WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary baseball team will conclude the 2013 regular season with a three-game set against Georgia State this weekend at Plumeri Park. The series gets underway on Thursday evening at 7 p.m. and fans can follow the action online at TribeAthletics.com with live stats and audio with Wes Kempton on the call.
Probable Starters
Thursday – 7 PM
W&M – John Farrell (9-2, ERA 2.39)
GSU – TBA
Friday – 7 PM
W&M – Brett Koehler (6-3, ERA 3.38)
GSU – TBA
Saturday – 1 PM
W&M – Jason Inghram (7-4, ERA 2.73)
GSU – TBA
Scouting the Tribe
W&M enters the last weekend of the regular season with an overall record of 33-19 and a CAA ledger of 15-9. Last night, the Green and Gold defeated Old Dominion, 4-3, at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Va. The contest was highlighted by the Tribe's three-run fourth inning and Michael Katz's solo home run in the top of the eighth, which gave the Green and Gold a 4-2 lead. Matt Wainman preserved the victory and recorded his seventh save of the year after striking out the ODU side in the bottom of the ninth.
Sophomore first baseman Michael Katz leads the way offensively with an average of .371, which has included 38 RBIs, 33 runs scored, 18 doubles and three home runs. Junior second baseman Ryan Lindemuth continues a solid season with an average of .327 to go along with 29 runs batted in and 46 runs scored. Senior center fielder Ryan Brown has swiped 20 bases this year and is batting .325 with 22 RBIs, 10 doubles and 50 runs scored.
On the mound, senior RHP John Farrell (9-2) is one win shy of becoming the first Tribe pitcher to post 10 wins in a single season since 1938. In 94.1 innings of work, Farrell has amassed an ERA of 2.39 to go along with 78 strikeouts and an opposition batting average of .247. Classmate RHP Brett Koehler (6-3) is arguably coming off his best performance of the season as he picked up the win at UNCW after seven strong innings of work in which he allowed just one earned run on seven its and six strikeouts. Through 85.1 innings of action this season, Koehler has registered only 10 walks on an ERA of 3.38. Sophomore LHP Jason Inghram (7-5) solidified his spot in the rotation early this spring as the Chesapeake, Va., native owns an ERA of 2.73, which has included a team leading 84 strikeouts in 85.2 innings of work.
Scouting the Panthers
Georgia State travels to Plumeri Park this weekend with an overall record of 34-19 and a conference mark of 13-11. The Panthers have tallied an impressive home record of 24-7 this season, while it has posted a mark of 8-11 on the road. GSU has won seven of its last nine contests, which included league series wins over Northeastern, Towson and Hofstra.
Junior Chad Prain leads the GSU bats with the nation's seventh best batting average (.421), which has included 48 RBIs, 16 doubles and four home runs. Junior Chase Raffield is batting .376 with 50 runs batted in and nine home runs, while freshman Josh Merrigan owns an average of .354 to go along with 34 RBIs and 51 runs scored. As a unit, the Panthers lead the nation in doubles (132), while it ranks second in batting average (.324) and hits (621). GSU has connected on 40 home runs this season, which stands 20th in the country.
On the mound, junior LHP Andrew Fessler (6-1) owns an ERA of 2.59 in 73.0 innings of work. The Dallas, Ga., native has posted 47 strikeouts and has held the opposition bats to an average of .220. LHP Ben Burns (6-3) has pitched 54.0 innings this season and has compiled an ERA of 5.50. Georgia State owns a team ERA of 5.32, which includes an opposition batting average of .288.
News and Notes:
- In a series that dates back to 2006, Georgia State owns a 14-7 series lead over the College. Last season, the Panthers took two of three from the Tribe in Atlanta, Ga., as one run decided each contests.
Georgia State Series Notes
Cumulative Score - W&M 121 - Georgia State 152
Largest Margin of Victory - 4 (W, 8-4), (5/21/06) (A)
Largest Margin of Defeat - 6, (L, 17-11), (4/6/07) (H)
Longest Winning Streak - 2, (5/20/06 - 5/21/06)
Longest Losing Streak - 5, (3/22/09 - 5/12/09)
- Before Saturday's series finale against Georgia State, the William and Mary baseball program will honor its six-member senior class who will be playing in their final game at Plumeri Park. This season's senior class has accounted for 117 wins, 53 CAA wins and a home record of 79-38.
2013 W&M Senior Class:
Ryan Brown
John Farrell
Brett Koehler
Jackson Shaver
Matt Wainman
Ryan Williams
- With its CAA Tournament ticket already punched, the William and Mary baseball team can clinch the tournament's No. 2 seed with one win against Georgia State this weekend. Securing the second seed will give the Tribe a first day bye as it would open play on Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. against Wednesday's game two winner (#3 seed vs. #6 seed). The 2013 CAA Tournament will be held on the campus of James Madison University on May 22-25. For more information on the 2013 CAA Baseball Tournament click here.
- In the latest NCAA statistics that were released on May 13, the Tribe was well represented as a team and individually. As a unit, the Green and Gold ranks fourth in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings (2.16), while its strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.27) stands fifth. Individually, senior RHP Brett Koehler ranks sixth in the nation in walks allowed per nine innings (0.74), while his strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.29) stands eighth. Senior RHP John Farrell's nine wins rank 17th in the country, while his strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.5) stands 15th. Sophomore LHP Jason Inghram stands 41st nationally in strikeouts (84.0), while classmate Michael Katz ranks 59th in batting average (.372). Senior Ryan Brown's 20 stolen bases on the season also stand 59th in the nation.
