FORT PIERCE, Fla. – The Post University baseball team will continue its season-opening 14-game road trip next week when it travels to Fort Pierce, Fla., on its spring break trip. The Eagles will play eight non-conference games against Pittsburgh-Johnstown, Ohio Valley, Chestnut Hill and West Virginia Wesleyan.
LAST TIME OUT: POST AT THE NORTHEAST CHALLENGE
The Eagles compiled a 1-4 record in their first tournament of the 2012 campaign. In its lone victory, Post defeated #16 Franklin Pierce 4-3 to salvage a split against the preseason Northeast-10 Northeast Division favorites. A bases clearing triple off the bat of
Joe Diz was the difference. Diz lifted Post to a 4-1 lead and
Stephen Corbett earned the win for the Eagles. Corbett threw a complete game and struck out four batters.
Post dropped a pair of one-run decisions to Stonehill on the second day of the tournament. The Eagles fell to the Molloy Lions 3-1 on the final day of the trip. In the opener against the Skyhawks,
John Jeanes was perfect through five innings, and in seven innings pitched, he allowed just three hits, and struck out 11 batters.
PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS:
The Eagles were picked to finish third in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Preseason Coaches' Poll. Post finished with 97 points and came in behind preseason favorite Wilmington (120 points, 10 first place votes) and Dominican (105 points, one first place vote). The Wildcats and Chargers have combined to win the last three conference tournament titles.
CORBETT LAUDED BY NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BASEBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION:
Senior starting pitcher
Stephen Corbett was named to the Preseason NCBWA All-East Region Second Team on Jan. 31. As a junior, Corbett compiled a 6-2 record with five complete game shutouts. He amassed an earned-run average of 1.77, and batters only hit .209 against him on the year. He appeared in 12 games, made nine starts, and allowed 19 runs, 14 of which were earned. Corbett blanked Stonehill (Feb. 26), Pittsburgh-Johnstown (March 7) and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) foes, Felician (April 9), Concordia (April 15) and Dominican (April 20).
A LOOK AT THE FIELD:
PITTSBURGH-JOHNSTOWN (2-3)
The Mountain Cats have lost their last three games after a sweep of Clarion University to start the season. Most recently, Pittsburgh-Johnstown was swept in a three-game series at Shepard University (W. Va.), and the Mountain Cats were outscored 25-7 in the set. Drew Westover leads Pittsburgh-Johnstown with a .400 average, among hitters with more than five at bats. He is 6-for-15 on the season with eight RBIs and three home runs. Derek Younker has not allowed an earned run in 7.1 innings of work and is 1-0 on the mound this season.
OHIO VALLEY (3-6)
The Fighting Scots began the season on a three-game win streak, but closed February on a six-game losing streak. Following its last win, a 1-0 decision over Virginia State on Feb. 11, starting pitcher Shayne Miller was named the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 15. In the game against Virginia State, Miller fanned nine batters and allowed only four hits in a complete game shutout.
CHESTNUT HILL (1-4)
As of March 1, Chestnut Hill stands at 1-4 overall and earned its first win of the season on Feb. 26, when it wrapped up a trip to Myrtle Beach with a 6-5 victory over C.W. Post. As a team, the Griffins are hitting .279 (36-for-129) this season, led by Joe Crane who is 7-for-14 and has started all five games to date. Crane earned the Griffins' lone win on the mound. He pitched three innings in relief, faced nine batters and walked only one. The Eagles and Griffins will meet for a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) doubleheader on Saturday, March 17, in Waterbury at Municipal Stadium.
WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN (0-4)
The Bobcats are still in search of their first win of the 2012 season. Most recently, West Virginia Wesleyan suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of #16 Franklin Pierce on Feb. 26. Against the Ravens, the Bobcats mustered just three hits. Three of WVWC's four losses have come by three runs or less. Offensively, Corey Flickinger leads the team with a .303 average (4-for-13), while John Tenney is 3-for-10 this year.
ON THE HORIZON:
Post will conclude its 14-game road trip to start the season at Wilmington on Wednesday, March 14. First pitch of the non-conference game is slated for 3 p.m.
