App State (7-1, 0-0 SBC)
at Gardner-Webb (3-2, 0-0 Big South)
SERIES SCHEDULE
Friday, February 27, 6 p.m. (Game 1) – RHP Oliver Ellison
Saturday, February 28, 3 p.m. (Game 2) – RHP Matt Stuart
Sunday, March 1, 1 p.m. (Game 3) – LHP Reid Bertram
Bill Masters Field at John Henry Moss Stadium | Boiling Springs, N.C.
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb baseball returns to the diamond on February 27-March 1 as it plays host to App State in a three-game set at Bill Masters Field. The Runnin' Bulldogs are off to a 6-3 start this season after taking 3-of-4 from Dartmouth and FDU last weekend.
Redshirt sophomore designated hitter Alejandro Sanchez is off to a blistering start to his Gardner-Webb career, leading the team with a .500 batting average that includes four doubles, a pair of triples and eight RBIs. Senior left fielder Kelvin Agosto has also fared well at the dish for the Dawgs, raking at a .387 average, including a team second-best 12 hits. Agosto has driven in 11 runs. Senior catcher Zack Thompson continues his great start, currently sitting at third on the team with a .382 average. Thompson leads the team in hits (13) and is second in total bases (18).
Redshirt junior Matt Ilgenfritz supplies the power for the Runnin' Bulldogs with three long balls on the season while senior center fielder Merik Carter has added a solo shot into the mix.
Redshirt senior Reid Bertram improved to 2-0 on the season after tossing 7.0 innings against Dartmouth, allowing a single run while scattering five hits and striking out three. Bertram owns a team-best 1.29 earned run average. Junior Oliver Ellison also picked up his second win of the year over the last series, hurling 5.0 innings of 1-run baseball, dropping his ERA to 3.27.
App State has won seven of its first eight games with the only setback coming at Duke of the ACC. The Mountaineers opened the season sweeping Canisius before taking two from North Carolina A&T, and one each from Southern Illinois and ETSU.
The Mountaineers are led offensively by infielder Steven Smith, who has a .500 average at the plate to go along with 10 hits that include three doubles and two homeruns. Drew DuPont is second on the club with a .393 batting average and leads the team in RBIs (12) and total bases (22). Four different players have hit two homeruns each for App State.
Gage Peterson anchors the App State rotation, sitting at 2-0 on the year with an unblemished ERA. In his last outing, Peterson tossed 6.0 innings while allowing three hits and striking out seven against A&T. Nick DiRito has a team-high two saves while making three appearances this season. DiRito has been used in long relief, going 4.0 innings in two of his three games played.
Friday and Sunday's games will be televised on ESPN+ while you can follow along with live stats during all three contests at www.gwusports.com.
