JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman opens up its 2017 home schedule with a three-game series against Virginia-Wise Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. and a doubleheader Saturday starting at noon from the Silver Diamond Baseball Complex.
"We want them to play like they train," Carson-Newman coach Tom Griffin said. "We as a team and a program train in a very intense, passionate and enthusiastic way. I want to see us play that way. That's why we train so that the games are easy. At times last weekend we didn't do it but Wednesday we did."
Since Carson-Newman (1-3) joined Division II in 1994, the Eagles are 19-4 in home openers including 9-2 under Griffin since he took over in 2006.
The Eagles have won four straight home openers after beating UVA-Wise on Valentine's Day in 2016 with their last lss in a lid lifter at home coming on Feb. 21, 2012 when King (Tenn.) earned a 10-7 victory.
The series between Carson-Newman and UVA-Wise (3-1) is young with the first affair coming on April 1, 2015 as C-N won the first two bouts before the Cavs picked up a 10-4 win at home on March 22, 2016.
The last time the two teams tangled on the banks of Mossy Creek C-N won 1-0 in eight innings on Feb. 14, 2016 in a series shortened due to snow. The game time temperature was 25 degrees, the coldest game at Mossy Creek by five degrees since 1991. Vince Apicella picked up the win while winning conference and region Player of the Week after becoming the lone pitcher in the last decade to pitch a complete game in an extra-inning contest.
In the last meeting, the Cavaliers won 10-4 at home marking the first setback for the Eagles against a school from Virginia in 10 total contests since April 30, 1997 when Virginia Intermont earned a 4-2 victory.
In 2016, Hank Banner's group went 20-30 overall but posted a 9-22 record in the Mountain East Conference failing to advance to the six-team league championship in Beckley, W. Va.
The Cavaliers are entering their second season as a full member of NCAA Division II. 2016 saw a pair of athletes earn all-region honors for the first time in school history. Infielder Ty Lighton led the team with a .366 average and 64 hits while hurler Steven Klaiber registered a 3.50 ERA in 82 1/3 innings while racking up an .876 OPS at the dish.
This season, UVA-Wise will play its first 12 games of the season away from home with its first contest inside of the friendly confines coming on March 18. The Cavaliers went 13-15 on the road in 2016.
To begin this season the Cavs played four games at St. Augustine's winning three. Nathan Hatmaker was lights out in the second game allowing just one hit in 6 1/3 scoreless frames while striking out 10 batters. Overall in the first four games, the pitching staff yielded just seven earned runs piling up 23 punch outs in 27 innings.
At the plate, sophomore David Thomas recorded a hit in each of the first four games going 6-for-15 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored. Jordan Turner went 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts to lead the team.
As a roster, the team hit just .224 in the opening series with one home run and a total of six extra-base hits but drew 26 walks in 27 innings.
"The Appalachian Electric Cooperative Countdown to First Pitch" begins coverage 10 minutes prior to the initial toss of each game. The Eagle Sports Network has audio and video streams available on cneagles.com/live with the play-by-play action.
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