldogs will open their 2008 season with Tuesday's game against Emory.  Adrian finished the 2007 season with a 24-16 record, including an 11-13 record in road games.  The Bulldogs will return three all-conference players from last season: senior pitcher/ third baseman Bobby Rickstad, shortstop Todd Meyers and outfielder Anthony Carr.  Adrian is coached by Craig Rainey, who holds a 289-274 record in 14 seasons with the squad.  He is assisted by Luke Harrigan, Gordie Theisen, Aaron Klotz and Phil Lawrence.

Maryville will enter Wednesday's matchup with a 1-8 record in 2008, including a 1-5 record at home.  The Scots are paced offensively by senior outfielder Nathan Nehf, who is batting .394 with two home runs and four runs batted in this season.  Maryville is coached by Daniel Washburn, in his second season with the squad.  He is assisted by John Rypel and Jimmy Reese.  

Series History
Tueday's game will mark the sixth meeting between the Eagles and the Adrian College Bulldogs, who have made the trip to Atlanta in each of the past four seasons.  Emory is 5-0 all time against Adrian, including a 4-3 victory last season.  Sophomore Adam Genn pitched five shutout innings and struck out six during last season's game, while sophomore Dan Molnar went two-for-four with two RBIs.

Emory is 26-19 all time against Maryville, including a three-game sweep of the Scots in 2007.  Over the three games last season, Emory's David Hissey hit .588 (10-for-17) and Joe Roth hit .353 with a home run and seven runs batted in.

Approaching History
Emory Head Coach Mike Twardoski won his 273rd game on Sunday and is now just 27 shy of the 300-win mark.  The Eagles have won at least 31 games in six of Twardoski's previous eight seasons at the team's helm.  Emory's skipper, assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde Partin, has helped the Eagles to five UAA titles, six trips to the NCAA Tournament, and three appearances in the Division III Championships, including a second-place finish last season.

Athlete of the Week
Freshman starting pitcher Elliott Coor was named the first University Athletic Association (UAA) Athlete of the Week for the 2008 baseball season, following his opening-weekend start against Millsaps College (Miss.).  Coor has now compiled a 0.64 earned run average and a 2-0 record through two starts this season.

Youth Movement
Despite returning a strong core of veteran players this season, Emory's young players have had key roles for the team in the early part of the season.  Besides Coor, freshmen pitchers Matt Ryckman and Paul Schwendel have each started a game for the Eagles this year, with Ryckman compiling a 1-0 record with a 0.90 ERA, and Schwedel allowing three runs in five innings en route to an Emory win over Washington & Lee.  In addition, freshman catcher Jeremy Bolian is tied for the team lead with four RBIs and has thrown out four of five runners on the base paths, freshman shortstop Sam Schreiber is batting .417 (5-12) this season with two doubles, and freshman first baseman Andrew Cohn has started all five Emory games this year, swatting two doubles and stealing three bases.

All-American Form
Preseason all-American Joe Roth has wasted little time getting into mid-season form.  In three games last week, Roth went six-for-nine, including two doubles, four runs scored and three RBIs, while stealing three bases.  Roth, the 2007 Rawlings Gold Glove second baseman for Division III, is yet to commit an error in 23 chances this season.

Moving up the Charts
Emory leftfielder David Hissey has stolen four bases this season, giving him 57 over the course of his collegiate career.  The senior has moved into a tie with Todd Rasmussen (1998-2001) for sixth place on the Emory career stolen base list.  Both players have stolen 57 bases on 67 attempts.

EMORY BASEBALL WINS FOURTH-STRAIGHT WITH 5-2 VICTORY OVER GREENSBORO

(Feb. 24) The fifth-ranked Emory Baseball team received another strong pitching performance from a freshman, as starter Matt Ryckman allowed just one run over 5.2 innings to guide the Eagles (4-1) to a 5-2 victory over the Greensboro College (N.C.) Pride (9-4).

Ryckman allowed just four hits and two walks, striking out one batter during his first collegiate start.  The freshman, who previously appeared in one game out of the bullpen for Emory, lowered his season earned run average to 0.90, while improving his record to 1-0 this season.

In a reversal of Emory's opening game, a 5-1 loss to Millsaps College (Miss.), Adam Genn relieved Ryckman, throwing the final 3.1 innings to earn his first save of the season.  The sophomore allowed one run on one hit in his fourth outing of the campaign, lowering his ERA to 4.00.

Preseason All-American Joe Roth paced Emory at the plate, going three-for-three with a double, an RBI, a run scored, two walks, and two stolen bases during the game.  The senior upped his season batting average to a team-leading .467, and is now tied for the team lead with four RBIs this season.

Emory got on the board in the bottom of the third inning, as Roth scored after singling, stealing second, and advancing home on a wild pitch.  The Eagles added two more runs in the frame with a bases-loaded single for freshman catcher Jeremy Bolian, on a 0-2 pitch with two outs in the inning. 

Greensboro starting pitcher Jordan Dorsett pitched four innings in the loss, dropping to 3-1 on the campaign. 

The victory gives the Eagles four-consecutive wins, as Emory improved to 4-1 on the campaign.  The Eagles also finished the Rawlings Southern Classic with a perfect 2-0 record.  Emory will end a six-game home stand on Tuesday, as the Eagles will play host to Adrian College (Mich.) at 2:00 PM.

FIFTH-RANKED EAGLES SHUTOUT YORK 7-0

(Feb. 23) Freshman Elliott Coor pitched seven shutout innings and preseason All-American Joe Roth drove in two runs, as the fifth-ranked Emory Eagles shutout the 25th-ranked York College (Pa.) Spartans at Chappell Park.

Coor improved to 2-0 this season, spreading seven hits and two walks over his seven innings pitched, and striking out five batters.  The freshman lowered his season earned run average to 0.64 during the outing, while showing tremendous poise on the mound, working out of situations with runners in scoring position and less than two outs in four separate innings.

Sophomores Adam Genn and Matthew Katten each pitched an inning to finish the shutout for the Eagles, the squad's first since April 25th, 2007. 

On the offensive end, freshman catcher Jeremy Bolian put the Eagles on top with a two-out, two-run single in the fourth inning.  Roth, the second baseman, drove in two runs as well during the day, going two-for-four with a single and a double.

York starting pitcher Jason Christenberry threw seven innings, allowing five runs while taking the first loss of his collegiate career.

The win, Emory's third straight, brings the Eagles' record to 3-1 on the campaign, while York drops to 0-2 on the season.  The Eagles will continue play at the Rawlings Southern Classic against Greensboro College (N.C.), tomorrow at 2:00 PM.

TRIO OF TOP SOUTH-REGION BASEBALL TEAMS TO PLAY AT THE RAWLINGS SOUTHERN CLASSIC

(Feb. 21) Three of the top teams in the South Region will converge on Chappell Park in Atlanta, GA this weekend, as Emory University will play host for the Rawlings Southern Classic.  Besides the fifth-ranked Eagles, the tournament will feature the 25th-ranked York College (Pa.) Spartans, and the Greensboro College (N.C.) Pride.

Play at the tournament will consist of two games each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the early game beginning at 10:00 AM, and the late game at 2:00 PM each day.  The first game of the tournament will start at 10:00 AM on Friday, featuring the Pride and the Spartans.

Emory will enter the weekend with a 2-1 this season, following a thrilling 8-6 win over Washington and Lee University (Va.) on Tuesday.  After leading 6-0 earlier in the game, the Eagles survived six unanswered runs from the Generals, as designated hitter Steve Bralver hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to clinch the game for Emory.  The Eagles are ranked fifth in the nation according to the latest ABCA and d3baseball.com polls.  Emory is coached  by Mike Twardoski, who holds a 271-100 record over eight-plus seasons with the Eagles.  Twardoski is assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde ‘Doc' Partin.

York will open its 2008 season at the Rawlings Southern Classic, following a 32-14 record in 2007 and a third-place finish at the NCAA South Regional Tournament.  The Spartans will begin the campaign ranked 25th in the nation according to the ABCA poll, and received more votes than any other unranked team in the d3baseball.com poll.  The Eagles won two exciting games against York last season, winning in the last at-bat each time.  The Eagles scored four runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Spartans 6-5 in the first game, and picked up a 10-inning 7-6 victory in the second game.  During the pair of games, the Eagles' Bralver paced the offense with a four-for-nine performance with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs.  Emory is 13-1 all time against York.  The Spartans are led by head coach Paul Saikia, who is assisted by Mike Scappa, Matt Day, Chris Brower, Bryan Bednarczyk, and Elwood Fake.

Greensboro will enter the weekend with a 7-3 record in 2008, following a 20-20 finish in 2007.  The Eagles won two at home against Greensboro last season, claiming 7-6 and 4-2 wins over the Pride.  Frank Pfister paced the Eagles during the two games, going two-for-six with a home run and three RBIs during the series.  Emory is 6-3 all time against the Pride.  Greensboro is led by Ken Carlyle, who is assisted by Matt Aker.

Fans can follow all of the action from the Rawlings Southern Classic with live statistics of each game.  To access the live statistics, along with updated tournament statistics and standings and game recaps, go to http://www.go.emory.edu/Statistics/Current/Base/Rawlings_Tournament/2008_Rawlings_Tournament.html.

EMORY BASEBALL'S COOR NAMED THE UAA ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

(Feb. 20) Just one week into the first regular season of his Emory career, freshman starting pitcher Elliott Coor was named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Athlete of the Week for baseball.

Coor picked up a victory in his collegiate debut on Sunday.  He pitched seven innings against Millsaps College (Miss.), holding the Majors to one run on four hits, striking out two and walking one.  The freshman was able to deal Millsaps its first loss in six games of the 2008 campaign. 

Emory, ranked fifth in the Nation, has opened the season with a 2-1 record.

BRALVER HITS A WALKOFF HOME RUN TO LEAD FIFTH-RANKED EMORY OVER WASHINGTON & LEE

(Feb. 18) Emory University's Steve Bralver played the hero for the Eagles Tuesday afternoon, hitting a two-run two-out walk off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift fifth-ranked Emory (2-1) to a 8-6 victory over the Washington and Lee (Va.) Generals (2-1).

Bralver, a 2007 NCAA All-Tournament selection, entered the game as the designated hitter in the seventh inning.  The home run came in the junior's second at bat of the game, on a 1-0 pitch from the Generals' Jim Plantholt, after the frame was extended by two Washington and Lee errors.  The shot was the first hit of the season for Bralver.

"It was a great mid-week win for us, but in order for us to win consistently, we have to play better," said Emory Head Coach Mike Twardoski.  "But, it was still a great win for us."

Each of Emory's eight runs during the game came with two outs.  With two gone in the third inning, senior third baseman Frank Pfister gave Emory a 3-0 lead with a three run home run, his first of the season.  With two outs in the fourth inning and the bases full, sophomore Dan Molnar increased Emory's lead to 6-0 with a bases-clearing double, his first RBIs of the season.

The Generals would battle back though.  Washington and Lee would score three runs in each of the fifth and eighth frames to bring the game even.  With one out and the go-ahead on second for Washington and Lee, Adam Genn entered the game for the Eagles, recording the final two outs of the inning and not allowing the run in the ninth.  The sophomore would go on to earn the win, improving to 1-1 this season.

Freshman Paul Schwendel started for the Eagles, pitching five innings in his Emory debut, allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out two. 

Emory will return to action on Friday, with the Rawlings Southern Classic.  The Eagles will open the tournament at 2:00 PM against Greensboro College (N.C.).

NO. FIVE EMORY BASEBALL TO HOST WASHINGTON & LEE TUESDAY

(Feb. 18) The Emory University Baseball Team will continue its eight-game season-opening home stand this week, as the fifth-ranked Eagles will play host to the Washington and Lee University (Va.) Generals on Tuesday at 2:00 PM.

Opening Weekend
Emory split a two-game opening-weekend series with Millsaps College (Miss.).  The Eagles suffered a 5-1 defeat on Saturday, as Emory committed four errors, and was able to gather just three hits.  Freshman pitcher Matt Ryckman made his collegiate debut in the game, throwing 4.1 one-hit innings in relief, allowing one unearned run.  On Sunday, another freshman pitcher, Elliott Coor, picked up the victory in a 4-1 Emory win, throwing seven innings of four-hit baseball, allowing one run. 

Approaching History
Emory Head Coach Mike Twardoski won his 270th game on Sunday and is now just 30 shy of the 300-win mark.  The Eagles have won at least 31 games in six of Twardoski's previous eight seasons at the team's helm.  Emory's skipper, assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde Partin, has helped the Eagles to five UAA titles, six trips to the NCAA Tournament, and three appearances in the Division III Championships, including a second-place finish last season.

Closing Time
Emory sophomore Will Gumm earned the first save of his career on Sunday, pitching the final two innings of Emory's victory.  Gumm will look to step into the role vacated by now-graduated 2007 All-South Region closer Rich Babb ('07) for the 2008 season.

A Fast Start
Emory leadoff hitter David Hissey has fueled Emory's offense through the first two games of the season.  The senior has recorded three of the team's nine hits and has scored two of the squad's five runs.

Home Sweet Home
The Eagles will look to maintain a decisive home-field advantage in 2008, after going a combined 37-5 over the last two seasons at Chappell Park, a .880 winning percentage.  Emory is 230-68-1 at Chappell Park since its inception in 1995.

Washington & Lee
The Generals will enter the game with a 1-0 record in 2008 (pending a Monday afternoon matchup with Oglethorpe University (Ga.)).  The team picked up a 19-4 victory over Oglethorpe Sunday, registering 21 hits in the game.  Washington & Lee, coached by Jeff Stickley (22nd season, 294-295-14), went 18-14 during the 2007 season, including a 7-4 mark in road games.

Series History
Tuesday's game will mark the eighth meeting between the two squads.  Emory is a perfect 7-0 against Washington and Lee in the previous seven meetings.  The two teams last matched up during the 2006 season, with Emory claiming a 15-6 victory.  In the game, David Hissey, Joe Roth, and Frank Pfister each recorded a double.

Up Next
Emory will host the Rawlings Southern Classic, welcoming York College (Pa.) and Greensboro College (N.C.), beginning this Friday. 

FIFTH-RANKED EMORY BASEBALL DOWNS MILLSAPS 4-1

(Feb. 17) The fifth-ranked Emory baseball team thrived on its youth Sunday, as a number of freshman guided the team to a 4-1 victory over the Millsaps Majors, giving the Eagles their first win of the 2008 campaign.

Starting pitcher Elliott Coor made his collegiate debut, allowing just one run and four hits over his seven innings pitched.  The freshman southpaw struck out two and walked one batter, en route to earning the victory.

Millsaps scored its lone run of the game in the third inning, after leading the inning off with a single and a walk.  Leadoff hitter Hunter Abrams sacrificed the runners over, followed by an RBI ground out for Russ Boyd, giving the Majors a 1-0 lead.  Corr was able to escape any further trouble, getting Tony Malaschack to line out to third to end the inning.

The Eagles would answer back in the sixth inning.  Freshman catcher Jeremy Bolian, making his collegiate debut, singled up the middle to open the inning, followed by a base hit for sophomore Tommy Dugan.  With runners on first and second, senior David Hissey hit a ground ball to third base which was thrown away, allowing both runners to score, and Hissey to advance to third, scoring later on a wild pitch.

The Eagles would add an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Joe Roth, the preseason All-American's first RBI of the campaign.

Sophomore closer Will Gumm allowed one hit and two walks over the final two innings of the game to earn his first career save.  He escaped trouble in the ninth inning, when, with runners on the corners and two outs, Bolian threw out Bryant Palmerton attempting to steal second to end the game.

The win brings Emory's record to 1-1 on the season, while the Majors were dealt their first loss of the season, falling to 5-1 on the campaign.  The Eagles will return to action Tuesday at 2:00 PM, to face off against Washington and Lee University (Va.) at Chappell Park.

FIFTH-RANKED EMORY DROPPED 5-1 IN SEASON OPENER

(Feb. 16) The fifth-ranked Emory University baseball team suffered a defeat in its season-opening game, dropping a 5-1 decision to the Millsaps Majors.

The game began with a promising start for the Eagles, as starting pitcher Adam Genn retired the side in order during the top of the first inning, including a pair of strikeouts.  In the bottom half of the frame, David Hissey led off with a single, later stealing second.  However, on a ball four to Dan Molnar, Hissey was thrown out, attempting to steal third.

The Eagles were still able to put a run on the board in the first, as Molnar scored on a balk by Millsaps pitcher Aaron Williams. 

Williams shut the Eagles down following the balk, retiring 20-consecutive batters before leaving the game in the top of the eighth inning.  The freshman, making his second-career start, struck out seven batter while walking just one.

Millsaps was able to score four runs off of Genn in the second inning, including RBI doubles for Hunter Abrams and Will Hawkins.  The lead would hold for the rest of the game for the Majors.

Freshman pitcher Matt Ryckman made a successful Emory debut, allowing one unearned run on one hit in 4.1 innings of relief work, despite walking seven batters.  After Ryckman left the game with the bases loaded in the eighth, senior co-captain Julian Smith was able to get two quick outs to get out of the jam.

Hissey, a junior, finished the game with two of the Eagles three hits.  Preseason All-American Joe Roth registered the other.

The loss drops the Eagles to 0-1 in 2008, while the Majors remain perfect on the year, improving to 5-0.  The two teams will meet again at Chappell Park tomorrow, with the game slated to begin at 1:00 PM.

FIFTH-RANKED EMORY BASEBALL TO OPEN 2008 AGAINST MILLSAPS COLLEGE

(Feb. 13) This weekend will mark the opening of the 2008 season for the fifth-ranked Emory University baseball team, as the Eagles will welcome Millsaps College (Miss.) to Chappell Park for a two-game set.  The two teams will face off on Saturday and Sunday at 1:00 PM.

Emory holds a slim 16-15 advantage in past games with Millsaps, a series that dates back to the Eagles' inaugural season in 1991.  The two teams split a pair of games in Jackson, MS last season, with the Eagles claiming a 5-1 victory, and the Majors a 12-2 triumph.  Emory outfielder David Hissey went four-for-seven with a stolen base over the two-game stretch.

Millsaps, which received votes in the d3baseball.com preseason poll, will enter the weekend with a 3-0 record (pending a Thursday game) during the 2008 season, following a 35-11 record in 2007.  The Majors are coached by Jim Page, who holds a 473-280-3 (.625) career record, including eight SCAC titles and five trips to the NCAA Division III National Championships.  Millsaps features a number of talented players, including preseason first team All-American outfielder Hunter Owen, who batted .404 with 11 home runs in 2007, and first baseman Quinn Salmon, who already has three home runs this season.

Record-Setting Season
The 2007 Emory Baseball team set a number of school and program records during its run to the Division III World Series Championship Game.  The Eagles' second-place finish was the best by a University Athletic Association (UAA) team in the history of the conference, and the highest by an Emory squad in a team-based sport.  Emory's 43 wins were also a program record.

Approaching History
Emory Head Coach Mike Twardoski will begin the season with 269-career wins, just 31 shy of the 300-win mark.  The Eagles have won at least 31 games in six of Twardoski's previous eight seasons at the team's helm.  Emory's skipper, assisted by Ethan Solomon, Mike Clark, Ryan Shekell, and Clyde Partin, has helped the Eagles to five UAA titles, six trips to the NCAA Tournament, and three appearances in the Division III Championships, including a second-place finish last season.

Ranked in ‘08
Emory has received the highest preseason ranking in the program's history.  The Eagles are ranked fifth in Division III in both the ABCA and d3baseball.com polls.  Emory's previous best preseason rank was 10th in 2001, following Emory's seventh-place national finish in 2000.  The Eagles finished the 2001 season with a 36-9 record, advancing to the NCAA Regional Championship game.

Preseason All-American
Emory second baseman Joe Roth was named to the d3baseball.com Preseason All-America second team for the 2008 season.  The senior was named to the inaugural ABCA/ Rawlings Gold Glove team in 2007, in addition to batting .350 while leading the team with five home runs and 58 runs batted in.

Going Streaking
Emory third baseman Frank Pfister will begin 2008 with an 18-game hitting streak carried over from the end of the 2007 season.  Despite its length, the senior's current streak was not the longest of his campaign last year, as Pfister hit in 25 consecutive games from March 3rd through April 10th.  Pfister set a school record in 2007 with 87 hits, reaching base safely in 51 of 53 Emory games.

Comeback Kids
Emory came from behind in 21 of its 43 victories during the 2007 season, including 14 in the team's final at bats.  Six of the Eagles' eight postseason wins were come-from-behind victories.

Home Sweet Home
The Eagles will look to maintain a decisive home-field advantage in 2008, after going a combined 37-5 over the last two seasons at Chappell Park, a .880 winning percentage.  Emory is 229-67-1 at Chappell Park since its inception in 1995.

Next up
Emory will host Washington and Lee University (Va.) on Tuesday, February 19th at 2:00 PM, before welcoming Greensboro College (N.C.) and York College (Pa.) to Chappell Park for the Rawlings Southern Classic next weekend.

EMORY BASEBALL LOOKS FOR AN ENCORE PERFORMANCE IN 2008

(Jan. 22) In what became typical fashion for the 2007 squad, Emory battled until the very end of the season.  The Eagles fought through 21 come from behind victories during the season, including 14 in the team's last at bat.  They fought to a victory in the NCAA South Regional Championship game when they trailed by two to the home team in the top of the ninth.  They fought back from an opening game loss in the NCAA Championship Tournament to win four straight games and advance to the Championship game.

The Eagles battled all the way to the end, finishing second in the nation after a bases-loaded ground ball in the bottom of the tenth inning of the Championship game broke a 4-4 tie, and left Emory holding the silver trophy.  The second-place finish left the Eagles with something else though - unfinished business.

Having unfinished business is nothing new for the Eagles, who entered the 2007 season looking to push the senior class to its first Division III World Series appearance (Emory had previously appeared in the 2000 and 2003 World Series).  After exceeding expectations last year, the Eagles enter 2008 with the goal of returning to the World Series, and, this time, coming away with a National Championship.

"The difference between first and second is astronomical when it comes to sports," said Emory Head Coach Mike Twardoski.  "But, reflecting on last year, the season was incredible.  When evaluating why we were so good, the number one thing was the team chemistry."

The Eagles will look to thrive off the same team chemistry that fueled last year's squad, despite graduating 10 players from last year's roster.  Emory will begin the year ranked fifth in the nation by both the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and d3baseball.com. 

The Eagles strength in 2008 will likely come on both the offensive and defensive front, as they return a strong core of position players.  Leading the way for Emory will be senior second baseman Joe Roth, who was named a second-team preseason All-American by d3baseball.com.  Roth batted .350 in 2007, while swatting a team-best five home runs and driving in 58 runs, the third-best total in school history.  Roth also excelled defensively, committing just three errors en route to being named to the inaugural ABCA/ Rawlings Gold Glove team.

Third baseman Frank Pfister will return following one of the best offensive outputs in school history last season.  The senior, who ended 2007 on an 18-game hitting streak, hit .387 with a school-record 87 hits during the year, and earned Most Valuable Player honors at the NCAA South Regional Tournament. 

Emory will look to plug two returning players into the remaining infield spots.  Junior Steve Bralver, who was named to the All-NCAA Championship Tournament team as a designated hitter last year, will don a glove this season and guard first base for the Eagles.  Bralver was second on the team with four home runs last year, despite missing the last 14 regular season games after getting hit on the hand with a pitch during an April 1st game.  At shortstop, sophomore Michael Saleh will look to bring his solid defensive ability to the starting lineup after playing in just 12 games behind All-Championship Tournament shortstop Brandon Custer (‘07C) in 2007.

The Eagles will also be without 2007 catcher Tyler Short, who was one of Emory's biggest offensive threats in the postseason, hitting .316 and driving in the South Regional-clinching run with a 12th-inning single against Ferrum College (Va.).  He will be replaced primarily by a combination of returning sophomore Mathew McDonough and freshman Jeremy Bolian.

Emory is returning each of its three starting outfielders from the 2007 team.  Senior David Hissey, a career .363 hitter with 53 stolen bases and the 2006 University Athletic Association (UAA) Player of the Year, will anchor the group from left field.  Two sophomores, Tommy Dugan and Dan Molnar, will be in center and right respectively.  Dugan provided the lightening in Emory's outfield last season, playing excellent defense and stealing 11 bases in 12 attempts, while Molnar added the thunder with a .962 on base plus slugging last year, the best mark on the team.

While the Eagles return the majority of their position players, the pitchers returning will comprise just 23% of Emory's innings pitched last year.  Key losses for the Eagles include All-American Jason Glushon (who ended last year pitching for the Oakland Athletics Double-A affiliate) and All-South Region closer Rich Babb, along with starters Ian Ganzer, Sam Cunningham and Anthony Vidal.

Looking to take over the closer role for Emory is sophomore Will Gumm, who was third on the staff in 2007 with 19 appearances and compiled a 3-0 record with a 2.81 earned run average.  Senior Julian Smith will see increased action out of the bullpen as well, after appearing in 17 games last year.  Sophomore Adam Genn started six games for Emory last season, recording a 3.93 ERA, while junior Brian Cournoyer started two games, going 1-0 with a 4.72 ERA.  Emory also will add nine highly-touted freshmen arms to the pitching staff, a number of which were named to their high school all-region, all-league and all-state teams.

"I think we are going to be fine with our position players this year," said Twardoski.  "The key for us will be to have some of the freshman and sophomore pitchers, along with Julian Smith and Brian Cournoyer, really step up.  We have to have someone take the reins and be a consistent pitcher for us."

Emory will kick the 2008 campaign off at home against Millsaps College (Miss.) with a two-game series starting on Saturday, February 16th.  Other schedule highlights for the Eagles include the Rawlings Southern Classic at Chappell Park, which will bring 25th-ranked York College (Penn.) and Greensboro College to Atlanta for three days of baseball.  Beginning on March 11th, the Eagles will travel to Sanford, FL for the annual University Athletic Association (UAA) Baseball Championship Tournament, where they will look to win their third-consecutive conference title.

EMORY'S JOE ROTH NAMED TO THE PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM

(Jan. 17) Emory University's Joe Roth has been recognized by d3baseball.com as a preseason All-American.  The returning senior was named the second baseman for the second team, by the premier site for information on Division III baseball.

Roth earned the first national honor of his career last season, as the second baseman was named to the inaugural American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/ Rawlings Gold Glove team, after committing just three errors for a .987 fielding percentage in 2007.  He complemented his stellar performance in the field by batting .350 with five home runs and 58 runs batted in during the season.  Roth was also named to the All-South Region first team, the All-South Regional Tournament team, and the All-University Athletic Association first team during the season.

Other players of interest named preseason All-Americans include Millsaps College's Hunter Owens (first team - outfield), Rhodes College's Robert Flanagan (second team - pitcher) and Daniel Vanaman (honorable mention - first base), and LaGrange College's Michael Sims (honorable mention - outfield).  The Eagles will face each of those players' squads twice during the 2008 regular season.

Emory finished the 2007 season second in the nation with a 43-10 record.  The Eagles, ranked fifth in the preseason poll, will open their 2008 campaign at Chappell Park on Saturday, February 16th, against Millsaps College (Miss.).

EMORY BASEBALL RANKED FIFTH TO OPEN THE 2008 SEASON

(Jan. 3) Following its second place finish at the 2007 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, the Emory University baseball team will begin its 2008 campaign ranked fifth in the nation, according to the America Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) preseason poll.

The ranking is the highest preseason-ranking by an Emory team in school history, surpassing the 2001 Eagles' preseason rank of 10th in 2001, following Emory's seventh-place national finish in 2000.

Emory will begin its 2008 season on Saturday, February 16th against Millsaps College (Miss.) at Chappell Park.

EMORY BASEBALL TO BE HONORED BY THE ATLANTA BRAVES

(Sept. 10) The Emory University baseball team will be honored by the Atlanta Braves for the team's performance during the 2007 season, prior to the Braves' game against the Florida Marlins on Monday, September 17th at Turner Field.

As part of the ceremony, Emory's head coach Mike Twardoski will serve as a Braves Honorary Team Captain, taking part in the lineup exchange, along with the managers and umpires at the start of the game.  The public address announcer will introduce Coach Twardoski before the exchange, and he will be featured on the "Braves Vision" screen. 

In addition, members of the Emory baseball have been invited to Turner Field for the festivities and to watch the game.

Emory University finished second at the 2007 Division III World Series, and with a program-best 43-10 record.

To purchase tickets for the game, please go to www.braves.com.

FORMER EAGLE PINCKNEY LEADS THE AA SEA DOGS INTO THE PLAYOFFS

Portland Press Herald Article (Sept. 7)
Portland Press Herald Article (Sept. 5)

(Sept. 7) Former Emory Eagle baseball player Andrew Pinckney ('04), now playing for the Boston Red Sox Double-A affiliate Portland Sea Dogs, hit two home runs against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats during a one-game playoff for the final spot in the Eastern League Playoffs. 

Pinckney finished the game two-for-three with the two home runs and three runs batted in, helping his team to a 7-4 victory in the game and the franchise's sixth playoff berth. 

Pinckney's clutch play continued into the playoffs.  He recorded the game-winning hit in the top of the 13th inning in the second game against the Trenton Thunder, an RBI single that evened the series at a game a piece.

The former All-American finished the regular season batting .264, and led the Sea Dogs with 14 home runs and 64 RBI.  He was second on the team with 72 runs scored.

While Pinckney is yet to don a Major League Red Sox uniform, he had a big moment at earlier in the season at historic Fenway Park.  Playing in front of 34,746 members of the Red Sox Fan Nation, he hit a solo home run and scored a key run in the ninth inning to help his team to a 12-11 victory in the game.

Success is nothing new for Pinckney, who hit .433 with 13 home runs in two seasons with the Eagles, including an All-American year in 2004, before being taken in the 34th round by the Red Sox in the 2004 First Year Player Draft.  He is a two-time minor league All-Star, and was named both the Red Sox Minor League Offensive Player of the Month and the South Atlantic League Player of the Month in June 2005.

Portland's first round playoff series against the Thunder (the Yankees' double-A affiliate) will continue tonight at 6:00 PM.  The Sea Dogs are the defending Eastern League Champions, and are looking to win their third-consecutive Northern Division Championship Series.

FORMER EAGLE GLUSHON PROMOTED TO DOUBLE-A

(Aug. 28) Only a little more than two months into his professional baseball career, former Emory University pitcher and All-American Jason Glushon (‘07C) has been promoted from the Arizona Rookie League to Double-A by the Oakland Athletics.

Glushon compiled a 4-3 record with a 3.75 earned run average over 15 games with the Arizona League Athletics.  Most impressive, however, was his strikeout to walk ratio mowing down 42 batters during the year while walking just three.

Glushon, 22, will immediately report to the Texas League's Midland Rockhounds, Oakland's Double-A affiliate.  He is scheduled to start one of the two games of a doubleheader against the San Antonio Missions, the San Diego Padres' Double-A affiliate.

The promotion comes less than three months after Glushon led the Eagles to a second-place finish at the NCAA Division III World Series, the best finish in the program's history.  Glushon recorded an Emory-record 13 wins during the 2007 season, recording a 2.23 earned run average.  He was named a second-team All-American, the South Region Pitcher of the Year, the University Athletic Association MVP and to the NCAA All-Tournament team.

EMORY SPORTS TO UTILIZE LIVE ONLINE STATS BEGINNING IN 2007

(Aug. 24) Starting with the Fall 2007 season, Emory University fans will be able to follow games live online for free, through Emory's new live statistics feature.

Live statistics online will be available for all men's and women's soccer, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, softball, and baseball home games.  This service will be provided in addition to the Teamline audio broadcasts of all Emory home games.

To access the live stats for a game, go to your selected sports' homepage the day of the event, and click on the ‘Live Stats' logo and link.  The page will refresh itself every 30 seconds, keeping you updated with the most current plays.  

To look at an example of the live stats screen, please click on the sport of your choice below:

Baseball & Softball
Men's & Women's Basketball
Volleyball
Men's & Women's Soccer