May 3, 2010
LIVE STATS (Tuesday)
LIVE STATS (Wednesday)
FARMVILLE, Va. -- Following a 12-day break for spring semester examinations, Longwood University will play a two-game baseball series early this week against the University of Richmond from the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Lancers and Spiders will play Tuesday night, May 4, under the lights at Bolding Stadium in Farmville beginning at 7 p.m., followed by another game on Wednesday afternoon at Pitt Field in Richmond at 3 p.m.. The two schools have met 10 times previously in the sport as UR leads the series at 9-1. Veteran 32nd-year head coach
Charles Buddy Bolding leads Longwood (19-16), while Richmond (20-21) is coached by third-year head coach Mark McQueen. Admission is free to all home baseball games at Bolding Stadium in Farmville.
Longwood has won two-straight games and 10 of its last 16 games overall while led at the plate this season by senior third baseman and team captain
Phil Cerreto. He has enjoyed an outstanding final campaign while hitting .457 with 10 home runs, 20 doubles, 51 RBI, an .829 slugging percentage, and a .497 on-base percentage – all team-bests this spring. Expected to join Cerreto in the lineup are senior captains
Casey Havers (1B | .367, 1 HR, 8 2B, 27 RBI) and
David Smiy Jr. (LF | .216, 7 2B, 14 RBI), along with classmates
Scott Kimble (SS | .363, 2 HR, 7 2B, 15 RBI) and
Robbie Bailey (CF | .352, 4 HR, 6 2B, 17 RBI). Others expected in the lineup are junior
Brant Jones (2B | .365, 3 HR, 10 2B, 21 RBI), sophomore
Robby Newman (C | .233, 7 HR, 6 2B, 29 RBI), along with freshmen
Justin Lacy (DH | .250, 4 HR, 8 2B, 16 RBI) and
Kyle Profilet (RF | .348, 1 2B).
Junior right-hander
Chris Briere (5-4, 5.59 ERA, 56.1 IP, 39K) is expected to start Tuesday night's game on the mound for the Lancers. Senior captain and right-hander
Lance Harting (6-0, 2.61 ERA, 51.2 IP, 38K), along with sophomore right-hander
Mark Montgomery (2-1, 4 saves, 2.22 ERA, 28.1 IP, 37K), could see pitching time as well in either game. Junior right-hander
Troy Dickman (2-5, 5.50 ERA, 36.0 IP, 12K) is scheduled to start Wednesday's road game.
Longwood is hitting .311 as a team this season with 32 home runs, 82 doubles, and 212 RBI while averaging 6.69 runs per game. Cerreto is ranked third in Division I in doubles per game (0.57), fifth in batting average, seventh in doubles (20) and slugging percentage (.829), as well as 11th nationally in RBI per game (1.46). Longwood's team pitching ERA is 5.08 through 294.0 innings with 190 strikeouts (5.82).
Richmond is led offensively by junior Billy Baber (.390, 8 HR, 16 2B, 43 RBI), followed by senior Cameron Brown (.333, 5 HR, 11 2B, 35 RBI), sophomore Chris Cowell (.313, 14 HR, 4 2B, 45 RBI), and junior Mike Mergenthaler (.312, 10 HR, 8 2B, 36 RBI). The Spiders are expected to start junior right-hander Billy Falasco (1-1, 7.45 ERA, 38.2 IP, 28K) on the mound against the Lancers in game one, though the second game starter has yet to be determined. UR is hitting .297 as a team with 50 home runs, 73 doubles, and 276 RBI while averaging 7.71 runs per game. The Richmond pitching staff has a combined ERA of 6.20 through 366.0 innings with 259 strikeouts (6.37).
Longwood's only win against Richmond was on March 4, 2008, a 3-2 home win in Farmville for the Lancers. The Spiders took the only game played between the two schools last season on February 24, 2009 by a score of 7-4, a game played in Farmville as well.
Longwood has 13 games remaining on the
schedule for 2010, though only three home games remain, including tomorrow night's contest.
