Cary, N.C. —- The 9th-ranked and third-seeded Catawba College baseball team and the 21st-ranked and sixth-seed Southern New Hampshire Penmen will play for the second time in four days at the NCAA Division II Championships. The winner will advance to face top-ranked Tampa on Thursday, while the loser is eliminated.
GAME INFORMATION
When: Wednesday, June 5
Where: USA Baseball National Training Complex, Cary, N.C.
Links: Live Stats | Video | Tickets | Catawba Baseball fundraiser
All-Time Series: SNHU leads 1,0; def. Catawba 7-0 on Sunday
All-Time Records at Cary: Catawba 6-7, SNHU 6-11
Projected pitching matchup: Parker Lendrum (8-2, 3.71 ERA) vs. Hayden Simmerson (3-3, 3.38 ERA)
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Southern New Hampshire
- The Penmen defeated Catawba 7-0 on Sunday behind a complete-game, four-hit shutout from Austin Trumpour
- SNHU battled against #1 Tampa on Tuesday, but ultimately fell 7-4
- Zach Brassill threw 126 pitches in the start, allowing six earned runs in 6.2 innings
- Dylan O'Sullivan and Frankie DeMaro chased National Pitcher of the Year Skylar Gonzalez with an RBI single and two-RBI double, respectively, to pull within two runs
Catawba
- After getting shutout on Sunday, Catawba unloaded for 15 runs on 17 hits in Tuesday's win in the elimination game vs. #16 UIndy
- Levi Perrell and Dylan Driver hit home runs on the first two pitches to jump start the offensive explosion on the afternoon
- Sam Hunter scored five runs, while Austin Fine went eight innings strong, allowing two earned runs
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Southern New Hampshire
Parker Lendrum
- The Friday ace throughout Regional play for SNHU has yet to see the mound this week in Cary, with a projected start in the second matchup with the Catawba Indians. He allowed four runs in 4.2 innings in his most recent start of the Supers vs. Molloy
Dylan O'Sullivan
- O'Sullivan has come through with multiple-RBI extra-base hits in both of SNHU's games so far this week, launching a two-run homer in the opening game against Catawba before following up with a two-run double vs. Tampa. If he can keep the hot bat going, he could be a feared bat in the middle of the Penmen lineup.
Jake Pisano
- The cleanup hitter in the SHNU order has a hit in both of the first two games, but one of the biggest keys for Pisano is getting aboard, especially with two outs, to allow the power bat of Jorge Burgos to bat with runners on base. If Catawba can limit Burgos to leadoff opportunities, it could limit the run support the Penmen could produce
Catawba
Hayden Simmerson
- Whether out of the gates in a start or early out of the bullpen, expect Simmerson to be deployed for extensive action on Wednesday unless Catawba can open up a big lead like it did against UIndy on Tuesday. Simmerson struck out two in an inning of work on Sunday, so he is already familiar with the stage, albeit in limited action.
Levi Perrell
- Needless to say, Catawba's offense is so much more potent when Perrell can get on base, which he did for 50 straight games throughout much of this season. But if Perrell can hit for extra bases, like he did twice on Tuesday, it moves Dylan Driver's role from moving Perrell into scoring position to a run-producing role, which worked out well in the 15-run effort on Tuesday
Logan Rogers
- Rogers will look to bounce back on Tuesday, when he struck out three times and was unable to add to Catawba's hit party. If Catawba can replicate anything remotely close to its 17-for-30 from 1-6 in the batting order, Rogers could have some opportunities to drive in runs either via base hit or key sacrifice flies.
