CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina baseball team will welcome the Xavier Musketeers to Springs Brooks Stadium this weekend, March 11-13. The two teams are scheduled to play four games over three days, including a doubleheader on Saturday, March 12.
 
*Friday's game has been moved up from 4 p.m. ET to 11 a.m. ET.
  • With the rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for this weekend, the schedule for each day could change this weekend. Please check back here at www.GoCCUsports.com and/or follow Coastal baseball on Twitter @CoastalBaseball to stay up-to-date with game dates and times.
 
Friday
11 a.m. ET – Xavier vs. Coastal Carolina (ESPN+/Hank 105.5 FM)
 
Saturday
1 p.m. ET – Xavier vs. Coastal Carolina (ESPN+/Hank 105.5 FM)
Approx. 4 p.m. ET – Xavier vs. Coastal Carolina (ESPN+/WRNN Hot Talk 99.5 FM)
 
Sunday
1 p.m. ET – Xavier vs. Coastal Carolina (ESPN+/WRNN Hot Talk 99.5 FM)
  • In order to expedite entry and provide a safe and secure environment for our fans, student-athletes, staff, and officials, Coastal Carolina University Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed events. Along with numerous institutions around the country, the state of South Carolina, and professional sports around the world, this new policy limits the size and style of bags carried into ticketed venues. For more information and details CLICK HERE.
  • Fans can purchase both single-game and season tickets online at www.GoCCUsports.com/tickets or by calling the Chanticleer Athletics Ticket Office at 843-347-TIXX.
• Tickets are also available for purchase at the Baseball Ticket Window on gamedays.
• Gates will open 90 minutes prior to the first game of each day.
  • Coastal Carolina enters the weekend series with the Xavier Musketeers at 8-5 overall, including an 8-1 record at home at Springs Brooks Stadium.
• The Chanticleers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over No. 30 Wake Forest (March 8) on Tuesday, marking the eighth-straight win over the Demon Deacons.
• Coastal was nearly perfect on the mound last time out versus Wake Forest, as the Chanticleers took a perfect game into the eighth inning before issuing a walk. CCU took a no-hitter into the ninth inning before Wake Forest recorded its first hit.
  • The Xavier Musketeers are 4-9 this season and will play five-straight games with a contest at Winthrop on Thursday, March 10, and four games at Coastal on March 11-13.
• Xavier started the season at 0-9 overall with losses to Alabama, Louisville, Oregon State, Northern Kentucky, and USC Upstate, but have since won four consecutive games heading into the weekend versus Coastal Carolina.
• Over their four-game winning streak, the Musketeers have scored 45 runs, an average of 11.25 runs per win.
  • For the first time since 1991, Coastal Carolina and Xavier will meet on the baseball diamond.
• The two teams split their only two meetings in the series history, as CCU won the first matchup 3-2 (March 26, 1991), while Xavier took the win in the second game 9-7 (March 27, 1991) the following day.
  • Xavier has spent the entire week in the state of South Carolina and will conclude its tour of the Palmetto State this weekend at Coastal Carolina.
• The Musketeers started the week-long trek with a three-game series at USC Upstate (March 4-6), back-to-back road games at South Carolina (March 8), and Winthrop (March 10), and will take on Coastal Carolina this weekend (March 11-13).
  • Coastal enjoyed #ThePalace for the first eight games of the season and for the month of February.
• After playing four games on the road in the first week of March - at UNCW (March 2) and North Carolina (March 4-6) - the Chanticleers return home for a five-game home-stand versus Wake Forest (March 8) and a four-game weekend series against Xavier (March 11-13) this week.
• The Chanticleers are 8-1 at home this season.
  • The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers took a perfect game into the eighth inning and had a no-hitter up until the ninth inning in a 4-3 win over the No. 30 nationally-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Tuesday night, March 8, at Springs Brooks Stadium.
• CCU's pitching staff held the Wake Forest offense, which entered the game ranked first in the nation in batting average (.381), second nationally in both hits (151) and home runs (27), and third overall in runs scored (134), hitless for the first eight innings of the midweek contest.
• CCU's Riley Eikhoff (2.0 IP, K), Matt Joyce (4.0 IP, 2 K), Jacob Maton (2.0 IP, 2 BB, K), and Jack Billings (1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, BB, K) combined to hold the Demon Deacons to just three runs on three hits, with Joyce (3-0) earning the win out of the bullpen.
  • It is already apparent that the CCU offense starts at the top of the lineup with Austin White.
• While hitting lead-off, White is hitting .314 (16-for-51) with two doubles, nine walks, a team-high 14 RBIs, and 10 runs scored, which is second on the team.
• White has played a key part in each of the eight wins this season for Coastal, as he has either scored at least one run or driven in at least one RBI in each of the Chants' victories this year.
  • Coastal will throw a very senior-heavy starting rotation this weekend in senior Nick Parker (RHP), redshirt senior Reid VanScoter (LHP), super senior Reece Maniscalco (RHP), and super senior Elliot Carney (RHP).
• Parker (0-0, 5.25 ERA) will be making his fourth start of the season and is coming off his best start of the year at nationally-ranked North Carolina, giving up just two runs on eight hits and six strikeouts last Friday night.
• VanScoter (1-1, 2.50 ERA) is also making his fourth start on the year and has made back-to-back quality starts over his last two outings - a win versus Illinois (Feb. 26) and a loss at North Carolina (March 5).
• In the loss at UNC, VanScoter gave up two runs on five hits and one walk, and struck out a career-high eight hitters over 6.0-complete innings in the 4-0 loss.
• Maniscalco (0-0, .000 ERA) is coming off a nagging lower-body injury and has thrown just 1.0 inning this season, striking out two in a scoreless inning versus Kent State (Feb. 20).
• Like Parker and VanScoter, Carney (0-0, 5.27 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season on Sunday. Last time out, Carney fanned five hitters and walked four while allowing one earned run on three hits in 5.0-complete innings at No. 21/24 North Carolina (March 6).
  • The Chanticleers' bullpen has been solid overall so far this season.
• Outside of the loss at UNCW (March 2), in which the bullpen gave up eight runs over 4.0 innings, the relief arms have gone 6-3 overall with four saves and a 3.26 ERA.
• Take out the UNCW anomaly, the bullpen has allowed just 17 earned runs over 47.0 innings, struck out 45 hitters, and has held the opponents to a .228 batting average.
  • Sophomore right-handed pitcher Matt Joyce (3-0, 6.00 ERA) leads the team with three wins.
• Joyce has earned all three wins by taking advantage of being the first pitcher out of the bullpen in each of those victories, replacing the starter before the fifth inning in each outing.
• In his first win of the year versus Kent State (Feb. 18) on Opening Day, Joyce entered the game in the fifth inning and gave up three runs on two hits and a walk, yet the Chants remained on top in the 13-8 win.
• He also picked up the win versus Ball State (Feb. 28), again entering the game in the fifth and throwing 0.2 innings out of the bullpen.
• Joyce's last win was his best to date, as he threw a career-high 4.0-scoreless innings and struck out two hitters after entering the game in the top of the third inning versus No. 30 Wake Forest (March 8).
 
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