CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College baseball team closes out it five-game homestand on Tuesday afternoon with a 4 p.m. non-conference battle against Alabama State out of the SWAC. The matchup with the Hornets will be shown on ESPN+.
GAMEDAY CENTRAL
WHAT: Alabama State (27-14) vs Presbyterian (16-25)
WHERE: PC Baseball Complex (Clinton, S.C.)
WHEN: 4 pm (Tues.)
THE SERIES (Since 2008): First All-Time Meeting
FOLLOW THE ACTION
LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
TWITTER: @PresbyterianBSB
GAME NOTES
About the Blue Hose
• The Blue Hose close out their five-game homestand on Tuesday with a visit from Alabama State to Clinton. PC looks to rebound after dropping two-of-three to Big South foe Gardner-Webb. Alabama State comes in off of a sweep of Bethune-Cookman.
Scouting Alabama State
• Alabama State comes in with a record of 27-14 following a three-game sweep of Bethune-Cookman at home in the Hornets last on-field action. The Hornets are 15-3 in the SWAC this season overall. Ian Matos leads the Hornets with a .358 average as he's tallied 14 doubles, three triples and seven homers along with 36 runs knocked in. Jack Hay sits at .357 with eight doubles and eight homers to go along with a team-high 44 RBIs. Jayden Sloan enters Tuesday's tilt with a .348 average to go along with 11 doubles and six homers. Randy Flores leads Alabama State with 30 stolen bases. On the mound, Omar Melendez leads the way with an 8-0 record to go along with a 2.49 ERA as he's tallied 67 strikeouts and totaled four complete games. Sebastian Colon has seen action in 23 games with a 3-3 record and a 3.70 ERA.
Head to Head vs Alabama State
• Tuesday marks the first time the two teams have met in the Blue Hose DI era.
Blue Hose in the Ranks
• Brody Fahr is tied for third in the league with three triples on the season. He's also fifth in the conference in hits with 53 on the year.
• Tanner Smith is atop the league in saves with six. Luke Gibson is 10th in the league with a pair of saves.
• Charlie McDaniel is second in the Big South with a 4.4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. McDaniel is tops in the conference with 1.68 walks allowed per nine innings. He sits among the top 10 nationally in games started with a team-high 11 starts this season.
• Colbey Klepper and Gibson are tied for third in the league and 20th in the nation in appearances with 21 on the season.
• Freshman Kyle Mueller is tied for second in league play with four victories. He also leads the team and is inside the top 10 in the league with five overall wins.
• As a team, PC leads the conference with nine saves led by Smith with six saves.
Fahr Hot Streak at the Plate
• Fahr has helped pace the offense especially over the last 16 games as the PC shortstop has hit .409 (27-of-66) with six doubles, a triple and a home run with 12 runs driven in. He's tallied nine multi-hit games and has reached base safely in all 16 games with a nine-game hit streak entering Tuesday's action.
Early Offense Carries PC Past Bucs
• The Blue Hose used the power of a six-run first to carry the Presbyterian College baseball team past ETSU on Wednesday night by the score of 16-3 at the PC Baseball Complex. Joel Dragoo connected on a team-high three hits as Trey Fenderson, Noah Lebron and Amman Dewberry each hit homers in the victory.
• PC set a new season-high with 16 hits surpassing the previous best of 13 coming most recently against Western Michigan.The Blue Hose also finished with a season-high five doubles as five different players tallied a two-base hit. PC improved to 3-0 when scoring at least 10 or more runs after Wednesday's 16-run explosion. The Blue Hose also improved to 8-2 when out-hitting their opponents with a 16-10 advantage in the hit column.
Mueller's Fifth Win Nets Freshman of the Week Honors
• Following 4.1 shutout innings in the Blue Hose 10-3 victory over Winthrop, Presbyterian College baseball freshman Kyle Mueller (Winter Haven, Fla.) has been named Big South Freshman of the Week for games played April 10-16, as announced by the league office on Monday.
• Mueller entered with a 4-3 lead and two outs in the fourth and after recording a quick lineout to push to the fifth inning he was able to sit the Eagles down 1-2-3 in the inning.
• The Blue Hose freshman worked around a one-out single in the sixth without harm before a strikeout in the scoreless seventh inning. He worked around a two-out single in the eighth with a strikeout to tally the victory. Mueller was also pushed to a 10-3 lead during his outing with six runs of support on the offensive side of the ball.
• Mueller currently sits with a 5-1 record with a 4.66 ERA over 29 innings making 14 appearances with three starts on the season. The Winter Haven, Fla. native has 24 strikeouts compared to nine walks on the season. He's tied for the top spot in Big South play with four wins in his league outings this season
