GREENWOOD – The Lander baseball team will play its final regular-season series this weekend as it hosts the USC Pacers at Dolny Stadium.

QUICK HITTERS

Location: Dolny Stadium (Greenwood, S.C.)

Time: Apr 29 (6 pm) | Apr 30 (3 pm) | May 1 (1 pm)

Lander's Record: 20-26. 9-14 PBC

USC Aiken's Record: 19-25, 11-13 PBC

First Met: March 14, 1998 (11-7 Lander)

Last Met: May 1, 2021 (5-4 Lander)

Last 10 Against USC Aiken: 3-7

Who's Next: PBC Quarterfinals (at Columbus State or Young Harris)

STORYLINES

• The Bearcats are coming off an 18-6 loss to Belmont Abbey on Tuesday. 
• Lander scored four of its six runs between the fifth and seventh innings.
• Ian Jenkins and Gary Garrett both had a multi-hit game for Lander. Tyler Prell led Lander with two RBI against the Crusaders.
• Eight pitchers were used by the Bearcats against Belmont Abbey. Zach Pellegrino and Tyliss Roper were spotless in their relief appearances. Pellegrino allowed no runs or hits in 0.2 innings while Roper went 2.0 innings where he sent all six batters, he faced packing with four strikeouts and two flyouts.
• Lander concludes the season series 0-2 against Belmont Abbey.
• As a team, the Bearcats are sixth in the PBC in batting average this season. The Blue and Gold are hitting .278 while USC Aiken is last in the PBC with a .257 batting average. Lander is fourth in the conference in hits, second in doubles, first in triples, fourth in home runs, third in RBI, fifth in slugging percentage and fourth in stolen bases.
• The Lander pitching staff has thrown the fourth-most innings among PBC teams this season and is fourth for saves as well. Lander and Aiken are fifth and sixth in strikeouts this season.
• Vincent DeRubeis is currently third in the PBC in on-base percentage and eighth in OPS. He is also 10th in walks. Ethan Wilder leads the conference in triples with four on the season. Matthew Burgess is 10th in stolen bases in the PBC.
• DeRubeis leads the Bearcats in batting average (.331) and OPS (1.026). Landon Dupert leads the way in runs scored (36), hits (51) and home runs (8). Dupert is third on the team in RBI.
• Mason Streater is first for Lander in doubles (13) and RBI (34) and is second on the team in hits with 46. Burgess is a perfect 12-of-12 in stolen bases this season.
• Kurt Rogers leads the Bearcats with a 4.24 ERA through 21 appearances and three starts this season. His 38 innings of work are third on the team. Nick Foray is second with 39.2 while Bennett Nance is first with 48.2.
• Pellegrino leads the Bearcats with 30 appearances this season. He's thrown 34.1 innings while striking out 28. Nance leads the team in strikeouts with 44 while Foray is second with 41 and Bennett Sloper is tied for third with Rogers with 31.
• USC Aiken is coming into this series with a 19-25 overall record and an 11-13 record in the PBC.
• The Pacers have lost their last three games after winning the first game of a conference series against North Georgia 5-3. USC Aiken has lost twice to the Nighthawks and most recently 12-2 in a non-conference meeting with UNC Pembroke.
• USC Aiken is 8-13 on the road this season.
• The last time these two teams met, Lander and USC Aiken split a doubleheader to conclude the 2021 season. Aiken won the first game 7-2 before Lander won game two on a walk-off single from Bradley Davis to center field to score Ward Betts for a 5-4 victory.
• Lander, who is currently eighth in the PBC, can jump the seventh-seeded Pacers but will need to sweep the visiting squad to do so.
• Jeff Cyr leads the Pacers in batting average with a .327 average this season. He's also the leader in hits (53) and doubles (11). Jackson Hannon is the leader in triples with two while Nick Tripp leads the way with six home runs and 31 RBI.
• Joel Haney leads the Pacers with a 2.57 ERA through 13 appearances and nine starts. He's 5-4 this season with two complete games and 70 innings of work. He also has two shutouts and 66 strikeouts. Austin Sandifer leads the Pacer's pitching staff with 18 appearances where he's thrown 26.2 innings.
• The Pacers and Bearcats are both set to compete in the PBC tournament, with the quarterfinals set for May 6-8.

Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont will be sponsoring Friday's contest against the USC Aiken Pacers. Hospice & Palliative Care of the Piedmont is your community non-profit network of care that provides expert, life-changing health care for those living with advanced illnesses. Serving Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda counties since 1981.

#cLawsUp | @LanderBaseball