CLINTON, S.C. - The Presbyterian College baseball team (9-10) kicks off Big South Conference play and puts its four-game winning streak on the line as the Liberty Flames (17-3) come to Clinton for a weekend series that begins on Friday at 3 p.m. All three games will be broadcast on the Big South Network. PC looks to keep up its strong play, winning eight of its last nine after starting the season 0-8.
Liberty holds the edge in the all-time series, winning all nine games for a 9-0 record. The Flames swept the Blue Hose last season in Lynchburg, Va., winning the first game by a 6-5 margin and taking the second two by 7-1 and 5-2 scores. Brad Zebedis went 5-for-12 against the Flames, driving in four RBI.
The Blue Hose will likely start Bud Jeter, Chandler Knox and Beau Dees over the weekend. Jeter and Knox have served as PC's opening 1-2 punch throughout the season, with both collecting their first wins of the season against NJIT over the weekend. Dees leads the Blue Hose starters in ERA (3.74) and earned his first career win on Wednesday night with 1.2 innings of hitless relief against Kennesaw State.
Liberty arrives in Laurens County with a 17-3 record after picking up a 9-0 home win on Wednesday against James Madison. The Flames dropped a game on Sunday and another on Tuesday but opened the season on a seven-game winning sreak. On February 28, Liberty blanked No. 18 Virginia, 8-0. Bryan Aanderud paces the team with a .389 average.
Second baseman Andrew Williams hit a Division I-era record three home runs and PC broke a 6-6 tie to knock off Kennesaw State on Wednesday, 9-6. Williams' three home runs mark the most ever in a D-I game for the Blue Hose and the redshirt junior also set a new single-game record for total bases, with 12. Williams posted the first multi-home run game since Gabe Grammer hit two against Duke on May 11, 2010. Williams went 3-for-3 at the plate and drove in four RBI. Nate Chong went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, as well.
Of the eight pitchers who have won games this year for the Blue Hose, five of them captured the first win of their careers. Beau Dees (at Kennesaw State, 3/14), Chad White (at Davidson, 3/4), Tim Corbin (at NC Central, 3/7), Ryan Morris (vs. Wofford, 2/29) and Chad Sanders (vs. NJIT, 3/11) all notched career firsts by collecting victories in 2012.
With six saves in eight appearances, Gabe Grammer set a new PC Division I record for most saves in a season by eclipsing Chandler Knox's four saves last season. The senior saved PC's 9-6 win against Kennesaw State and 4-3 victory over NJIT on Sunday. In the March 4 game against Davidson, Grammer hit a double in the top of the ninth before securing the save in the bottom of the frame. The win came hours after Grammer hit a two-run walkoff homerun to defeat Ohio in the 14th inning earlier in the day, 11-10.
Kenny Bryant and Gabe Grammer enter this weekend having reached safely in 10 games straight, the longest on-base streak of any player this season. Grammer and Chong maintain the longest active hitting streaks, with four each. Andrew Williams holds the longest hitting streak this season, with eight games.
Andrew Williams tied Kenny Bryant for the team lead in home runs with a trio of homers against Kennesaw State on Wednesday night, nearly matching his previous career total as he entered the night with four in his career. Kenny Bryant shares the lead after he hit three home runs in three straight games against NC Central and Wofford. The senior slugger ranks second among all active players with 19 career home runs, while Tony Micklon leads the pack with 25. Gabe Grammer and Brad Zebedis check in in a tie for third, with 13.
A pair of freshman have gotten off to quick starts in their careers, with Billy Motroni leading the regulars in the lineup with a .322 batting average (19-for-59) and Jay Lizanich checking in with a .300 (21-for-70) average. Newcomer Robby Swab has also done well in his first season since transferring from Young Harris, hitting .250 at the plate with six RBI.
