Stanton's been clutch for Hurricanes
Game will be aired on WISK 98.7
AMERICUS — Zack Stanton has been a clutch performer this
season.
The senior third baseman is near the top in all the major offensive
categories this season, and when Georgia Southwestern has needed a
hit, he’s delivered.
Whether it was the 4-RBI night to beat Columbus State or the grand
slam against Brewton Parker, Stanton has shined this season.
The Hurricanes hope Stanton’s bat doesn’t slow down as
they put their season on the line Saturday at the Peach Belt
Tournament when they face No. 5 Francis Marion. First pitch is 11
a.m. at USC-Aiken.
“I think it’s going to come down to who’s on the
hill for both teams,” said coach Bryan McLain.
“We’re such a senior-laden team on offense, and our
guys have bought into what we’re trying to do.”
Stanton and Byron Haynes are the lone 3-year starters for the
Hurricanes (27-18). While Haynes is more of a power hitter, Stanton
does a little of everything.
He batted .228 as a sophomore and has raised his average to .294 to
.319 this season. McLain said a lot of Stanton’s success has
come in his thought process.
“Zack’s a talented player in about every phase of the
game,” he said. “Sometimes as competitors and athletes,
we’re our own worst enemy. Zack was really his own worst
enemy early on. But he’s matured and is understanding the
game, and in his development, he’s continued to get better.
The biggest thing for him, and it’s a couple of things, is
one consistency, and the second thing is he has been allowing
himself to succeed.”
Stanton was in the top three in several offensive categories last
year. With an improved offense this season, he leads GSW in RBI
(47) and is second in hits (66) and home runs (6) and third in runs
scored (38) and doubles (11).
“What stands out for me is his pitch selection,” said
McLain. “He’s understanding his at-bats and is
maintaining focus through his at-bat. He used to be down on himself
that if he didn’t get a hit every time, he was upset with
himself. He’s been able to overcome that and move on to the
next at-bat of the game and still do well.”
Stanton seems to be his best when the pressure is on. The
right-hander has 17 hits against left-handed pitchers, is first
with 41 hits with runners on; is hitting .308 with the bases
loaded, .356 with runners in scoring position and has 16 RBI with
two outs.
“He’s done a tremendous job with two strikes,”
said McLain. “There’s no questions he’s been
(clutch) down the stretch for us. That’s the mold of a 3-hole
hitter in a lineup. He’s maybe not the absolute best at one
thing, but overall, he’s that top guy.”
Ahead of Stanton in home runs, Haynes has 10 on the year. He is
second in slugging (.500) and has 10 doubles to go with 33 RBI.
McLain said Haynes, who leads the team with 31 walks, has adjusted
to being a hitter teams try to get around without any damage.
“That’s what happens when you put up 10 home
runs,” said McLain. “With the power he’s got,
that comes with the territory. He used to look at the fact of teams
pitching around him as a bad thing, but when you look at it,
it’s a good thing. It’s just like a double. He’ll
steal second and sometimes third.”
Francis Marion has the top pitching staff in the conference,
leading the league in ERA (3.51). The Patriots have 16 saves and
have allowed the fewest number of walks.
The Patriots won 2 of 3 from the Hurricanes, including a 4-3,
10-inning game in the series opener.
McLain expects another pitcher’s duel as he sends Ryan Lackey
to the mound and expects the Patriots to send Josh Edgin.
“It’ll be which team takes advantage of opportunities
that arise,” he said. “We had the bases loaded twice
and didn’t score against them (in the first game).
We’ve got to be ready when the opportunity comes.”
GSW pitchers grow into individual roles
Game will be aired on WISK 98.7
AMERICUS — The Georgia Southwestern pitching staff has
shown a visible difference this season on the mound with a .500
conference record to show for it.
Ryan Lackey has knocked two runs off his earned run average over
his last three starts, which included a win against No. 7 Columbus
State.
He will be the Hurricanes’ go-to man in the opening round of
the Peach Belt baseball tournament, starting at 11 a.m. Saturday at
USC-Aiken. GSW plays No. 5 Francis Marion.
“Our guys have done a great job and for the most part, kept
us in position to have a chance to win games,” said coach
Bryan McLain. “I think we’ve done a better job using
our guys in roles and really trying to maximize those things. Our
starters, especially as of late, have done a really good job of
giving us a chance to be in ball games late.”
GSW is ranked ninth in the PBC in team earned run average, but
McLain said a better offense and defense has helped the pitching
staff relax.
“We’re not putting those guys in position where
we’re asking them to shut teams down and hold them to one or
two runs or no runs,” said McLain. “There’s a lot
more of a team effort than what we had last year.”
Also making an impact has been the pitchers settling more into
their individual roles. Four have started nine games or more while
three others have made at least 21 appearances, mostly in reliever
roles.
McLain said the relievers showed early in the season they could get
the job done, making it easier to pull a starter if they were in
trouble.
“We really haven’t had to get guys to go seven or eight
innings,” he said. “We feel real comfortable making
moves when we’ve felt like the time was right as opposed to
stretching a guy as long as we can go with them.”
Lackey has been the team’s conference-opener starter for most
of the season, and McLain believes he will give the Hurricanes the
best chance to upset the Patriots.
His last outing against Francis Marion, GSW couldn’t take
advantage of two bases-loaded situations and lost 4-3 in 10
innings.
“I kind of quote the coach from Francis Marion when I say
Ryan keeps coming at you,” said McLain. “He’s
commanded the strike zone very well his last three outings, and
he’s kind of sneaky with his velocity. He doesn’t look
like he throws as hard as he does, and he spots his fast ball
really well. He keeps challenging hitters. He’s giving us a
chance to make plays in the field and not putting us in bad spots
with a bunch of walks.”
Brandon Reeder and Corey Hawes have done the work in middle relief,
with Hawes maintaining a 2.04 ERA.
Georgia College beat up the entire GSW staff during a 3-game sweep,
but it’s been able to rebound since that series, especially
the relievers.
“They’ve come out and got guys out or managed the
inning, giving up one run or two and held the teams for the most
part scoreless to give us a chance to come back if we’re
down,” said McLain. “Both Corey and Brandon challenge
the strike zone. These guys are experienced, road-tested and can
throw in any spot. We know they’ll give their best effort
whatever the end result.”
Chris Carroll was the closer until the end of the season when he
started 3 of 4 games. He took a line drive off his foot against
Francis Marion, but McLain expects him to be 100 percent by
Saturday.
The Patriots are fourth in batting average, next to last in walks
drawn and have the fewest strikeouts in the conference.
Shortstop/pitcher Barrett Kleinknecht heads the FMU offense,
batting .352 with 17 doubles, 11 home runs and 42 RBI.
“You try to put things where you don’t leave it up to
him,” said McLain. “You work it to where the other guys
have to do their jobs. The fact they don’t walk much and
strike out much, they’re swinging at a lot of pitches. If we
command the strike zone and don’t let them get comfortable of
picking and choosing and knowing the pitches you have to throw
because of the counts you’re in, I think we can have success
against them and most teams.
“I like where we’re at and what we’re doing. I
tell the guys all the time don’t worry about their team,
worry about ourselves and do what we do.”