Buccaneer Baseball Names 2008 Captains

Senior Payton Tweddale (pictured) and Cody Higgins have been named captains of the 2008 Buccaneer baseball team.

CHARLESTON, S.C. –Seniors Payton Tweddale and Cody Higgins have been named as captains for the 2008 season, Charleston Southern University head baseball coach Jason Murray has announced Monday.

“These players were chosen by their teammates to lead this team” said Murray.  “It is a great honor for these players as they have earned the respect of their teammates and are recognized as first-class young men on campus.”

Coach Murray said being captain comes with a great deal of responsibility.

“Payton and Cody now have the duty of helping to carry on the team values and work ethic that this program believes in,” Murray said. “They will meet with the coaching staff on a regular basis to keep the team moving in the right direction.  They will need to represent the CSU baseball team in a first-class manner, which includes upholding the standards of the university and our program.”

Tweddale, a three year letter-winner, is entering his fourth year as the closer on the pitching staff.  With a Buccaneer baseball single-season record of eight saves last season, he moved into first place in program history with 13 career saves. He posted a career-low 2.96 earned run average in 2007 and recorded a career-high 57 strike outs. Tweddale held opponents to a .265 batting average last season, allowing 52 hits in 51.2 innings of work. He has made 77 career appearances for the Buccaneers.

Higgins, a junior college transfer a year ago, is entering his second year as one of the top pitchers on the team. He went 6-2 with a 4.37 ERA in his first year with the Buccaneers. Of his 16 appearances, 10 were starts, as he pitched a total of 68 innings for CSU. He held opponents to a .268 batting average, giving up 70 hits and recording 30 strikeouts. He recorded a complete game shutout on May 11, when he went nine innings against High Point, giving up just four hits and striking out four.

The CSU baseball season begins on Feb. 22 with a 2 p.m. match up with Ohio University.