The Emory University Baseball team sets its sights on a return trip to the NCAA Division III postseason when the 2019 season kicks off Wednesday afternoon against LaGrange College at Chappell Park. The Panthers were picked second in the USA South following a 30-18 record and a trip to their second straight NCAA tournament in 2018.
Schedule Updates
Due to inclement weather and poor field conditions, the game originally scheduled for Tuesday, February 12th has been moved to Wednesday, February 13th at 2:00 PM at Chappell Park in Atlanta.
Saturday's game against Whitworth has been changed to a 1:00 PM start time and Sunday's game, originally slated for a 2:00 PM start against 13th-ranked Christopher Newport, has been moved up and will now feature first pitch at 12:00 PM.
For any more schedule updates throughout the week, please refer to emoryathletics.com for when they are made available.
The Eagles, coming off a 20-18, feature a mix of a strong returning core and a talented freshman class that are hoping can earn a berth to the team's fifth postseason in the last six seasons.
Emory brings back almost its entire starting lineup from a year ago including All-University Athletic Association First Team selections in senior Bubby Terp and juniors Richard Brereton and Christopher Stern. Terp batted at a .321 clip with eight doubles, one home run and tied for the team lead with 33 RBI. Stern also drove in 33 to go along with his team-leading .328 average and three round trippers. Brereton was Emory's third hitter that finished with a clip of .320 or higher while also leading the squad in hits, doubles, triples and stolen bases.
Also returning to the fold is sophomore outfielder Jack Rubenstein who impressed as freshman, earning All-UAA Second Team acclaim. In 32 games as a rookie, including 30 as a starter, Rubenstein batted .286 with seven doubles and 14 RBI while leading the conference with 15 hit-by-pitches.
In addition to his work at the plate, Brereton headlined the Eagles' pitching staff, helping him secure D3Baseball.com All-South Region Third Team Honors. As a sophomore he went 5-4 with a 3.60 ERA and struck out 66 batters in 70 innings and enters the campaign as the team's No. 1 starter. Sophomore Jack Moore (3-4, 5.64 ERA, 32 Ks) and junior James Robertson (3-4, 4.60 ERA, 37 Ks) begin the year as the team's No. 2 and No. 3 option while sophomore Christian Bradley returns as one of the top arms in relief after recording a team-high three saves as a rookie.
Head Coach Mike Twardoski will be in his 20th season as the manager of the Eagles, compiling a 561-268-1 overall record with the program. He will be joined on staff by long-time Associate Head Coach Bobby Perez in his 11th season, second-year assistant coach Sean West and first-year pitching coach David Anderson.
Following the opening game at LaGrange, Emory will continue their seven-game homestand to open the season with Pacific Lutheran (Feb. 15), Whitworth (Feb. 16) and Christopher Newport (Feb. 17) this weekend.