Liberty Faces UNC Asheville in Weekend Series
4/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Games
The Liberty Flames (12-14, 1-2 Big South) travel to Asheville, N.C., for the first Big South three-game road series of 2008 against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs (12-19, 0-3 Big South), April 4-6, at Greenwood Field. Game time Friday is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday's contest is set for 1 p.m., while Sunday's series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m.
All-Time Series Against UNC Asheville
Friday will be the 50th meeting between the Flames and Bulldogs. Liberty enters the weekend series with a 34-15 advantage in the all-time series since 1977.
Last year, the Flames won three of the four meetings between the two teams, taking two games of a three-game series at Liberty's Worthington Stadium, March 17-19. Liberty then took an elimination game at the 2007 Big South Championship, 12-8, on the morning of May 25 to advance in the tournament.
The Last Time Out
The visiting Norfolk State Spartans scored three times in the eighth inning, en route to an 8-5 victory over the Liberty Flames, Wednesday afternoon at Worthington Stadium. The Flames had taken a 5-3 lead with a four-run six inning, before the Spartans claimed the lead for good in the eighth. Kenneth Negron and Cody Brown each had two hits in the contest for Liberty.
A Look at the Bulldogs
UNC Asheville enters the weekend series with the Flames, with a 12-19 overall mark and 0-3 record. The Bulldogs will be looking to stop a six-game losing skid.
UNC Asheville is led by shortstop Kevin Weidenbacher, who currently holds a .368 batting average. Right fielder Elliot Arrington follows with a .333 mark and entered the week fifth in the Big South with a team-leading 28 RBIs. As a team, the Bulldogs are hitting .284.
On the mound, UNC Asheville enters the weekend with a 5.99 team ERA. The Bulldogs have relied on the duo of Alan DeRatt and Michael Bogaert. DeRatt leads the conference with a 0.83 ERA and a 5-0 record. Bogaert has recorded a 4-3 mark with a 1.98 ERA.
Liberty on the Road
This year, Liberty is scheduled to play 22 contests on the road, plus 10 on neutral fields. Jim Toman's team's road schedule includes two tournaments. The first is in Clearwater, Fla., which opened the season, followed by The Coca-Cola Classic in Hattiesburg, Miss., March 14-15.
For the season, Liberty sports a 1-3 road record and a 5-4 neutral field mark. Last season, Liberty posted a 10-15 road record, plus a 3-1 mark on neutral fields.
Flames by the Month
The Flames posted a 7-12 record and began Big South play at 1-2 in the just completed month of March. Last season, Liberty posted a 10-9 record in March and began Big South play with a 3-3 record. Since 1978, the Flames have posted a record of 325-266-2 (.549) in the month of March. Liberty played five contests during the month of February in 2008, with the inception of the common starting date for college baseball. For the first time this season, NCAA Division I programs could not begin competition until Feb. 22. Liberty went unbeaten during the month, posting a 5-0 mark to open the 2008 campaign.
Last season, Liberty started the 2007 campaign by posting a 7-3 mark in February, while in 2006, Liberty started 7-2. The Flames have been successful during the month with a mark of 69-29 (.704) since 1976. It is the third-straight season the Flames have had a strong opening month.
Liberty has started the month of April at 0-2. Last season, the Flames went 11-6 in the fourth month of the year. Since 1976, Liberty has recorded an all-time mark of 312-268-1 (.538) in April.
The Flames at Night
Last Friday night was the first night contest of 2008 for Liberty. The Flames are now 0-2 under the lights this season. Last year, the Flames went 4-6 in night contests. Since 2004, Liberty has gone 10-18 under artificial lighting.
The Flames are scheduled to play 12 games at night this season, including six at Worthington Stadium and six on the road. Liberty' s next contest under the lights is scheduled for Tuesday night against James Madison at Worthington Stadium. The Flames will play their first road night contest at Virginia on Wednesday.
Flames Announce Midweek Time Changes
Start times for two midweek games were announced this week. Tuesday's contest against James Madison at Worthington Stadium will start at 6 p.m., instead of the original time of 7 p.m. In addition, the Flames' home contest against Virginia Tech on April 16 has been changed to a 3 p.m. start time. The game had orginally been scheduled as a night contest.
A Look Ahead
The Flames return home for a Tuesday contest with James Madison at Worthington Stadium. Game time is slated for 6 p.m. Liberty will then travel on Wednesday to Charlottesville, Va., to sqaure off with No. 12 Virginia at Davenport Stadium. First pitch Wednesday is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Flames will then continue on the road for conference action over the weekend. Liberty will travel to Radford, Va., to face the Radford Highlanders in a three-game Big South series, April 11-13. Friday's series opener is scheduled for 3 p.m., while Saturday's middle game is slated for 2 p.m. The series will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m.
