Monday, April 16, 2007

This Week in A-Sun Baseball

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Matchup of the Week

April 20-22
#18 Stetson at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Fla.

The preseason favorites in the Atlantic Sun finally meet in Jackonville this weekend. Jacksonville was picked by the league's coaches to repeat as regular season champions, and Stetson was picked by the coaches to repeat as the A-Sun tournament champion. Stetson has won 10 games in a row, and have swept their last 3 A-Sun series. The Dolphins are coming off a series won over Gardner-Webb. Jacksonville has won 5 of thier past 6 conference matchups. JU is 15-8 at home, and the Hatters boast a 9-2 road record.

A-Sun Player of the Week
Clint Roques (Fr. - OF/DH - Marietta, Ga. - Undecided)
Roques had a great weekend for KSU as he helped the Owls to a sweep of long-time rival North Florida this past weekend. For the three-game set, the Marietta, Ga. native batted .364 (4-11) with two doubles, one triple, once sacrifice fly and seven RBI. Five of the seven runs batted in came in the Owls' 8-1 win in the series finale amid extremely windy and cold conditions. His hitting helped the Owls move up to 6th in the A-Sun Standings.

A-Sun Pitchers of the Week
Chris Ingoglia, Stetson (Sr. - LHP - Boynton Beach, Fla. - Marketing)
Ingoglia struck out 14 batters in a 3-hit complete game victory at Campbell. Did not issue a walk and allowed just one run in a 3-1 victory over the Camels. His 14 K's were the most by a Hatter pitcher in over 13 years. Ingoglia retired his first 13 hitters before surrendering an inside-the-park home run. He fanned two in each of his first five innings and struck out the side in the eighth.

Taylor Merry, Lipscomb (Fr. - RHP - Brentwood, Tenn. - Marketing)
Merry threw a complete game, going eight innings while giving up just one run on five hits and striking out ten to complete the sweep of ETSU. The game was shortened due to rain. Lipscomb moved up from 7th place to 4th in the Atlantic Sun standings thanks to their sweep on the road.

Stetson is Movin' On Up
The Stetson University baseball team is on a 10-game winning streak, and that has not gone unoticed in the national polls. Stetson entered the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper poll this week at No. 22. The Hatters are ranked No. 18 in the Rivals.com Top 25. It is the highest ranking of the year for the Hatters, who boast a 30-9 record and are in first place in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Stetson also remained the Ping! Baseball Top 30, moving up three spots to No. 21 and removed their name from the receiving votes column in the USA Today/Coaches Poll, being ranked at No. 24. The Hatters were ranked No. 30 in the NCBWA poll entering last week..

A-Sun Standings

A-Sun Players of the Week

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League Leaders

Team-by-Team Notes

2007 ATLANTIC SUN CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY PROGRESS ENERGY
Melching Field at Conrad Park: One of the most picturesque, fan-friendly stadiums in the nation, Melching Field at Conrad Park will host the Atlantic Sun Championship for the sixth consecutive season. At a cost of $4.5 million, Melching Field was the result of a joint effort between Stetson University, DeLand Sports Redevelopment Association and the City of DeLand. Built on the same site as old Conrad Park, Melching Field opened on Feb. 12, 1999 as the Hatters defeated Louisville 4-3 before an overflow crowd of 2,874 fans.

Click here for more information on the 2007 Atlantic Sun Championship Presented by Progress Energy