FIN FACTS
»» The USCB baseball team wraps up the regular-season with a three-game series against visiting Georgia Gwinnett this weekend at Richard Gray Sports Complex. The Sand Sharks will face the 14th-ranked Grizzlies in a doubleheader at noon Saturday and a single game at 1 p.m. Sunday.
»» The Sand Sharks will be the No. 5 seed in next week's Sun Conference Tournament and will open play at 3 p.m. Friday against No. 2 Southeastern. The double-elimination tournament will be played at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla., from Friday through Monday.
»» Senior 3B Brandon Joyce has 132 career RBIs, which ranks second in program history behind R.J. Neal (133). Joyce's 203 hits are the fourth-most all-time at USCB, and he is the school's all-time leader in walks (113).
»» Junior UTIL Bobby Wenthe has 12 home runs this season, breaking Ashly Morris' single-season USCB record of 8 set in 2015. Despite being in his first season at USCB, Wenthe ranks second on the Sand Sharks' all-time home run list, trailing only Erik Armstrong (13).
»» Wenthe leads the Sand Sharks with 58 RBIs, which is second on the single-season list. Kal Davis set the school record last season with 71. Wenthe ranks 15th in the NAIA in RBIs per game (1.261) and 21st in total RBIs.
»» Sophomore OF JoJo Markle has 26 stolen bases this season, breaking the single-season USCB record set by Matt Kianka (24) last season. USCB ranks 18th in the NAIA in stolen bases (100) and 20th in stolen bases per game (2.041).
»» Four different USCB pitchers have tied the school record with 12 strikeouts in a game this season. Senior LHP Wade Arduini and senior RHP Justin Kortessis each matched the record earlier this season against Florida Memorial, and senior RHP Julio De Pena and junior RHP Zac Burke tied the mark against Fisher.
»» Senior 1B/RHP Justin Kortessis was named the No. 13 pro prospect in the NAIA by Perfect Game last month. Kortessis was 7-0 with a 1.86 ERA in 15 appearances (six starts) for the Sand Sharks last season and is 7-4 with a 3.17 ERA in 11 starts this season. He has compiled 69 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings in 2017.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Grizzlies are coming off a 14-2 win over No. 6 Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday after dropping both ends of a doubleheader to NCAA Division II Auburn Montgomery over the weekend. Georgia Gwinnett boasts one of the NAIA's most explosive offenses, leading the nation in triples (36) and ranking second in runs (447) and stolen bases (162). Five regular starters boast averages over .350. The pitching staff also has put up big numbers, ranking third nationally in strikeouts (444).
RELATED LINKS
USCB Schedule and Results
USCB Season Statistics
Sand Shark Baseball Record Book
Sun Conference Baseball Standings
