Bulldogs Host Ivy League's Columbia in Four-Game Series

After splitting a four-game series with Delaware last weekend, The Citadel hosts Ivy League-member Columbia for another four-game set at Riley Park beginning on Thursday at 5 p.m.. The series will continue with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon due to the South Carolina-Clemson baseball game being held at Riley Park on Friday evening. The two teams will wrap up the series with a single game Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.

The Bulldogs will send out junior right-hander Austin Pritcher Thursday night. Pritcher received a no-decision in his last start, tossing seven innings and allowing two runs on seven hits against Delaware last Thursday.

Freshman James Reeves will start game one of Saturday's twinbill. The southpaw is 2-0 on the young season after allowing three runs on seven hits in five innings of the Bulldogs' 12-8 victory over the Blue Hens on Saturday. Fellow frosh Kevin Connell will start the nightcap. Connell suffered his first loss of the season last Friday as The Citadel's offense only mustered three hits as the Bulldogs fell 5-0.

Sophomore Bryce Hines will start Sunday's finale, his second start of the season, as he continues to rehab during the early portion of the 2012 schedule. Hines did not allow a hit in his one inning of work against Delaware last Sunday.

Columbia's baseball team will begin its 2012 season against The Citadel this weekend. Six starters and two weekend pitchers return for head coach Brett Boretti's squad, which has captured two Gehrig Division titles in the last four years.

Pitching is the strength of this season's club that returns two weekend starters in senior right-hander Pat Lowery, the 2010 Ivy League Pitcher of the Year and junior right-hander Stefan Olson, an honorable mention All-Ivy Leaguer in 2011. Junior Tim Giel, a second team All-Ivy choice last year as a relief pitcher, will rejoin the rotation.

The Citadel stumbled out of the gate this season, going 1-2 in the season-opening The Citadel Memorial Challenge. The Bulldogs left the tying run 90 feet away with one out in the bottom of the ninth in a 6-5 loss to Towson, then jumped out to any early lead for a 10-7 victory over Richmond. The Citadel looked to have another win wrapped up against Liberty, but gave up seven runs in the ninth, turning an 9-4 lead into a 11-9 defeat.

Sophomore infielder Drew DeKerlegand was selected to the Southern Conference preseason all-conference first team and senior outfielder Nick Orvin was chosen to the all-conference second team, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. 

Last season, DeKerlegand was selected to the SoCon All-Freshman Team after starting all 56 games in 2011 at third base for the Bulldogs and finishing with an average of .317 with 32 runs, 66 hits, 11 doubles, four triples, two homers and 24 RBI to go with 15 walks. The freshman was second on the team in triples, on base percentage and total bases and reached base in the final 16 contests of the season.

Orvin earned first team all-conference in 2011 after being named to the second team in 2010 and to the all-freshman team in 2009. He entered the career top-10 at The Citadel in runs scored last season and sits just three base knocks away from entering the career top-10 in hits. Last season, Orvin batted .320 with 74 hits, 47 runs, 14 doubles, nine home runs, 32 RBI, 23 walks and 19 stolen bases. He led the squad in hits, runs, homers, total bases, slugging percentage, walks and stolen bases in 2011. The centerfielder reached base in the final 23 games of the season.

Georgia Southern swept the top preseason awards, with junior outfielder Victor Roache named SoCon Preseason Player of the Year and junior right-hander Chris Beck as Preseason Pitcher of the Year.

The Citadel was picked to finish eighth in both the coaches' and media preseason polls. The SoCon baseball coaches have selected College of Charleston as the preseason favorite to win the league championship in 2012, while the media representatives who cover the league have chosen Georgia Southern as the conference favorite. The Cougars received six of the 11 possible first-place votes and 93 points in the coaches' balloting, narrowly edging Georgia Southern by a single point. The Eagles were the clear preseason favorite of the league's media, earning 20 of 25 first-place votes and 269 points overall.

With 18 newcomers this season, The Citadel will feature a new look in several areas this season. The entire middle of the infield will be experiencing their first playing time in college as freshmen Bailey Rush and Johnathan Stokes will battle for the starting spot at short and Mason Davis has grabbed the spot at second. Two freshman are likely to see significant time in starting pitching roles as Kevin Connell and James Reeves toe the rubber. With the loss of a handful of members of the last season's bullpen, several first-year players are expected to contribute in that area as well.

The Citadel will their first 16 games in the friendly confines of Riley Park to start the 2012 season. The Bulldogs don't leave Charleston until March 16 when they travel to Appalachian State. In addition, two of their first three SoCon series of the year will take place at home.

The Citadel welcomes USC Upstate to Riley Park for a midweek clash on Tuesday evening. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.