ETTRICK, VA –  After an 11-day hiatus, the VSU Trojans Baseball team will return to action in a four-game series against Mansfield at home. The team looks for a bit of consistency as they are 3-2 over their last five games.


Weekend Schedule
Saturday, March 4
Sunday, March 5

*Games will be at 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. both days*
 
 
Series History
The Trojans are 1-4 against the Mountaineers in matchups dating back to 2012. The Trojans will try to wash away the salty taste in their mouths after being swept in the four-game series a season ago.
 

Sluggers
Sophomore slugger Tahraun Hammond has been seeing the baseball as a beach ball so far this season as he leads the team with a .472 batting average. The Trojans have five players with over 20 at-bats who maintain a .300 batting average or better in Tahraun Hammond (.472), Bryce Wilmoth (.323), Morris Ford, Jr. (.318), Christian Henderson (.304) and Ricky Jones (.303). Hammond also leads the team in runs scored with 12, hits with 17, seven walks, nine stolen bases, .556 slugging percentage and .568 on-base percentage.  Hammond is currently maintaining a seven-game hitting streak. Ricky Jones leads the team in both homeruns and runs batted in with 10. In just 13 at-bats, Joseph Hastings leads the team with four doubles.


Flame Throwers
Tahraun Hammond is certainly a five-tool player as he also leads the team with a 1.84 earned run average while also leading with 14.2 innings of work. He has a team-high 22 strikeouts, three walks, a save and a .140 batting average against him. Joseph Hastings has also given batters fits this season as he maintains a 3.65 ERA along with 17 strikeouts in just 12.1 innings of work. Batters maintain just a .170 batting average against Hastings and ties for first on the team with two wins.

 
Defensively
Catcher Dawsyn Hock leads the team with 40 putouts so far while outfielder Ricky Jones leads the outfield with 27. Freshman Norman Jackson has been a vacuum on the infield leading the Trojans with 20 assists maintaining a .879 fielding percentage while Tahraun Hammond adds 14 with a .923 fielding percentage.  
 

About Mansfield Baseball
The Mountaineers are 3-4 so far this season after dropping a three-game series with Glenville State 2-1 and splitting a doubleheader against Goldey-Beacom College 1-1. The team has hit five homeruns with 51 runs batted in, in just seven games so far this season. They do, however, maintain just a .254 batting average and have been struck out 61 times. Mansfield maintains a 5.37 ERA as a team with 51 strikeouts and 37 walks. Jacob Houtz leads the team with a .385 batting average and has scored a team-high eight runs. Ryan Verbonitz is the slugger of the group leading the team in homeruns (2) and runs batted in (8). Austin Lewis leads the team with a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings of work along with 15 strikeouts.
 

Next Five Matchups

• Mar. 8 vs. Shepherd @ 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
• Mar. 14 at Barton @ 3:00 p.m.
• Mar. 18-19 vs. Claflin @ 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m.
• Mar. 25-26 vs. Lincoln (Pa.) 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m.
• Mar. 27 vs. Mid – Atlantic Christian vs. 1:00 p.m.