CAA Baseball Championship Preview
Rob Washburn
CAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
RICHMOND, Va. (May 19, 2015) – The CAA Baseball Championship gets underway on Wednesday in a new venue as the Ballpark at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. plays host to the league’s annual four-day battle for an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Six teams will compete for the conference title using a format that provides the top two seeds with first-round byes. Six different schools have won the CAA title over the past six years.
The double-elimination tournament gets underway at Noon on Wednesday when #4 Elon (24-27, 13-11 in CAA) faces #5 Delaware (23-22, 11-13 in CAA), followed by #3 Northeastern (24-28, 14-10 in CAA) against #6 William & Mary (22-28, 10-14 in CAA) at 3:30 p.m. The losers of the first two games will meet in an elimination game at 7 p.m.
At Noon on Thursday, #2 UNCW (36-16, 18-6 in CAA) takes on the Northeastern/William & Mary winner, followed by #1 College of Charleston (41-11, 21-3 in CAA) versus the Elon/Delaware winner at 3:30 p.m. Another elimination contest will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday. There are three games on Friday, setting the stage for the championship game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, which will be televised live by the American Sports Network.
Defending champion College of Charleston rolled to the regular-season title after winning all eight of its conference series, including five three-game sweeps. The Cougars, who are ranked as high as #13 in the nation, feature the league’s top-ranked offense (.315 BA/7.8 runs per game) and pitching staff (3.43 ERA). Leading CofC at the plate are second baseman Blake Butler (.349, 12 HR, 60 RBI), first baseman Nick Pappas (.341, 8 HR, 51 RBI) and third baseman Carl Wise (.330, 11 HR, 63 RBI). On the mound, junior Taylor Clarke (12-1, 1.46 ERA, 126 K’s) has been one of the most dominant hurlers in the nation. Senior Brandon Glazer (10-1, 2.81 ERA) has also had a big year and freshman Carter Love (5-0, 3 svs., 1.70 ERA) anchors the bullpen.
Perennial power UNCW, which is receiving votes in several national polls, also swept five of its eight conference series during the regular season. The Seahawks are second in the conference in batting (.302) and ERA (4.45). Third baseman Terence Connelly is hitting a team-best .353, while outfielder Zach Shields is batting .347. Outfielder Steven Linkous tops the CAA with 30 stolen bases and has scored a team-high 56 runs from the leadoff spot. The strength of the UNCW pitching staff is its bullpen, which features senior Jordan Ramsey (7-2, 7 svs., 1.74 ERA) and junior Jared Gesell (2-1, 4 svs., 2.57 ERA). Junior Ryan Foster (6-1, 4.03 ERA) has been the team’s most successful starter.
Northeastern earned its highest seed and recorded its most conference victories since 2006. The Huskies have relied on a strong pitching staff that owns a 4.31 ERA in CAA play. Senior Nick Berger is 5-5 with a 3.08 ERA and 72 strikeouts, while sophomore Dustin Hunt is 5-4 with a 4.42 ERA and has fanned 82. Sophomores Aaron Civale (6-2, 6 svs., 3.55 ERA) and Mike Fitzgerald (0-0, 4 svs., 1.44 ERA) have been excellent in relief. The NU offense is led by outfielder Michael Foster (.347, 33 RBI), third baseman Cam Hanley (.282, 28 RBI) and first baseman Rob Fonseca (.274), who is tied for the CAA lead in home runs with 14.
Elon makes its inaugural appearance in the CAA Tournament, but is no stranger to success having claimed a Southern Conference championship in 2013. The Phoenix feature a powerful lineup that has belted 44 home runs this season. The attack is paced by seniors Ryan Cooper (.375, 6 HR, 39 RBI) and Casey Jones (.311, 6 HR, 42 RBI). Senior Chris King is tied for the league lead with 14 home runs and has 51 RBI, and outfielder Nick Zammarelli has driven in 50 runs. On the mound, sophomore Nick Beaulac is 5-2 with a 4.53 ERA. Matt Harris (5-3) and Lucas Bakker (5-6) have also reached the five-win mark.
Delaware reached the CAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. The Blue Hens are batting .302 as a team and are averaging 6.5 runs per game. The lineup includes two of the league’s top four hitters in seniors Greg Olenski (.377, 15 2B, 26 RBI) and Zach Lopes (.364, 24 RBI). Veteran outfielders Norm Donkin (.333, 26 RBI) and Joe Giacchino (.328, 33 RBI) also provide plenty of pop. On the mound, senior Adam Davis (5-3, 4.27 ERA, 60 K’s) and freshman Ron Marinaccio (4-3, 3.94 ERA) have been UD’s top starters. Closer Luke Alicknavitch is tied for the CAA lead in saves with seven.
William & Mary was the last team to earn a berth in the tournament, but the Tribe has advanced to the championship game for the past two years. Leading W&M offensively is junior first baseman Charley Gould, who tops the CAA with a .391 batting average and ranks third in home runs (13) and RBI’s (52). Junior Ryan Hissey (.294, 8 HR, 29 RBI), senior Devin White (.337, 26 RBI) and freshman Cullen Large (.307, 28 RBI) have also had strong seasons. Sophomore Nick Brown (5-3, 3.48 ERA) has been the Tribe’s top starting pitcher. Aaron Fernandez (3-3, 4.35 ERA) also had a good year and senior Jason Inghram (4-7) is coming off a pair of quality starts.
All-session tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for youth (18 & under). Single-day tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for youth. Students from participating institutions are admitted free with a valid student ID.
Every game of the 2015 CAA Baseball Championship will be video-streamed live for free in high definition on CAA.TV.
2015 CAA BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Ballpark at Patriots Point – Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
Wednesday, May 20
Game 1 - #4 Elon vs. #5 Delaware - Noon
Game 2 - #3 Northeastern vs. #6 William & Mary – 3:30 pm
Game 3 – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 – 7 pm
Thursday, May 21
Game 4 - #2 UNCW vs. Northeastern/William & Mary winner – Noon
Game 5 - #1 College of Charleston vs. Elon/Delaware winner – 3:30 pm
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Lowest Seeded Game 4/5 loser – 7 pm
Friday May 22
Game 7 – Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 - Noon
Game 8 - Winner of Game 6 vs. Highest Seeded Game 4/5 loser – 3:30 pm
Game 9 – Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 winner – 7 pm
Saturday, May 23
Game 10 - Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 9 – 1 pm
Game 11 (if necessary) - Same two teams, 45 minutes after Game 10