Story by Alec Robinette
WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington baseball team heads north to face off in a double header against Bluffton University on Saturday.
The Series: A two-game series is scheduled for 1 p.m. and again at 4 p.m.
The Teams: Bluffton and Wilmington. The Fightin' Quakers are 5-6 overall and look to add two more wins to its total after a 15-14 loss in extra innings against the Coast Guard Academy. The Beavers capped off Florida with a school record 8-2 start and aim to continue that strong start this weekend.
The Coaches: Dan Cleaver is in his sixth season with the Quakers baseball team; the previous four seasons have been as head coach. James Grandey is entering into his 15th season at the helm for the Beavers baseball team.
Hitters to Watch: Senior Joshua Chua and Sophomore Nick Silvis lead the Quakers both with a .405 batting average. The two have combined for a total of 21 RBI's and look to continue their hot starts to the season. Senior Ryan Golden leads his team hitting a solid .543 so far and having a team high 20 RBIs and has also accumulated four stolen bases.
Pitchers to Watch: Junior Quaker Jared Ferenchak has 10 innings under his belt and has five strikeouts to along with it. Jared has two starts so far this season and is 1-1 in those two starts; he has also kept the earned runs to a minimum as he has a 2.70 ERA. Junior right hander Brantley Curnutte has picked up two wins for the Beavers through his 3 appearances, two of which being starts. Curnutte has accumulated an ERA of 2.13 and has struck out 10 through 12.2 innings.
Series History: Bluffton has taken over the Quakers in previous meetings as Wilmington is just 1-5 against the Beavers since the 2009 season.
Coverage: Live stats will be provided for the contest – visit links above.
Up Next: Wilmington has its home opener against Pitt-Bradford on Sunday afternoon with first pitched scheduled at noon.