March 1, 2019
Harvard Crimson @ Wofford Terriers – 4 Game Series Begins Friday @ 5:00pm
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Harvard University Location School Size Ranking Popular Majors Division / Conference HRC Alumni on 2019 Roster Notable HRC Alumni |
Wofford College Location School Size Ranking Popular Majors Division / Conference HRC Alumni on 2019 Roster Notable HRC Alumni |
Harvard finished above .500 last year for the first time since 2006, including a 18-17 comeback win over Dartmouth to cap off the season. They’ll look to carry that momentum into the 2019 campaign, where they kick off their season today against Wofford. The Crimson last traveled down to Spartanburg in 2015, where they split 4 games against the Terriers.
For Harvard, catcher will be a particularly strong position as they begin their season, where Honor Roll alumni Jake Allen and Devan Peterson will look to improve on their impressive 2018 seasons. Allen – a senior captain for the Crimson – played 25 games last year and posted a .405 OBP. Peterson made his presence felt at the plate (finishing the season with 3 key HRs) and behind the dish (where he caught 11 runners stealing). Both players had their best seasons yet in 2018, and they look to wrap up their careers on a high note in 2019.
Wofford – coming off a school record 15 SoCon wins in 2018 – enter the series with a 4-3 record, including a dramatic walk-off win against Radford last Sunday. Despite returning 22 players from a squad that won 36 games – the second-most in school history – Wofford has already seen early contributions from their freshman class. Honor Roll alumnus INF John Dempsey has started all 7 games at Wofford to start his career, collecting 2 runs and leading the team with 15 assists in the field. The Terriers have also received a strong start from Honor Roll alumnus OF Nolen Hester, who’s reached base in all 4 of his plate appearances and collected his first hit – a 7th inning double – in the win over Radford.
Our prediction – The teams pick up right where they left off 4 years ago, splitting the series at 2 games apiece.
Oglethorpe Stormy Petrels vs Rhodes Lynx – 3 game series begins Saturday @ 2:00pm
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Oglethorpe University Location School Size Popular Majors Division / Conference HRC Alumni on 2019 Roster Notable HRC Alumni |
Rhodes College Location School Size Popular Majors Division / Conference HRC Alumni on 2019 Roster Notable HRC Alumni |
Southern Athletic Association play kicks off this weekend, and Rhodes looks to rebound from a 4-5 start and return to the level of dominance that had them ranked #24 in the nation in the Preseason D3baseball.com/NCBWA poll. Rhodes defeated 3 ranked opponents in 2018 on their way to a program record 15 conference wins and a second straight SAA championship. Their season ended only one win short of the 2018 World Series, falling to eventual Division III champion Texas-Tyler.
As they look to get back on track in 2019, the Lynx will lean on their roster’s 28 Honor Roll alumni, including D3baseball.com Preseason All-American Nick Bosma. The senior utility player was a force at the plate and on the mound, hitting 8 HRs and driving in 32 runs while also leading all of Division III baseball with 16 saves. He’ll receive help in the lineup from fellow HRC alumni OF Ben Wilson, IF Jake Stacy and 1B Ryan Palermo, who have combined for 28 hits and 16 RBIs through the first 9 games. On the bump, the HRC alumni combination of RHP CJ Carron, LHP John Ganucheau and RHP Nathan Mirochnick have scattered 8 runs over 27 innings to help the Lynx early on, and will be key contributors throughout the season.
Oglethrope comes into the series looking for revenge after losing 2 of 3 to Rhodes last year. With 12 HRC alumni on the roster, the Stormy Petrel’s offense has been led by HRC alumni INF/RHP Jack Bartlewski. Off to a hot start to the season, Bartlewski took home the SAA Player of the Week award on February 18th after going 7-for-10 with 1 HR and 10 RBIs over a two game stretch – including setting the Oglethorpe record with 8 RBIs in a game. Oglethorpe has also given their freshman class plenty of action early in the season, with HRC alumni INF Andrew Noack and RHP Drew Snow looking to be a significant part of the Stormy Petrel’s lineup in 2019.
Our prediction: Repeat of last year. Rhodes take 2 of 3 to get back to .500 on the season.
