May 10, 2010

LIVE STATS

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University will welcome Radford University of the Big South Conference in baseball Tuesday night, May 11, under the lights at Bolding Stadium in Farmville beginning at 6 p.m.. It will be Senior Night for the six Lancers finishing their careers, including Robbie Bailey, Phil Cerreto, Lance Harting, Casey Havers, Scott Kimble, and David Smiy Jr.. The two schools have met 17 times previously in the sport as LU leads the series at 10-7. Veteran 32nd-year head coach Charles Buddy Bolding leads Longwood (22-18), while the Highlanders (26-20) are coached by third-year head coach Joe Raccuia. Admission is free to all home baseball games at Bolding Stadium in Farmville.

Longwood has won five of its last seven games while led at the plate this season by third baseman and team captain Phil Cerreto. He has enjoyed an outstanding final campaign while hitting .446 with 10 home runs, 22 doubles, 54 RBI, an .790 slugging percentage, and a .503 on-base percentage – all team-bests this spring. Expected to join Cerreto in the lineup are captains Casey Havers (1B | .398, 2 HR, 12 2B, 35 RBI) and David Smiy Jr. (LF | .233, 9 2B, 23 RBI), along with classmates Scott Kimble (SS | .371, 2 HR, 9 2B, 18 RBI) and Robbie Bailey (CF | .340, 4 HR, 7 2B, 17 RBI). Also expected in the lineup are junior Brant Jones (2B | .375, 6 HR, 10 2B, 30 RBI), sophomores Robby Newman (C | .229, 7 HR, 6 2B, 30 RBI) and Dustin Sollars (RF | .219, 1 HR, 7 2B, 18 RBI), along with freshman Justin Lacy (DH | .267, 5 HR, 10 2B, 19 RBI). Havers has a current 19-game hitting streak (35-84, .417), while Jones has a current 15-game hitting streak (32-67, .478).

Senior captain and right-hander Lance Harting (7-0, 2.55 ERA, 60.0 IP, 41K) is expected to start Tuesday night's game on the mound for the Lancers. Sophomore right-hander Mark Montgomery (3-1, 4 saves, 2.61 ERA, 31.0 IP, 40K) could see pitching time as well.

Longwood is hitting .318 as a team this season with 37 home runs, 99 doubles, and 259 RBI while averaging 7.10 runs per game. Last week, Cerreto was ranked third in Division I in doubles per game, fifth in batting average, seventh in doubles and slugging percentage, as well as 11th nationally in RBI per game. Longwood's team pitching ERA is 5.69 through 337.0 innings with 221 strikeouts (5.90).

Radford is led offensively by senior Reggie Keen (.372, 5 HR, 13 2B, 40 RBI), followed by classmate Raphael Turner (.354, 7 HR, 12 2B, 41 RBI), sophomores Matt Hillsinger (.342, 2 HR, 10 2B, 28 RBI) and Brett Mollenhauer (.326, 7 2B, 31 RBI), along with senior Tyren Rivers (.317, 5 HR, 12 2B, 34 RBI). The Highlanders are expected to start freshman right-hander Derrick Brewer (0-2, 6.68 ERA, 31.0 IP, 20K) on the mound against the Lancers. RU is hitting .304 as a team with 40 home runs, 96 doubles, and 303 RBI while averaging 7.15 runs per game. The Radford pitching staff has a combined ERA of 5.80 through 411.1 innings with 280 strikeouts (6.13).

Longwood fell on the road at Radford earlier this season on April 14 by a score of 8-2. The Lancers also dropped the only game played last season, also on April 14 (2009), by a score of 12-5. The Highlanders have won four-straight in the series as the last win by Longwood was during 2007 by a score of 17-15.

Longwood has 10 games remaining on the schedule for 2010, though only two home games remain, including tomorrow night's contest.  The Lancers are slated to play again Wednesday, May 12, at Old Dominion University of the Colonial Athletic Association in Norfolk beginning at 6 p.m.. Longwood returns to Norfolk this weekend, May 15-16, for another three-game weekend road series at Norfolk State University of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The two schools will play a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m..