Quick look at Athens Regional opponents
It’s NCAA tournament eve.
BC baseball begins its second postseason appearance in the last four years at 2:00 p.m. on Friday at Foley Field in Athens, GA.
The Eagles take on Liberty in the opening game of the four-team, possibly four-day regional. Host Georgia will face LIU at 7:00 p.m. Lose twice and you’re heading home.
“To win the Regional. Our goal is just to win,” Kyle Wolff said recently. “Our goal is to win on Friday and to basically do everything we can to win the first game and then reset, do the same thing on Saturday and on Sunday and to ultimately come out there being champions.”
Here’s a quick look at the other three teams based on stats from D1 Baseball:
Georgia
The Bulldogs finished 46-12, earning the No. 3 overall seed. Georgia is hosting a regional for the third straight year and ninth time overall. The SEC champs are fourth in the country in hitting with a .325 team average. BC is ranked 169th (.275). The Bulldogs have hit the most home runs in the nation (149) and have the second-most RBIs (517).
On the bump, BC actually has a better team ERA (4.86, ranked 57th) compared to Georgia at 5.08 (68th). When the Eagles do play the Bulldogs, we could be in store for some high-scoring games as long as the BC offense gets going.
Liberty
Liberty went 41-19 this season, losing the CUSA final to top-seeded Jacksonville State. The Flames went 21-9 in conference play. The Flames had won five straight before the loss.
Liberty ranks 190th in the country in team batting average (.272), 148th in home runs (tied with a few other teams at 55) and 246th in RBIs (385).
On the mound, Liberty has a 4.74 team ERA, good enough for 51st in the country along with Wofford. On Thursday, manager Todd Interdonato talked specifically about the matchup with the Flames, who could be underestimated because of their conference.
“Just a really good baseball team,” he said. “The more I look at them, the more impressed I am with them… Their pitching is exceptional. I have an anticipation of who they’re going to throw and I think that kid is one of the best arms we’ll see this year.”
LIU
The Sharks finished at 30-20, 26-7 in the NEC. LIU hammered FDU 22-8 in the NEC title game to clinch the program’s fourth title in history.
LIU’s lineup is no joke despite the conference, ranking 43rd in the nation with a .300 team batting average. The Sharks have hit 59 home runs and 398 RBIs. Those rank 125th and 40th in the country.
The Eagles should be able to get to the LIU staff, though. The Sharks’ 6.74 team ERA ranks 217th out of 308 programs. LIU also has a .299 average against.
Can they make a run?
It’s hard to have a ton of confidence given how the team has pitched and struggled offensively for the last three-ish weeks. But, we all saw what the offense is capable of when they have the chance to wreak some havoc on the basepaths. Stealing runs in the postseason will be critical for the Eagles, but ultimately, it will come down to the staff.
Pitching for BC has been shaky at times, but if AJ Colarusso and Tyler Mudd can lead the way, BC can play with anyone.
