GAME DAY INFORMATION
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DATE: March 1-4, 2024
TIME: Friday: 6:30 PM
Saturday (DH): 2:00 PM & 4:30 PM
Sunday: 1:00 PM |
LOCATION: Melching Field at Conrad Park
DeLand, Fla. |
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GAME DAY LINK
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LIVE STATS
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THE LEAD
The Stetson University baseball team returns to Melching Field at Conrad Park for their first time since their electric 7-4 win over the #4-ranked Florida Gators on Tuesday night. The Hatters will now follow up the win, which was in front of the largest crowd in Melching Field history, with a four-game series against the Brown Bears. The weekend will begin with a 6:30 PM game on Friday. They then face off for a double-header on Saturday, beginning at 2:00 PM, before concluding the weekend on Sunday at 1:00 PM. While their will be no live stream for the games, live stats will be available at gohatters.com.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The two programs have only met five times prior to this weekend with the Hatters coming out on top in all five games, all of which have been played in DeLand. It's been a minute since they've last seen each other, however, as they last defeated the Bears 3-2 on March 29, 1988. The series began all the way back on March 28, 1971 when the Hatters took the inaugural game 5-2.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS (5-3, 0-0 ASUN)
Stetson approaches the weekend coming off the upset win over the #4-ranked Florida Gators in which the Hatters tagged Florida for five runs in the first inning.
Juan De La Cruz recorded his first hit as a Hatter in the inning, a two-run single through the right side while starting pitcher
Ty Van Dyke struck out eight batters. As a team, the Hatters combined to strike out 11 batters, a season-high, in front of the sellout crowd.
Junior catcher
Gio Cueto has been hot since stepping foot in DeLand, batting a team-high .393 while going 11-for-28, five of those hits being doubles. He has tallied a team-leading 11 RBIs, having recorded at least one in every game played so far.
Jayden Hylton has been heating up, as well, going 12-for-32 or .375. He's contributed two homeruns on the season but came in clutch in the eighth inning against Florida when he led off with a infield single before stealing second base, eventually plating the insurance run to secure the win.
Freshman
Kyle Jones leads the team with a .515 OB% as he hit his first career homerun last week in the win over Maine. He is batting .333 with a pair of doubles and three runs batted in.
Van Dyke was the star of the show on Tuesday, making his first start of the season. Despite allowing four runs on a pair of homeruns, Big Country struck out eight batters, the most by a Stetson pitcher this season. Of the ten outs her recorded, eight of them came by way of the K.
Anthony DeFabbia kept the Gators scoreless in relief before
Cole Stallings slammed the door with his first save of the season, a two-inning save.
SCOUTING THE BEARS (1-2, 0-0 IVY)
Brown had a mixed weekend, starting with a 1-2 series against UT Martin. The team stumbled in the opener, succumbing to a 12-2 defeat in seven innings, followed by a narrow 3-2 loss in the second game, marked by three unearned runs. However, they rallied in the third game on Sunday, securing a decisive 13-6 victory fueled by an 11-hit offensive barrage.
Freshman Miles Newsome showcased a noteworthy performance at second base in the final two games, earning recognition as the Ivy League Rookie of the Week for his .667/.778/1.167 slash line and his debut home run. Additionally, freshman Brady Dever shined with a 3-for-3 performance, including two home runs, in Sunday's triumph. Despite sophomore Mika Petersen's 28-game on-base streak being snapped on Saturday, he maintained a consistent presence on the bases, reaching safely in 29 of his last 30 games through hits, walks, or hit by pitches.
Brown benefited from solid pitching performances by senior Paxton Meyers, who delivered six scoreless innings allowing only five hits, and junior Santhosh Gottam, who held his ground for five innings despite conceding three earned runs.
Brown was picked to finish seventh in the Ivy League Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll with 35 points after finishing last season with a 12-26 record.
NEXT UP
Stetson will make a stop in Athens, Georgia to face-off with the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday, March 6 with first pitch slated for 6:30 PM at Foley Field.
