LIVE STATS
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team will open its 2010 season on the road at Western Carolina this weekend, and the three game series will feature a matchup of two former Colonel players – head coaches Jason Stein and Bobby Moranda.
EKU head coach Stein played second base for EKU from 1992-95. Noted initially for his glove, specifically his ability to turn the double play, Stein proved his worth at the plate as a sophomore when he won the 1993 OVC batting title with a .378 average. Stein finished his Colonel career with a .334 batting average and was named OVC Player of the Week three times.
WCU head coach Moranda played outfield from 1985-86 and batted .307 with 20 home runs and 86 RBI in two seasons at EKU, helping the Colonels win two consecutive Ohio Valley Conference championships and a top-30 national ranking. The Colonels made two consecutive NCAA Regional appearances during Moranda's playing career and were just two games away from advancing to Omaha for the College World Series in 1985.
The Colonels will play the Catamounts at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.
EKU will be paced by a veteran and explosive lineup that features Preseason OVC Co-Player of the Year
Jayson Langfels and 2009 All-OVC performers
Anthony Ottrando and
Richie Rodriguez.
The Colonel offense will have to help an inexperienced pitching staff. With ace
Paul Duncan dealing with a minor injury, EKU’s rotation for this weekend looks like this: sophomore right hander
Matt Harris (Friday), junior college transfer right hander
Stephen Hefler (Saturday) and freshman right hander
Anthony Bazzani (Sunday).
WCU is a perfect 4-0 in 2010 after sweeping Gardner Webb over the weekend and then defeating Charlotte on Tuesday.
The Catamounts’ weekend rotation looks like this: senior right hander Jason Sullivan (Friday), sophomore right hander Kyle Stewart (Saturday) and redshirt sophomore lefty Vance Chavis (Sunday).
The Colonels and the Catamounts hooked up in an epic battle in Cullowhee last year as EKU lost, 24-23, in 11 innings.
