Bucs Head to Winthrop for Weekend Series

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Bucs will look to end their recent struggles this weekend when they head to Rock Hill, S.C., to play in-state rival Winthrop in a three-game Big South Conference series that starts with a 6 p.m. match up on Friday at The Winthrop Ballpark. 

Bucs & Eagles
Charleston Southern and Winthrop will meet for the 67th, 68th and 69th games in program history this weekend.  The Eagles have the series lead at 46-20.  The Eagles also won last season’s series 2-1, though it was CSU who won the first contest by a score of 7-5.    Prior to this season’s meetings, the two teams boast similar records with CSU entering the match up at 20-21 and Winthrop sitting at 18-20 on the season.   The Eagles, at 8-7, are tied for fourth place while the Bucs are 7-8 and close behind in sixth.   Both are on four-game skids, though Friday’s contest will end one team’s woes. 

Chinners Making History
After entering the school record books with his 41s career double, Nick Chinners continues to make CSU program history.  Earlier this season, he moved into a tie for fourth place in doubles, and after Tuesday’s game vs. The Citadel, he is four hits from the school record for career hits with 240.  Chinners is currently tied for second in that category. He is also 12 games shy of tying for third place on the school’s all-time games played list. 

Home Run History
Derek Smith’s home run against the College of Charleston moved him into a three-way tie for second place in CSU history for career home runs with 29.  One more will give him sole possession of second place, while 12 more will tie him for first place in school history.  Teammate Tom Burkett is also among the all-time leaders for home runs in CSU history, tying for fourth all-time with 22 career home runs. 

Other Marks & Milestones...
In the midst of one of the best seasons in recent history, several of CSU’s upperclassmen are closing in on program marks and milestones.  Nick Chinners is six RBI short of tying for fourth place in school history as he currently boasts 117 career RBI... Junior Corey Deighan needs three saves to tie the school’s mark for saves in a single season (he currently has five)... Tom Burkett is a triple shy of tying for third place on the school’s all-time triples list, already boasting seven career triples... Burkett is also five stolen bases short of tying for fourth place in all-time school history (he currently has 53 career stolen bases).

Goin’ Streakin’
Tom Burkett has been one of the bright spots during the Bucs’ struggles, with seven hits in the last four games.  Burkett, who has hit .368 over the last week, was 4-for-5 with a run and a double vs. VMI (4/16/11).  The senior outfielder also owns the team’s longest hitting streak at the moment, with at least one hit in the last eight games.  Jaren Sustar previously has the longest of the season, recording a hit in 14 straight games. 

How Low Can You Go?
The lower the score, the better the game as the Bucs have proved this season.  CSU is 9-3 when 3-5 Buccaneers have crossed home plate.  They are and even more impressive 11-4 when they’re opponents have scored 3-5 runs.  They are 6-1 when limiting their opponents to two or fewer runs.    The Bucs boast a 5-0 record in two-run games. 

Lucky Number Five
The Buccaneers do the majority of their scoring in the fifth inning, and have crossed home plate 42 times in that inning, as opposed to their opponents’ 31 fifth-inning runs.  They have also outscored their opponents in the third inning (30-24) and the sixth inning (34-29) and are nearly tied in the eighth inning (23-24).  CSU’s biggest struggles come in the second inning, where they have been outscored by their opponents 39-18.   

Buccaneer Blast
- Denis Buckley had a career high 6 putouts on Sunday vs. VMI.
- Jesse Cadenhead may have allowed six runs on Sunday, but only one of them was actually earned.
- Ben Qualkinsbush was walked for the first time in his career (4/16).
- Tyler Vick had his first career start for the Bucs on Tuesday.
- Matt Still set a new season high with four hits and three putouts (4/16).

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