PRINCESS ANNE, Maryland – The University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team has a quick turnaround for its midweek matchup as the season winds down, heading to Georgetown University on Tuesday, May 9.
The Hawks are coming off a 1-2 weekend against Northeast Conference opponent Fairleigh Dickson University, dropping two against the Knights University in extras on Friday and Saturday, but came away with the 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon.
Honing on the Hawks
Brantley Cutler continues to pace the offense with his .351/.411/.560 line that puts him in the upper echelon of hitters in the Northeast Conference. The graduate student knocked his 45
th RBI of the season against FDU on Sunday, putting him in second since 1992 for the statistic.
Luke Myers has been a bright spot in his sophomore year, the second baseman reaching at a team second best .389 despite being moved up and down the order. He has also been one half of one of the nation's leading double play pairs with
Dillon Oxyer, being part of 31 of the Hawks 44 double plays.
Walking tall with a big stick but silently putting together a silent year has been
Alex McCoy all season at .265/.370/.361 and a team leading 20 steals – he currently ranks a nice 69
th in the country with that mark.
On the mound you won't see one of the premier set of starters in the NEC as the weekend rotation of
Kyle Speas,
Noah Covington, and
Evan Nibblett get to avoid the bus trip to rest arms before Stonehill College this weekend. Expect a bullpen game out of the Hawks, with interim head coach
Shawn Phillips uncertain of the starter, although it is likely a freshman who will be thrown to the fire against a top Big East team.
In the pen, it has been all about
Nick Gatton and
Caden Parker, both moving up in the record books since 1992. Gatton is now sixth in appearances with 23 and Parker is at nine saves that places him first.
Freshman
Porter Braddy has turned into a nice bridge pitcher for Covington and Nibblett, the lefty sidearmer has thrown batters off to solid success out of the pen.
Hoya Hype
The Hoyas enter the game at 25-23 and are coming off a 1-2 home series with Butler this past weekend, dropping the final game of the series 7-20 to the Bulldogs.
It's not a question of if the Hoyas can hit, it is just a matter of which batter comes up at the right moment for Georgetown. Seven regulars are hitting .269 or better for the Hoyas, with four bench bats at .261 or better.
Keeping home runs down will be vital for the Hawks, with the Hoyas hitting 69 on the season – led by Ubaldo Lopez's 17. The first baseman hit five over two games in 2022 playing in the barn boxes of Arthur W. Perdue Stadium and Povich Field.
Kai Leckszas will be grabbing the start for Georgetown – the freshman has put up an impressive 3.48 ERA and 1.19 WHIP this season. Georgetown will likely go to the pen early as well, as Leckszas pitched in relief on Saturday (May 6) against Butler.
How to Follow
Georgetown will be streaming the game live with a link available through the Hoya Athletic Department website, as well as providing Live Stats. Follow the action on Twitter via @ESHawksBase.
