GAME DAY INFORMATION
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DATE: March 22-24, 2024
TIME: Friday: 6:30 PM
Saturday: 6:30 PM
Sunday: 1:00 PM
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LOCATION:
Melching Field at Conrad Park
DeLand, Fla. |
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GAME DAY LINK
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LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
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THE LEAD
Looking to get back in the win column following their 1-0 loss to #12 Florida State on Tuesday, the Hatters will return home to Melching Field to host the Lipscomb Bisons for a three-game series. The series begins on Friday at 6:30 PM for Beach Night presented by Coca-Cola. They'll continue play at the same time on Saturday for Greek Appreciation Night - Green Out before wrapping up the weekend at 1:00 PM on Sunday.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The two conference foes have met 75 times prior to this weekend's series as the Hatters hold the edge with a 41-34 all-time record. While Stetson narrowly leads 13-12 on the road, they lead 27-21 when hosting the Bisons. While the Bisons won the series last time they met, Stetson enters on a one game win streak over Lipscomb after picking up a 8-2 win at home on April 16, 2023. The series dates all the way back to March 26, 1965 when Stetson dropped the inaugural game 3-1 at home. Over their 75 previous games, Stetson has scored a total of 447 runs, 5.96 per game.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS (13-9, 1-2 ASUN)
Stetson returns home after spending the last five games on the road, going 1-4 over that span. They went 1-2 against Jacksonville to start conference play but also dropped games to UCF and #12 Florida State. They fell to the Seminoles 1-0 in their last outing on Tuesday despite a strong start by senior John Modugno.
Freshman
Kyle Jones saw his eight game hitting streak come to an end after going 0-2 at Florida State with a walk. He is currently leading the team with a .347 batting average and .489 OB%. Jones has tallied 25 hits in 72 at-bats this season, six of which have been extra base hits.
Lorenzo Meola and
Logan Hughes each recorded three hits in the loss on Sunday while the former was one of two Stetson batters to tally a hit against the Seminoles.
The other Hatter to reach on a single was Gio Cueto, who paces Stetson with 23 RBIs, fourth most in the conference. The junior catcher is batting .320 on the year with 10 extra base hits, including a team-leading seven doubles.
Yohann Dessureault has started all 22 games at second base, batting .311 with 23 hits. 12 of his hits have been extra base hits, including a team-leading seven homeruns. He has plated 19 runs while providing a .662 SLG%.
Anthony DeFabbia earned his fourth win of the season after a six strikeout performance over six innings in the win over Jacksonville on Friday.
Modugno got the start at Florida State but was a no-decision after tossing five shutout innings, allowing three hits, with no walks and four strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE BISONS (4-15, 1-2 ASUN)
Lipscomb looks to get back on track after losing the final two matchups of the conference opening series against Austin Peay over the weekend. The Bisons have had a tough schedule so far this March, holding a 1-10 record in the month after facing teams like #15 Alabama, Kentucky and Louisville.
The last time the Bisons were in DeLand, Florida, they won the ASUN Tournament Championship and advanced to NCAA Regional play. Lipscomb returns 22 players from last year's roster and adds 18 newcomers, seven of them freshmen, and 11 of them transfers. • The Bisons also return eight of their nine players who were starters in their two NCAA Regional games and a large portion of the 2023 season.
The Bisons were picked to win the league this season, after winning the league last year while being picked fourth in the preseason. Four Bisons earned preseason all-conference selections, led by a graduate student and starting third basemen Trace Willhoite, who was named ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Senior centerfielder Alex Vergara, senior catcher Austin Kelly, and junior left-handed pitcher Hayden Frank also represented the Bisons in the preseason list.
Lipscomb finished 15th in the nation in home runs last season, hitting 109 in 2023, almost double the previous Lipscomb record (69). Four players had 15+ home runs last season, led by Alex Vergara, who launched 23 bombs last year, and Austin Kelly, who hit 21 and was the first to break the program's single-season record, held initially by Trace Willhoite (17-2022), the program's current career home run leader.
NEXT UP
Stetson will hit the road for a three game series against the EKU Colonels in Richmond, KY from March 28-30.
