ETTRICK, VA –  The VSU Baseball team have a pivotal doubleheader against a solid Shepherd squad. The Trojans received a vote to be in the top-10 teams in the Atlantic Region in the latest D2 baseball rankings. 


Weekend Schedule
Wednesday, March 8
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
 
 
Series History
The Trojans are 3-7 against the Rams in matchups dating back to 2014. The Rams won five of the first six games against the Trojans. That being said, the Trojans have won two of the last four matchups after splitting both their last two doubleheaders.
 

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 .444 batting average. The Trojans have five players with over 30 at-bats who maintain a .300 batting average or better in Tahraun Hammond (.444), Ricky Jones (.326), Bryce Wilmoth (.308), and Liam Simpson (.300). Hammond also leads the team in runs scored with 15, hits with 20, 10 walks, 11 stolen bases, .511 slugging percentage and .561 on-base percentage. Ricky Jones leads the team in both homeruns and runs batted in with 11. In just 16 at-bats, Joseph Hastings leads the team with four doubles and five runs batted in.


Flame Throwers
Tahraun Hammond is certainly a five-tool player as he also leads the team with a 1.59 earned run average while also leading with 22.2 innings of work. He has a team-high 25 strikeouts, five walks, a save and a .163 batting average against him. Joseph Hastings has also given batters fits this season as he maintains a 3.44 ERA along with 20 strikeouts in just 18.1 innings of work. Batters maintain just a .197 batting average against Hastings as he leads the three wins.

 
Defensively
Catcher Dawsyn Hock leads the team with 41 putouts so far while outfielders Ricky Jones and Bryce Wilmoth leads the outfield with 32 putouts. Freshman Norman Jackson has been a vacuum on the infield leading the Trojans with 26 assists maintaining a .919 fielding percentage while Tahraun Hammond adds 21 with a .919 fielding percentage.  
 

About Shepherd Baseball
The Rams are currently 7-4 on the season and enter the matchups winning six of their last seven games. The team has hit 13 homeruns with 82 runs batted in, in just 14 games so far this season. They maintain .316 batting average with 66 walks drawn so far. Shepherd maintains a 5.38 ERA as a team with 100 strikeouts and 55 walks. Jacob Houtz leads the team with a .385 batting average and has scored a team-high eight runs. Ross Mullhall is the slugger of the group leading the team in homeruns (4), runs batted in (14) and runs (17). Trevor Sharp leads the team with a 4.11 ERA in 15.1 innings of work along with 21 strikeouts.
 

Next Five Matchups

• 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 – 1:00 p.m.
• Apr 1 – 2 vs. Bluefield State – 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m.