Flames Square Off with Buccaneers
5/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Games
Looking to continue a five-game winning streak, the Liberty Flames (34-12, 15-3 Big South) travel to Charleston , S.C., for a three-game Big South Conference series against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers (17-26, 6-11 Big South), Friday-Sunday at Buccaneer Ballpark. The Flames have won 12-straight Big South contests, the longest streak in program history.
The series get underway Friday at 2 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. Sunday, the series finale is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Liberty Flames extended their winning streak to five-straight, downing the Maryland Terrapins, 11-1, Wednesday afternoon in a non-conference match-up at Worthington Stadium.
Right-fielder Michael Robertson hit his fourth home run of the year and drove in four runs. Catcher Nathan Thompson also hit his team-leading eighth home run of the season in the win.
Flames right-hander Cameron Giannini allowed one run on seven hits over seven innings, running his record to 4-3 on the year. The right-hander struck out a career-high 10 batters, while walking none. He did not allow a runner past second base after the first inning.
On Deck
The Flames will return home for a weekend series with Big South-leading and the No. 4 ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, next weekend at Worthington Stadium. The series opens Friday, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
Flames on the Air
Both Saturday and Sunday's game between the Flames and Buccaneers will be video streamed LIVE by the Charleston Southern Athletic Media Relations Department. The feed will be available for a nominal fee on the Big South Network. The broadcast will also be available on the World Wide Web at both LibertyFlames.com and BigSouthSports.com.
The Coaches
Liberty Head Coach Jim Toman has the Flames out to their best record during his three year tenure and this past Sunday, reached 100 career coaching victories. During his first two seasons, he guided the Flames to 68 wins, the most during the first two years under any head coach in program history, and best winning percentage (.591) over the same span.
Last season, Liberty posted the most victories in Big South Conference play with a 17-9 mark, since joining the conference in 1992. The Flames recorded an overall record of 33-21 in Toman's second year.
A 21-year member of the college coaching ranks, he served 18 years as a member of Ray Tanner's staffs at South Carolina and N.C. State. Toman was named the 2002 Baseball America/American Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year and recruited 15 top 25 classes, including all 11 of his seasons at South Carolina. From 2003-2006, three of the four Gamecock recruiting classes were ranked first in the nation by Collegiate Baseball.
Charleston Southern Head Coach Stuart Lake is in his second season with the Buccaneers. In his first season, Charleston Southern posted a 16-37 overall record and finished seventh in the Big South standings with a 10-15 mark.
A 1994 graduate of Charleston Southern, Lake returned to take over the reigns of his alma mater after having spent time at South Carolina, Ole Miss, College of Charleston and his most recent stop, The Citadel. The 14-year college coaching veteran is heading up a program for the first time in his career with the Bucs.
Lake got his start in college coaching at South Carolina, serving on the same staff with the Flames' Jim Toman.
Toman Reaches 100 Coaching Wins
With a sweep of Gardner-Webb last weekend, Liberty head coach Jim Toman reached career win 100 on Sunday.
Of the six head coaches in Liberty history, Toman is the fastest to reach 100 coaching victories. Toman reached the milestone in 160 games, eclipsing program founder and first head coach Al Worthington, who reached his 100th win in 166 games.
Flames on the Road
With its victory over Wednesday, Liberty improved to 14-6 mark on the road this season. Liberty is also 2-0 in contests on neutral fields.
Head Coach Jim Toman's team finished 2009 with a 11-13 final road ledger. The Flames also compiled a 3-3 record on neutral fields.
Flames Continue Big South Win Streak
With a three-game sweep of Gardner-Webb last weekend, Liberty has won 12-straight Big South Conference contests, the longest conference winning streak in program history. The streak eclipsed the 2001 Liberty team, which won 10-straight Big South games from April 14 through May 12.
Closing in on New Big South Victory Record
Last season, the Flames set a school record for most victories in Big South Conference play with 17. The win total eclipsed the 1995 Liberty squad which posted 15 conference wins.
The Flames enter the weekend with 15 wins in conference play, three victories shy of breaking the standard set last season. Including this weekend, Liberty has nine Big South games remaining on the schedule.
Flames Reach 30 Wins
With an 11-2 victory over the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs last Friday night, Liberty has won 30 or more games in a season for the sixth consecutive year, and each of the first three years under head coach Jim Toman. It is the first time in the 37-year history of the program, the Flames have won 30 or more games six-straight years.
Last season, the Flames posted a 33-21 mark to record its fifth-straight season of 30 wins or more. It was the first time Liberty had accomplished the five-year feat.
Before 2008, the Liberty baseball program had won 30 or more games in a season three consecutive years. The Flames won 30 or more contests three consecutive seasons from 2000-02.
What is It About Fridays?
The Flames are 11-1 in Friday contests this season, outscoring their opponents, 102-43. Toman's squad is hitting .335 on the sixth day of the week, while holding opponents to a .226 average.
Scoring First
Liberty has gotten on the scoreboard first in 33 of its 46 contests this season. The Flames are 28-5, when scoring first. Liberty is 6-7 when its opponents score first in a contest.
Taking One for the Team
In each of the past two seasons, the Flames have set a new team record for being hit by a pitch, and this season has been no different. A Liberty player was hit by a pitch for the 99th time in 2010 on Wednesday. The total eclipses last season's team record 95, which was set over 54 games.
The Flames rank third nationally in the category in the latest NCAA statistics, through games of May 2. Catcher Nathan Thompson has been hit 17 times to lead the Flames and ranks fourth in the Big South.
Turning Two
Liberty has turned 50 double plays this season, and ranks 16th nationally in double plays in the last NCAA Statistical Report for games through May 2. The Flames total eclipsed last year's season total of 36, recorded over 54 games. The program season record is 77 double plays, set by the 1998 squad.
In addition, the Liberty Flames turned five ground balls into double plays during their 9-1 win over St. John's on March 12. The five double plays turned by the Liberty infield are the most in a game by the Flames over the past 11 seasons. In 2008, the Flames turned four double plays in a game twice. The contest happened a week apart, as Liberty had four double plays in an 11-5 win over Army, March 8. A week later, the Flames recorded four double plays in a 5-0 loss at Southern Miss, March 15. Liberty also turned four double plays this season in a 6-3 victory over Lehigh on Feb. 27.
Bats Power Recent Success
The Flames have won 21 out of their last 25 games, posting a .840 winning percentage over the span. Fueling the surge, which started on March 27, have been the Liberty bats. The Flames have hit .354 as a team during the stretch, raising their team average 31 points, from .299 to .330. In addition, Liberty has outscored its opponents by 96 runs over the period, 224-128.
Over the 25 games, two Flames have hit better than .430, led by second baseman P.J. Jimenez , who has posted a .459 batting average over the span. The senior has 45 hits during the stretch, and is currently on a 12-game hit streak.
Outfielder Curran Redal has hit .434 during the span. The senior outfielder has a team-high 49 hits. He also had a 17-game hitting streak during the span, the longest hit streak of the season by a Flame.
