49ers Host Longtime League Foe Saint Louis This Weekend
April 28, 2006
Charlotte, N.C. - The Charlotte 49ers Baseball team (28-12-1, 12-3 A-10) returns to Atlantic 10 Conference play this weekend, hosting Saint Louis (20-20, 8-7 A-10) in a three-game set.
Friday night's game starts at 6:00, and the teams will meet both Saturday (2:00) and Sunday (12:00) as well.
PROMOTIONS
Students are reminded that they can earn Niner Nation Loyalty Points at Friday night's game, and they gain free admission to Boardwalk Billy's by showing their ticket stub. There will be an autograph session with the 49ers team following the Saturday game, and kids can run the bases following the conclusion of the Sunday finale.
MEDIA
Fans can follow the action on both GameTracker and Yahoo! Audio (subscription required).
THE SERIES
Saint Louis, a longtime Charlotte rival, came over to the Atlantic 10 this season along with the 49ers. Their arrival helped make the A-10 the nation's largest baseball league, with 14 teams.
The all-time series between the teams is 23-5 in favor of the 49ers, including six straight league victories by Charlotte. They swept SLU in St. Louis last year, and swept them at home in 2004. SLU captured one of three games in 2003.
ABOUT SAINT LOUIS (20-20, 8-7 A-10)
Overall this season, the team is 20-20 with an 8-7 mark in A-10 play. But, recently, SLU has posted just a 3-7 mark in its last 10 games, including a 2-4 mark in A-10 play that has pushed them down into the sixth and final Tournament position with four league weekends remaining.
Last weekend, the Billikens were swept at home by Massachusetts, and they won two of three the previous weekend at Xavier.
Offensively, Saint Louis hits .279 with 70 doubles, 10 triples and 12 home runs through 40 games. The Billikens average 5.58 runs per game.
Leading the team is Greg Rodgers, who bats .342 with 11 doubles, three home runs and a team-high 39 RBI. Bill Musselman hits .314, while Ryan Crespi is a .311 hitter that leads the team with 33 runs and 7 stolen bases. Johnny Sweeney has a team-best 13 doubles and a .300 average.
On the pitching side, SLU posts a 4.42 ERA and overall allows exactly the same amount of runs as the offense produces - 5.58 per game.
Their staff aces are the expected starters on Saturday and Sunday. Ryan Bird is 4-4 in 11 starts, posting a 3.00 ERA, 21 walks and 63 strike outs in 72 innings. Eric Rohr, a junior, is 2-1 with a 0.98 ERA in four starts (seven appearances). In 36 2/3 innings, he has walked 10 and struck out 24. The team has just two saves, both coming from B.J. Rodrigue.
ABOUT CHARLOTTE (28-12-1, 12-3 A-10)
After Tuesday night's 4-3 win over Appalachian, the 49ers have won five straight and six of their last seven overall. That includes a 5-1 record in A-10 play that has Charlotte tied atop the league's standings with Dayton.
Starting pitchers Derek McDaid (Friday night) and Adam Mills (Saturday) were chosen to the Watch List for the 2006 Roger Clemens Award, which goes to the nation's top collegiate pitcher. McDaid (8-2) is ranked 13th nationally in victories and 51st among NCAA leaders in ERA this season. Both pitchers are among the A-10 leaders in most pitching categories through the team's first 40 games.
McDaid and Spencer Steedley also made the initial cut for the Northeastern Baseball Review's NCAA Player of the Year award. That list of candidates was trimmed from 39 to 25 this week. On the initial list but not making this cutdown were Aaron Bray, Mike Ambrose and Adam Mills.
THIS WEEKEND'S PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, April 28 (6:00)
SLU: Fr. RHP Dave Sever (4-3, 4.72 ERA) at CHA: Sr. RHP Derek McDaid (8-2, 2.17 ERA)
Saturday, April 29 (2:00)
SLU: Jr. RHP Ryan Bird (4-4, 3.00 ERA) at CHA: Jr. RHP Adam Mills (6-2, 3.08 ERA)
Sunday, April 30 (12:00)
SLU: Jr. RHP Eric Rohr (2-1, 0.98 ERA) at CHA: So. RHP Keith Moreland (6-0, 2.95 ERA)
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