SIAC TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

It’s officially tournament time for SIAC baseball as eight teams are set to bring their talents to historic Luther Williams Field in Macon, Georgia. The postseason spans April 30 - May 3, with game one kicking off at 9 am Eastern Time on Thursday.

Up for grabs is the SIAC Tournament Championship as well as the League’s automatic bid to the NCAA South Regional.

Fans looking to follow along can view the bracket here: https://thesiac.com/tournaments/?id=111&path=baseball

All games will be streamed on the SIAC Network: https://siacnetwork.tv/

Below, we will take a look at each team (listed by seeds 1-8) as well as key players that will make an impact on the mound and at the plate for each program.

1. Spring Hill College (36-14, 29-4 SIAC)

Spring Hill continued its dominance in conference play, dropping just four games to SIAC foes all year. The Badgers are the top scoring team in the league (509 runs) while tallying the most extra base hits - 107 doubles, 22 triples, 51 home runs - as well as drawing the second most walks (303). On the mound, SHC led all conference teams with a 4.22 ERA and 389 strikeouts, while holding opponents to a .262 batting average against.

Names to Know

On the Mound: Garrett Lott, Senior, RHP

Key Stats: 9-1 | 2.76 ERA | 73 K | .170 BAA

At the Plate: Jaylen Jones, Redshirt-Senior, 3B

Key Stats: .364 AVG. | 47 R | 12 HR | 48 RBI | 16 SB

2. Albany State University (28-16, 24-6 SIAC)

The Golden Rams rank near the middle of the pack in team batting average (.308), but scored the third most runs (477), while blasting 43 home runs and getting on base at a .444 clip. In the field, ASU ranks first with a .962 fielding percentage and has a league-high 398 strikeouts on the mound. Although Albany State walked the third fewest batters (216), the pitching staff the most home runs (47) and second most doubles (82) to opposing offenses.

Names to Know

On the Mound: Dereck Foster, Freshman, RHP

Key Stats: 14 APP | 2.55 ERA | 18 K | 3 SV

At the Plate: Luke Addison, Senior, OF

Key Stats: .398 AVG | 64 H | 17 2B | 12 HR | 53 RBI | 59 R | 40 BB | .752 SLG% | .517 OB%

3. Edward Waters University (29-19, 24-9 SIAC)

The Tigers are one of the more complete teams in the SIAC, ranking among the top teams in runs scored (478), doubles (108), opponents batting average (.272), and team ERA (5.48). Edward Waters once again led all conference teams with 215 stolen bases on the year, using their speed to disrupt opposing pitching and put pressure on the defense any time a runner reached base.

Names to Know

On the Mound: Cason  Shurling, Sophomore, RHP

Key Stats: 20 APP | 4-1 | 3.08 ERA | .222 BAA

At the Plate: Daniel Donaldson-Fountain, Junior, OF

Key Stats: .444 AVG | 79 H | 17 2B | 18 HR | 56 RBI | 66 R | .854 SLUG% | .556 OB% | 29 SB

4. Savannah State University (26-18, 23-10 SIAC)

Savannah State’s strength lies in balance as the program ranks second among SIAC schools with a 5.34 team ERA and 328 strikeouts, while also being among the top third offensively with a .314 team batting average, .436 on-base percentage, and 162 stolen bases. The Tigers struck out just 224 times in 46 games, the lowest mark in the conference, while drawing the fifth most walks (268) in the regular season.

Names to Know

On the Mound: Austin McCormack, Sophomore, LHP

Key Stats: 7-2 | 3.77 ERA | 67 K | 86 IP | 4 CG

At the Plate: Johan Sandoval, Junior, UTIL

Key Stats: .374 AVG | 24 XBH | 446 RBI | 50 R | .571 SLUG% | .490 OB% | 18 SB

5. Morehouse College (22-19, 17-14 SIAC)

The Maroon Tigers are riding high after scoring 79 runs across their last five games and rank fourth overall in the SIAC with a .311 team batting average during the regular season. Unfortunately for Morehouse, they gave up 71 runs to opposing offense in that same five-game span and rank in the middle of the pack with a 7.70 staff ERA. Morehouse has the power in its lineup (51 home runs) to make a difference when runners are base, which happens more often than not as the Maroon Tigers drew 289 walks during the season compared to striking out just 245 times.

Names to Know

On the Mound: Andwele Pittman, Freshman, RHP

Key Stats: 14 APP | 3.07 ERA | 3 SV | .183 BAA

At the Plate: Robert Robinson, Jr., Junior, C/1B

Key Stats: .353 AVG | 10 HR | 38 RBI | 38 R | 32 BB | .483 OB%

6. Benedict College (21-11, 19-11 SIAC)

Benedict also comes into the postseason with momentum on its side, having won five of its last six games. The Tigers lead all SIAC schools with a .328 team batting average and 68 home runs, all while posting a League-high .472 on-base percentage. Benedict’s achilles heel comes in the field where the defense has a .928 fielding percentage and the pitching staff sports an ERA of 8.07.

Names to Know

On the Mound: Lefrederick Wooten, Junior, RHP

Key Stats: 7-1 | 5 CG | 65.2 IP | 54 K | .248 BAA

At the Plate: Jonathan Olmedo, Senior, 3B

Key Stats: .336 AVG | 15 XBH | 41 R | .483 OB% | 22 SB

7. Miles College (20-22, 13-19 SIAC)

Miles is looking to turn things around after dropping seven of its last 10 games and being one of two SIAC schools to make the postseason with a sub-.500 record. The Golden Bears rank last in the SIAC with a .253 batting average and have just 71 extra base hits on the year. The MC pitching staff has struggled throughout the year, allowing the opposition to hit .314 with 123 extra base hits.

Names to Know

On the Mound: Darryl Johnson, Junior, RHP

Key Stats: 17 APP | 6 GS | 2 CG | 69 K | .249 BAA

At the Plate: Ajani Lyons, Redshirt-sophomore, SS

Key Stats: .343 AVG | 26 R | .493 OB% | 18 SB

8. Kentucky State University (13-34, 12-21)

Another SIAC team that made the postseason with a losing record, Kentucky State’s strength lies on offense with a .293 batting average to go along with 75 doubles and 40 total home runs. When the Thoroughbreds get on base, they make the opposition pay to the tune of 202 stolen bases. But for as good as the KSU offense is, the pitching staff leaves much to be desired with a 15.29 team ERA, having given up 233 extra base hits, 359 walks, and a .370 batting average to opponents.

Names to Know

On the Mound: N/A

Key Stats: N/A

At the Plate: Ryan Campbell, Senior, OF

Key Stats: .382 AVG | 16 2B | 11 HR | 51 RBI | 52 R | .763 SLUG% | .508 OB%