Baseball Closes Out Home Slate Beginning Friday with Gardner-Webb

CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College Baseball team closes out its 2021 home slate beginning on Friday with the opener of a three-game set with Gardner-Webb from the PC Baseball Complex set for a 3 p.m. first pitch. The two teams wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader set for 11 a.m…. Saturday's doubleheader will be broadcast on ESPN+.

GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Gardner-Webb (21-17, 20-9 Big South) vs Presbyterian (13-17, 12-12 Big South)
WHERE: PC Baseball Complex (Clinton, S.C.)
WHEN: Friday May 7, 2021 (3:00 p.m.) | Saturday May 8, 2021 (11:00 a.m.) | Saturday May 8, 2021 (Game Two DH)
THE SERIES (Since 2008): GWU Leads 25-13

FOLLOW THE ACTION
LIVE STATS: Statbroadcast.com (Friday) | Statbroadcast.com (Saturday G1) | Statbroadcast.com (Saturday G2)
VIDEO: ESPN+ (Saturday G1) | ESPN+ (Saturday G2)
RADIO: Fox Sports 98.3 FM (Friday)
TWITTER: @PresbyterianBSB
GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes

About the Blue Hose
• The Presbyterian College baseball team plated a pair of runs in the eighth inning to take a two-run lead and was followed up by junior Eric Toth earning his fourth save of the season as the Blue Hose picked up a 4-2 victory over UNC Asheville on Wednesday afternoon at the PC Baseball Complex.
• Zacchaeus Rasberry led the Blue Hose offense with three hits on Wednesday afternoon for his ninth multi-hit game of the season.With his three hits, Rasberry extended his reached base streak to a season-high nine straight games.
• Kyle Benson tossed a season-high 3.2 innings of scoreless baseball including three punchouts to record his first win as a Blue Hose.

Series History
• PC and Gardner-Webb begin a three-game series on Friday with the Runnin' Bulldogs holding a 25-13 all-time series lead over the Blue Hose. Friday is the first time the two teams have met since May 22, 2019 when the Blue Hose downed GWU in the Big South tournament behind Eric Miles 7.2 innings of seven strikeout ball.
• Presbyterian has won four of the last six meetings against Gardner-Webb that have taken place in Clinton including two-of-three during the 2019 season.

Scouting Gardner-Webb
• Gardner-Webb enters the weekend with a 21-17 record including a 20-9 mark in league play after taking two-of-three from CSU in the Runnin' Bulldogs last action.
• Eric Jones leads GWU at a .328 average with eight doubles and a pair of homers. Cam Pearcey sits at .320 with a team-high seven home runs. Mitch McLendon leads GWU with 11 doubles.
• Corey Treyes leads the way on the mound for GWU with a 2.53 ERA over 10 appearances this spring.
• Mason Miller is the Runnin' Bulldogs top starter at 4-1 with a 2.88 ERA as he has totaled 78 strikeouts in 65.2 innings.
• Gardner-Webb ranks second in the league with 39 home runs, third in RBIs at 197 and is second in slugging at .412.

Upperclassmen Pacing the Blue Hose in Home Games
• Fifth-Year senior Zacchaeus Rasberry is leading the Blue Hose with a .432 average in PC's 11 true home games this spring with three homers and 10 runs knocked in.
• On the mound, junior Eric Toth is 2-0 with three saves over six home game appearances as he's allowed one earned run in those six contests. Senior Kyle Benson is 1-0 over six games with a 0.75 ERA.

Toth Earns Big South Relief Pitcher of the Week Honors
• Presbyterian College baseball junior Eric Toth has been named the Big South Relief Pitcher of the Week for games played April 19-25, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
• Toth began his week in Friday's series opener on the mound as he entered with the go-ahead run at the plate but needed just two pitches to notch his third save of the season.
• In game two on Sunday afternoon, Toth entered in the sixth inning and held Campbell to one hit and one walk in the final four frames to record his third win of the season. The victory helped secure Presbyterian's first series win over Campbell in the Blue Hose DI era dating back to 2008.
• Toth also notched a .353 (6-for-17) week at the plate which included two doubles, four runs and 3 RBIs. The Mobile, Ala. native is currently tied for the team lead in wins and saves with three apiece. He leads Blue Hose arms with a WHIP of 1.02.

Wyandt Named to Buster Posey Watch List
• Presbyterian College catcher Jake Wyandt has been named to the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Watch List, as the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced.
• Wyandt is fourth on the team in hitting with a .278 average this season over 18 games played. He leads the team with a .409 on-base percentage while sitting second on the team at a .500 slugging percentage.
• Wyandt is one of four Blue Hose this spring with multiple home runs as he has connected on a pair of long balls. He's tied for the team lead with three stolen bases. Wyandt has a .992 fielding percentage this spring as he has only one error in his 18 games played.
• Behind the plate, he has thrown on six would-be base stealers and picked off one runner.
• The list spotlights 80 catchers including a pair from the Big South Conference. The award, formerly known as the Johnny Bench Award, was created in 2000 to honor college baseball's top catcher in the NCAA Division I ranks.

Veach Earns Olerud Watch List Honor
• Presbyterian College infielder & pitcher Chris Veach has been named to the 10th annual John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award watch list, as announced by the College Baseball Foundation on Tuesday.
• The deep pool of talent resulting from several veteran players returning for an extra season granted by the NCAA in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, plus the influx of new talent from the last two seasons, has created a unique pool of 17 top candidates for the 2021 Olerud watch list.
• The list also includes teammates from two Power 5 schools, three players who have already been honored with the Olerud Player of the Week award and four players who were on the watch list for the 2019 award.
• The Chapin, S.C. native is continuing to lead the Blue Hose offensive attack with a conference leading .348 average thru 16 games. He's had a base hit in 14 of 16 games he's played in this spring.
• Veach has already earned a pair of Big South Freshman of the Week honors this spring as well.

Miles & McDaniel Honored With Weekly Honors
• Presbyterian College baseball pitchers Eric Miles and Charlie McDaniel have been named Big South Starting Pitcher and Co-Freshman of the Week respectively for games played March 22-28, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
• Miles was dominant on Saturday in game one of the doubleheader with CSU as he recorded 7.0 shutout innings en route to a 3-0 series clinching win over Charleston Southern. Miles totaled seven strikeouts while only allowing four singles and a pair of walks to earn his second win of the spring.
• In just his third collegiate start, McDaniel tossed a complete game allowing just one earned run to earn his first career victory over Charleston Southern on Friday afternoon. The Sanford, Fla. native allowed just one run and six hits to earn the win. McDaniel faced one batter over the minimum over the final five innings. McDaniel's complete game was the Blue Hose first since May 17, 2019, when Jackson Dean spun a complete game against Charleston Southern.
• Both pitchers were a part of a pitching staff that allowed just two earned runs over 27.0 innings against Charleston Southern this weekend.
• This is Presbyterian's third freshman of the week honoree in six award cycles as Chris Veach earned a pair of awards already this spring.

Record Chasing
• Senior Eric Miles needs 23 strikeouts to move into first in the Blue Hose D1 record book. Miles currently sits with 226 career strikeouts.
• Miles needs 1.1 innings pitched to past Brian Kehner for fourth in the DI record book for innings in his Blue Hose career
• Senior Zacchaeus Rasberry needs one stolen base to move into first in the Blue Hose D1 record book. Rasberry has 35 career stolen bases.
• Rasberry's next triple will move him into a tie for fourth in D1 history with his sixth career triple as a Blue Hose.

Up Next
• Following Saturday's twin bill, the Blue Hose will head to Charleston for a Tuesday night matchup with the Bucs set for 5 p.m. from Charleston Southern. It starts a seven-game road stretch the Blue Hose have to close out the 2021 regular season with road trips to High Point (May 14-15) and Winthrop (May 20-21) on tap.

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Players Mentioned

#30 Kyle Benson: P; 6' 1"; Senior; R/R

#17 Eric Miles: P; 6' 1"; Fifth Year; R/R

#4 Zacchaeus Rasberry: OF; 6' 2"; Fifth Year; R/R

#20 Jake Wyandt: C; 6' 0"; Senior; R/R

#31 Charlie McDaniel: P; 6' 3"; Freshman; L/L

#10 Chris Veach: INF/P; 6' 0"; Freshman; R/R

#7 Eric Toth: P/UTL; 6' 4"; Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#30 Kyle Benson
: 6' 1"; Senior; R/R
: P

#17 Eric Miles
: 6' 1"; Fifth Year; R/R
: P

#4 Zacchaeus Rasberry
: 6' 2"; Fifth Year; R/R
: OF

#20 Jake Wyandt
: 6' 0"; Senior; R/R
: C

#31 Charlie McDaniel
: 6' 3"; Freshman; L/L
: P

#10 Chris Veach
: 6' 0"; Freshman; R/R
: INF/P

#7 Eric Toth
: 6' 4"; Junior; R/R
: P/UTL