Baseball | 4/21/2015 12:56:00 PM

Championship Central

Forest City, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs will be the number four seed in this week's South Atlantic Conference baseball tournament. The eight-team tournament will be held Thursday through Monday at McNair Field in Forest City, N.C. Wingate enters the tournament 26-20 overall after posting a 15-15 record in SAC play. The Bulldogs will face number eight seed Carson-Newman Thursday at 4 p.m.

This year's SAC Tournament has a different format than past tournaments. With two extra teams making the field this year, the tournament has been extended by a day. Thursday's games will be single elimination. The loser of the Wingate vs. Carson-Newman game will be eliminated, while the winner advances to Friday's contest. After Thursday, the tournament becomes double elimination.

Catawba is the number one seed this week. The defending regular season and tournament champion Indians will face the lowest remaining seed after Thursday's action on Friday at 12 p.m. Newberry is the number two seed. The Wolves will take on the other team that advances from Thursday, playing Friday at 3:45 p.m.

Wingate has seen success in the SAC Tournament recently, advancing to championship Sunday three of the past four years. The Bulldogs won the SAC Tournament championship in 2011, going through the four days without a loss. Wingate won its first two games of the 2012 tournament, while bouncing back from a loss to defeat Carson-Newman 17-2 to return to championship Sunday. Tusculum would go on to defeat the Bulldogs in the title game. The Bulldogs won their first two games in last year's tournament, but a tough 1-0, 12-inning loss to Catawba on Saturday night meant three teams would advance to the final day. Wingate bounced back with a 3-0 victory against Tusculum, but the Indians would go on to defeat Wingate in the final game of the tournament.

The Bulldogs and Eagles met this past weekend, with Wingate winning two of three games at Ron Christopher Stadium. The 'Dogs opened the series with a 14-3 win on Friday night. Sophomore Shane Billings (Kernersville, N.C.) hit a pair of homers, while freshman Bradley Brown (Rockingham, N.C.), sophomore Colby Barnette (Monroe, N.C.) and senior Josh Clark (Clemmons, N.C.) each connected on three-run homers. The Eagles won the first game on Saturday 7-4, but Wingate responded with a 9-3 victory in the finale. Senior outfielder Thomas Spitz (West Chester, Pa.) went four-for-four with a three-run homer and grand slam, driving in seven runs to lead the Wingate attack on Senior Day. Classmate Blake Prince (Winter Park, Fla.) also homered for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs are no stranger to the long ball this year. Wingate has connected on 70 homers, leading the nation in the category. The 'Dogs also rank eighth nationally in hits and runs scored, while ranking 14th in doubles and 16th in slugging percentage. All nine Wingate starters have at least three homeruns this year, while eight Bulldogs have five or more homers. The Bulldogs have at least one homer in 33 of 46 games this year.

Spitz is one of 30 semi-finalists for the Tino Martinez Award. He is hitting .373 with 13 homers, 14 doubles, four triples and 58 RBI, scoring 65 runs while stealing 15 bases in 16 attempts. Spitz is second in the league in runs, while ranking third in homers, RBI and slugging percentage. Billings is sixth in the SAC with his .392 batting average, while leading the league with 21 stolen bases, ranking third with 76 hits and fourth with 61 runs scored. Billings has eight homers and 10 doubles on the season, driving in 32 runs.

Brown is hitting .340 during his freshman season, collecting eight homers, 17 doubles and 51 RBI. He is third in the league in doubles, fourth in RBI and seventh in homers. Clark is hitting .320 in his final season at Wingate, connecting on seven homers and 14 doubles while ranking sixth in the conference with 47 RBI. Barnette has 11 doubles in his first season at Wingate, while ranking fourth in the SAC with 10 homers and seventh with 45 RBI. Senior Michael Godinez (Cutler Bay, Fla.) has a career-high six homers in his senior season and is sixth in the conference with 49 runs scored.

The pitching staff has been led by junior right-hander Tyler Brown (Suffolk, Va.). He has been used as a starter, long reliever and closer this year, compiling a 6-4 record while adding three saves, registering a 3.19 ERA. He has 43 strikeouts and 14 walks in 52 2/3 innings while holding opponents to a .197 batting average. Redshirt freshman Hunter Hamilton (Troy, N.C.) has made five starts, going 2-2 with a 3.80 ERA in 45 innings. Senior right-hander Brett Morgan (Clemmons, N.C.) has made 12 starts, picking up five wins while striking out 45 in 58 1/3 innings.

Redshirt freshman Jimmy Doolittle (Charlotte, N.C.) has three wins in 10 starts, piling up 46 strikeouts. Freshman left-hander Kory Behenna (Bahama, N.C.) has a team-best 47 strikeouts, making eight relief appearances and six starts. Sophomore right-hander Cameron Price (Indian Trail, N.C.) has a pair of saves for the Bulldogs while making a team-high 18 appearances.

With a victory on Thursday, the Bulldogs would advance to the double-elimination portion of the SAC Tournament and take on Newberry Friday at 3:45 p.m. The Bulldogs would be eliminated with a loss. Every game Thursday through Monday will be held at McNair Field.


 

Game	Date	Matchup	Location	Time
1	April 23	#5 Wingate vs. #8 Carson-Newman	Forest City, N.C.	4 p.m.
2	April 23	#6 Anderson vs. #7 Brevard	Forest City, N.C.	7 p.m.
3	April 24	#1 Catawba  vs. lowest seed from GM 1 & 2	Forest City, N.C.	12 p.m.
4	April 24	#2 Newberry vs. highest seed from GM 1 & 2	Forest City, N.C.	3:45 p.m.
5	April 24	#3 Tusculum vs. #4 Lincoln Memorial	Forest City, N.C.	7:30 p.m.
6	April 25	GM 3 loser vs. GM 4 loser	Forest City, N.C.	12 p.m.
7	April 25	GM 3 winner vs. GM 5 loser	Forest City, N.C.	3:45 p.m.
8	April 25	GM 4 winner vs. GM 5 winner	Forest City, N.C.	7:30 p.m.
9	April 26	GM 7 winner vs. GM 8 winner	Forest City, N.C.	12 p.m.
10	April 26	GM 6 winner vs. GM 8 loser	Forest City, N.C.	3:45 p.m.
11	April 26	GM 10 winner vs. GM 9 loser	Forest City, N.C.	7:30 p.m.
12	April 27	GM 9 winner vs. GM 11 winner	Forest City, N.C.	1p.m.
13	April 27	if necessary	Forest City, N.C.	4 p.m.