The University of South Carolina Beaufort baseball team opens its fifth season Saturday with a home doubleheader against Shawnee State (Ohio). The Sand Sharks feature a revamped roster after losing 16 seniors off last year's team that won a school-record 41 games and advanced to the Avista-NAIA World Series for the first time in program history.
FIRST PITCH
Date: Saturday, Feb. 2 & Sunday, Feb. 3
Time: Noon
Location: Richard Gray Sports Complex, Hardeeville
Series: USCB leads 2-1
2012 Results: Did not play
Last meeting: USCB won two of three at home in 2010
ABOUT SHAWNEE STATE
An NAIA program from Portsmouth, Ohio, the Bears were picked to finish fifth in the Mid-South Conference after losing five starting position players and three starting pitchers from the team that went 33-25 a year ago and reached the championship game of the conference tournament. Sixth-year coach Ted Tom has filled the gaps with a balance of transfers and incoming freshmen. Senior Colin Keim (.323, 2 HR, 45 RBIs in 2012), sophomore INF Cody Spires (.305, 35 RBIs) and senior INF Aaron Suydam (.304, 12 SB) are the team's top returning position players, and senior RHP Jordan Williams (3-3, 2.58 ERA) is the top returning pitcher.
Head-to-head (*indicates home team)
3/9/2010 — *USCB 3, Shawnee State 1
3/9/2010 — *USCB 7, Shawnee State 6
3/10/2010 — Shawnee State 11, *USCB 5
LIVE COVERAGE
TV: Game 1 — The County Channel (Hargray 9/113, Comcast 2, Time Warner 63)
Streaming video: Game 1 — The County Channel ; Game 2 — Stretch Internet
Live stats: Stretch Internet
NOTES
• USCB is 5-0 all-time on opening day. The Sand Sharks have opened the season with a doubleheader only once before, sweeping a pair from Southern Wesleyan in their inaugural 2009 season. USCB opened the 2012 campaign with a 2-0 win at Brewton-Parker.
• The Sand Sharks are 92-31 all-time at Richard Gray Sports Complex. USCB has won nine of its last 10 games in Hardeeville, including five straight during the NAIA National Championship Opening Round last May.
• Junior 1B Erik Armstrong is the only returning starter among position players for USCB. Armstrong started 51 games a year ago, hitting .276 with 16 doubles, four home runs and 39 RBIs. The rest of USCB's returning position players combined for just 10 starts, with SS Ashly Morris leading the way with four.
• The Sand Sharks have eight transfers from other college programs who will make their USCB debut this season, including NCAA Division I transfers RHP Hunter Englehart (Hartford) and RHP Bryce Hines (The Citadel), as well as INF Jon Andrews (SCAD Savannah) and OF Ryan Doeppel (Iowa Wesleyan). The other four newcomers with previous college experience are from the junior college ranks — RHP C.J. Kelly, RHP Kutler Lane, RHP David Hannan and INF Ryan Walker.
RELATED LINKS
USCB Baseball Media Guide
USCB Sand Sharks on Facebook
USCB Athletics on Twitter
