Thursday, April 22, 2010

MACON, Ga. –. Stetson looks to get back to the top of the conference ladder while Lipscomb remains in a battle to make the Atlantic Sun Championship Tournament in the A-Sun Series of the Week.

The three-game set between the Hatters and the Bisons begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Deland. (Before the game Friday, Stetson will honor its Atlantic Sun Champion men’s soccer team) Saturday the two teams meet for 2:00 p.m. start and the series concludes Sunday with an 11:00 a.m. contest.

Stetson enters the weekend with an 8-4 tally in conference play, even with league leader FGCU in the loss column with six fewer conference games played. Lipscomb enters the weekend a game and half out of the final spot in the A-Sun Baseball Championship, but the Bisons do have three games in hand to Belmont, Mercer and Kennesaw State who are all set at 7-8 in the A-Sun entering the weekend tied for the final spot in the A-Sun Championship.

Lipscomb’s Josh Smith ranks eighth in the A-Sun in ERA with a 3.69 mark and a 7-1 record in nine appearances and a league leading 80 strikeouts in 68.1 innings pitched. Despite the performances by Smith and reliever Chard Fromm, who holds a 3.95 ERA in 18 appearances, pitching remain an issue for Lipscomb. Smith and Fromm stand as two of the only Bisons with an ERA under 5.70 with Smith holding half of the team’s 14 wins.

Wilson, Wilson, and Hale may sound like a law firm but it also powers the Lipscomb offense. Tyler Wilson leads the team in batting average at .360 with 31 stolen bases, while his brother Lee Wilson holds a .358 batting average with 13 steals. Together the Lee brothers hold more stolen bases, 44 then five teams in the Atlantic Sun. Cory Hale provides the power in the Lipscomb batting order with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs.

Jeff Simpson leads Stetson’s batting average with .410 with 9 extra base hits, a .504 slugging percentage and 15 stolen bases. Robert Crew holds a Hatter-best nine home runs on the year but only 27 RBIs. Aaron Crittenden boasts 36 RBIs on the year. Extra base hits have powered the Stetson offense in 2010 as five Hatter starters hold slugging percentages over .500.

Much like Lipscomb, Stetson remains troubled by starting pitching issues. Jacob DeGrom leads the starting staff with a 3.61 ERA but he stands as the only Hatter pitcher to start a game this year who holds an ERA under 6.90. Robbie Powell remains one of the top pitchers in the A-Sun out of the bullpen with a 2.08 ERA in 19 appearances with 28 strikeouts in 30.1 innings pitched.

Fans can follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and on Facebook. Visit twitter.com/AtlanticSun to begin receiving updates on conference news, weekly awards, and from A-Sun championships. Atlantic Sun followers with a Facebook account can become a "fan" of the conference by visiting facebook.com/AtlanticSunConference.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University