Emory University will look to extend its four-game winning streak when it hosts Centre College on Wednesday, March 26th at Chappell Park.
Coverage
Fans can follow Wednesday's game with live statistics at http://www.go.emory.edu/LiveStats/Base/XLIVE.HTM and a live video webcast at http://emoryathletics.com/sports/bsb/live. The video will be free to view in standard definition, with a high definition upgrade available for $6.00.
Emory Eagles
The Eagles have won four-straight games and seven of their last eight games to improve to 18-7 overall on the season, and are perfect in home games during the campaign with an 8-0 record. With the recent hot streak, Emory has received votes in each of the two national polls – the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll and the D3Baseball.com poll. The Eagles began last week as the NCAA Division III leading team in both runs and hits, and after three wins against DePauw University by a combined score of 27-7, the team is now batting .323 with an average of 8.76 runs per game. Meanwhile, Emory's pitching staff has lowered its team ERA to 3.58, with an opponents' batting average of .272.
Emory is led by Mike Twardoski, who is in his 15th season as a head coach, all of which have been spent at the Eagles' helm. Twardoski has a career 429-203-1 ledger since taking over the position prior to the 2000 season, and has led the Eagles to eight UAA Championships and seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including three trips to the World Series and a second-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships. He is assisted by Associate Coach Bobby Perez and Pitching Coach Connor McGuiness, along with former major league reliever Greg McMichael.
Centre Colonels
Centre will begin the week with a 5-14 overall record, including a 2-4 road mark in 2014, and will play at LaGrange College on Tuesday night before facing the Eagles on Wednesday. The Colonels have dropped nine of their last 10 games, including a three-game sweep at home against conference-opponent Rhodes College last weekend. The squad has a team batting average of .230 and has scored 3.3 runs per game this season, while the Colonels' pitchers have combined for a 4.58 ERA and a .280 opponents' batting average.
The Colonels are coached by Mike Pritchard, who has a career record of 139-214 during his 10-year career, all of which has been spent with Centre. He is assisted by Luke Dombrowsky and Matt Rogers.
Series History
Emory is 3-1 all-time against Centre, with all four of the previous games in the series taking place at Chappell Park. The teams last faced each other on March 23rd, 2011, with the Colonels coming away with a 5-2 win. Four current members of the Eagles' squad appeared in the last meeting as freshmen – Brandon Hannon, Daniel Iturrey, Jared Welch and Matt McMahon.
Emory Notes
Emory senior infielder Jared Kahn and freshman pitcher Hans Hansen were named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Hitter and Pitcher of the Week… With an 8-0 home record this season, Emory is now 309-104-1 all-time at Chappell Park, good for a .748 winning percentage… Over the last 15 Emory games, the Eagles have a team ERA of 2.95… During that stretch, a pair of Emory pitchers with at least three starts have an ERA under 2.00 – Hans Hansen (1.67) and Paul Merolla (1.88)… In addition, the combination of senior Mike Bitanga, freshman Kyle Monk and senior Robert Gross have combined to allow just one earned run and two runs total out of the bullpen over the last 15 games, spanning 23 innings pitched… Junior Brett Lake, who began last week leading all Division III players in hits and RBIs, has now driven in 40 runs this season, 10 more than any Emory player registered last season… It is the most RBIs by an Eagle in a season since Patrick Riebsame drove in 40 runs in 2011… The program record for RBIs in a season is 63, set by Ted Karniewicz in 2000.
