GREENWOOD - The Lander baseball team will be tested this weekend, as No. 15 Newberry comes to Dolny Stadium on Friday and Sunday while the Bearcats take a trip to face the Wolves on Saturday.

QUICK HITTERS

Location: Feb. 18 + 20 (Dolny Stadium, Greenwood, S.C.) | Feb. 19 (Smith Road Complex, Newberry, S.C.)

Time: Feb. 18 + 20 (5 + 12 pm) | Feb. 19 (2 pm)

Lander's Record: 2-4, 0-0 PBC

No. 15 Newberry's Record: 8-0, 0-0 SAC

First Met: Feb. 7, 1998 (13-3 Lander)

Last Met: Feb. 25, 2020 (5-4 Lander)

Last 10 Against Newberry: 4-6

Who's Next: vs Anderson (Feb.22) | vs Belmont Abbey (Feb. 23)

STORYLINES

• The Bearcats are coming off a two-game series split against the Royals of Queens (N.C) this past Saturday and Sunday.
• Lander lost the first game 9-8 although leading 8-2 heading to the bottom of the 9th.
• Ian Jenkins and Vincent DeRubeis both hit home runs for Lander while Chandler Moeller had a multi-hit game that saw one run, an RBI and a double.
• Bryce Jackson struck out five Royals over five innings while just allowing one run on five hits.
• In the second game of the series, Lander scored eight runs on 11 hits.
• Evan Mauldin picked up the win after pitching five innings of relief while allowing just one unearned run on three hits. He also struck out four batters.
• Ethan Wilder, Matthew Burgess and Bradley Davis all had a multi-hit game. Both Wilder and Burgess had two RBI on the day.
• After seeing their bats silenced to two runs over against Erskine on February 5 and North Greenville on February 8 and 11, the Bearcats have scored 16 in their last two games.
• Burgess currently leads the Bearcats in batting average with .333 early in the season. He's also tied for the lead in hits with Jenkins with six.
• Jenkins and Moeller share the lead for extra-base hits with two apiece. Jenkins also shares the crown for most home runs, as he and DeRubeis both have two.
• Wilder, DeRubeis and Jenkins are all tied for the lead in RBI with three.
• Newberry was recently ranked no. 15 in the NCBWA Div. II national polls after an 7-0 start.
• The Wolves are one of four teams in the southeast region to be nationally ranked. North Georgia (19), Columbus State (6) and Wingate (1) are the other three.
• The Wolves have swept their series with Augusta and Southern Wesleyan while also picking up wins against Georgia College and Emmanuel this season.
• Newberry most recently defeated Emmanuel 15-4 on February 16 on the road.
• Jacob LeBron leads the Wolves with a .424 batting average. He also leads the team in hits with 14 and RBI with 12. Braylin Marine is close behind with a batting average of .400. He's second on the team with 12 hits while leading the way in triples with two. He currently had 10 RBI and 1 home run.
• Lander will host Newberry on Friday and Sunday while traveling to take on the Wolves on Saturday.
• Lander and Newberry have been battling since the Bearcats started fielding a baseball team in 1998. Lander won the programs inaugural game 13-3 against the Wolves on February 7, 1998.
• All-time, Lander is 24-12 against Newberry with a 13-5 record at home and 11-7 on the road.
• The last time these two teams met was in 2020. Newberry won the series 2-1, but Lander was able to take the final game 5-4.
• The Wolves will host Lincoln University for a doubleheader on February 22 while the Bearcats will host Anderson on February 22 and Belmont Abbey on February 23.

#cLawsUp | @LanderBaseball