Baseball Weekly Report - Feb. 23
Rob Washburn
CAA BASEBALL WEEKLY REPORT - FEB. 23 (PDF format)
CAA BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Steven Linkous, UNCW
Sr., OF, Leland, N.C./North Brunswick
Linkous batted .438 with a double, triple, seven runs scored and five RBI’s as UNCW went 3-0 to open the season. The senior outfielder was 3-for-6, scored three times and drove in three in Friday’s 15-2 win over Western Carolina, was 2-for-5 with two runs in a 16-1 rout of St. John’s and went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI’s as UNCW defeated Richmond, 12-9. Linkous also stole a base in all three contests.
CAA BASEBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Aaron Civale, Northeastern
Jr., RHP, East Windsor, Conn./Loomis Chaffee
Civale earned his first career victory as a starter after limiting No. 30 Oklahoma to two runs over 7.1 innings in the Huskies’ 3-2 upset of the Sooners last Friday. The junior right-hander, who had made 21 consecutive relief appearances, scattered seven hits, struck out a career-high eight batters and allowed just one walk as NU defeated a Big 12 opponent for the first time in school history.
CAA BASEBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Dupree Hart, College of Charleston
Fr., 2B, Rock Hill, S.C./Northwestern
Hart batted .600 (6-for-10) with three doubles, three runs scored and six RBI’s as College of Charleston took two-of-three from Big Ten foe Nebraska last weekend. The freshman second baseman doubled home two runs in Saturday’s 13-5 victory and also had a two-run double in Sunday’s 7-3 win. Hart also drew four walks in the series and had a .714 on base percentage for the weekend.
DIAMOND NOTES:
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (2-1)
The Cougars won the final two games of their three-game set with Big Ten foe Nebraska in the debut of head coach Matt Heath. In Saturday’s 13-5 win, Bradley Jones doubled twice and drove in four, while catcher Erven Roper was 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI. In a 7-3 victory on Sunday, Hayden McCutcheon threw 6.0 shutout innings and allowed just two hits while striking out eight to earn the win. Freshman Dupree Hart was 3-for-4 and drove in four on Sunday and batted a team-best .600 with six RBI’s for the series. The Cougars visit #10 Florida State for a three-game series this weekend.
DELAWARE (2-1)
The Blue Hens took 2-of-3 in their season-opening series at Stetson. UD topped the Hatters 6-1 in Friday’s opener as sophomore Ron Marinaccio allowed just one run on four hits over 6.0 innings and struck out eight to get the win. The Hens’ offense broke loose for 20 hits in a 12-10 triumph in 10 innings on Sunday. Transfer Jordan Glover was 5-for-6 with a double and three RBI’s, while Austin Niggebrugge went 4-for-5 and scored three runs. Glover batted .583 with a team-high five RBI’s for the series. UD plays in Old Dominion’s tournament this weekend against Virginia Tech, Manhattan and the host Monarchs.
ELON (0-4)
The Phoenix are off to an 0-4 start for the first time since 1983 after being swept at home by Wright State. Junior outfielder Kyle Jackson became the first Elon player since 2009 to homer three times in a game last Saturday, finishing the game 3-for-6 with seven RBI’s. Jackson batted .438 in the series with six runs scored and seven RBI’s. Danny Lynch hit .357 and drove in four in the series and Nick Zammarelli batted .333 with three doubles. On the mound, reliever Derek Pike allowed just two hits over 5.0 shutout innings and struck out six in Saturday’s second game.
HOFSTRA (0-3)
The Pride competed well but dropped all three games at No. 4 Texas A&M last weekend. Hofstra held leads in games 1 and 2, but couldn’t hold on. Hofstra was led offensively by Teddy Cillis and Brad Witkowski, who both batted .364. Witkowski drove in three runs in Saturday’s contest. The Pride also got a home run from Cornell transfer Ryan Karl. Hofstra faces another SEC foe this weekend with a four-game series against Missouri in Fort Myers, Fla.
JAMES MADISON (2-2)
The Dukes split a four-game homestand against Bucknell, including a 9-3 victory last Friday in coach Marlin Ikenberry’s debut. Sophomore Kyle McPherson smacked a 2-run homer in his first at-bat of the season and batted .333 with four runs scored for the series. Junior Ky Parrott drove in the game-winning run in the 12th as JMU got a 7-6 victory in the second game of Saturday’s twinbill. On the hill, senior Aaron Hoover gave up just one run on five hits over 6.0 innings to earn the win on Opening Day. The Dukes hit the road for a three-game series at Clemson this weekend.
UNCW (3-0)
The Seahawks piled up 43 runs in going 3-0 at their own Buffalo Wild Wings Battle at the Beach, defeating Western Carolina (15-2), St. John’s (16-1) and Richmond (12-9). Seven players batted .333 or better, led by Robbie Thorburn (.571, 3 SB) and Gavin Stupienski, who hit .455 with five runs scored and six RBI. Steven Linkous had multiple hits in all three games and batted .438 with seven runs scored. Freshman pitcher Alex Royalty limited St. John’s to an unearned run on one hit over 5.0 innings to get his first collegiate victory. Coach Mark Scalf won his 800th career game last Friday. UNCW hosts South Dakota State, Eastern Kentucky and VCU in the Hughes Bros. Challenge this weekend.
NORTHEASTERN (2-2)
The Huskies opened the season with back-to-back victories over No. 30 Oklahoma before settling for a split of the series. In Friday’s 3-2 triumph, senior Aaron Civale allowed just two runs over 7.1 innings and struck out eight for his first career win as a starter. Pat Madigan drove in the game-winning run in the 7th as the Huskies beat a Big 12 foe for the first time in school history. NU scored three runs in first and never looked back in beating the Sooners 5-3 on Saturday. Shortstop Max Burt was 2-for-5 with an RBI and run scored, while pitchers Dustin Hunt and Andrew Misiaszek combined to strike out eight. Burt batted a team-best .412 in the series. NU visits Abilene Christian this weekend.
TOWSON (0-3)
The Tigers were swept in a three-game series at New Mexico State. Towson was strong offensively, batting .283 and scoring 16 runs. Junior outfielder A.J. Gallo had a hit in all three contests and finished with a team-best .462 average, two doubles and four RBI’s, while freshman Richie Palacios batted .455 and also drove in four. On the mound, junior Matt Golczewski gave up just four hits and one run over 4.0 innings and fanned four in Friday’s opener. The Tigers travel to Presbyterian for a three-game series this weekend.
WILLIAM & MARY (2-1)
The Tribe won the final two games of their series at Charlotte. W&M scored at least one run in the first inning of all three contests and batted .291 as a team. Ryan Hall led the way with a .364 average and five runs scored, while Josh Smith homered twice and drove in four. W&M’s pitching was excellent. Mitchell Aker gave up only an unearned run over 6.1 innings in Saturday’s 5-1 victory. On Sunday, Daniel Powers scattered seven hits over 7.0 shutout innings in an 11-0 triumph. The Tribe’s bullpen combined to throw 6.2 innings of scoreless baseball over the three games.