Baseball Start Time Moved Up to 11:30 AM; CSU Baseball Game Notes

With the threat of thunderstorms in the late afternoon forecast for Tuesday, the CSU baseball team has changed the start time for its game against Toledo to 11:30 a.m. The Buccaneers are coming off a 10-0 victory over Stony Brook on Sunday, while the Rockets defeated Middle Tennesse State 19-8 in their last game. Live video web streaming will be available for the game.

Media Coverage
Live Video (Big South Edge, subscription service)

Live Stats (Gametracker)

Series Notes
This will be the first-ever meeting between these two teams.

Scouting the Rockets
The Toledo baseball team was picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference’s West Division in a vote by the league’s head coaches.
Fifth-year head coach Cory Mee and the Rockets return 23 letterwinners, including eight position starters, from last year’s squad that finished 26-28 overall and 14-13 in the MAC. The Midnight Blue and Gold earned a berth in the league tournament for the first time since 1999 and its 14 league victories were the sixth-most conference triumphs in school history.
Two-time second-team All-MAC selection Drew Hoisington is expected to lead UT’s offense this season. The outfielder ranked first in the conference in home runs (12/0.22) and total bases (129/2.39), second in slugging percentage (.586), third in triples (7/0.13) and runs scored (56/1.04), fourth in RBI (0.93) and tied for eighth in walks (30/0.56) in 2007. The Rockets will also welcome back second-team Academic All-American Scott Boley and Academic All-MAC Team honoree Jake Swint.

Last Time Out
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Senior pitcher Cody Higgins shut down the Stony Brook offense and the CSU bats broke out in a 10-0 Buccaneer baseball victory on Sunday at Collins Park. Higgins pitched nine shutout innings, allowing just five hits and three walks while striking out three in his first win of the 2008 season. A pair of doubles from freshman Derek Smith and a solo home run by freshman Steve Antolik led the Buccaneer offense.

Offensive Explosion
In the finale of the Buccaneers’ three-game series with Stony Brook on Sunday, the CSU offense reached its highest gear for the 2008 season. The Bucs recorded a season-high 12 hits against the Seawolves, reaching double digits in runs scored for the first time since May 13, 2007.
Freshmen Tyler Thornburg and Derek Smith jump-started the offense, reaching base a combined seven times while batting fourth and fifth in the lineup. The lower third of the CSU batting order took advantage of having runners in scoring position, driving in four runs (two each by Mike Beattie and Cory Trudell).
 
Putting the Clamps On
Senior right-handed pitcher Cody Higgins shut down the Stony Brook offense on Sunday, recording his second career complete-game shutout in a 10-0 CSU victory at Collins Park.
The senior co-captain went the distance for the Bucs, allowing just five hits over nine scoreless innings. He struck out three batters and allowed three walks in the outing. His last complete game shutout, also the last one for CSU, was on May 11, 2007. Higgins allowed only four hits while striking out four in that outing.

Going Yard
In 69 at-bats last season, sophomore Will Rodriguez had just three extra-base hits, all of which were doubles. He boosted his slugging percentage right of the bat in 2008, hitting a solo home run in just his fourth trip to the plate.

On The Horizon
The Buccaneers will play their first “road” game of the season on Wednesday, traveling downtown to take on the College of Charleston before squaring off with Maryland-Eastern Shore in a three-game series over the weekend.