HATTIESBURG, Miss. – No. 2 seeded Louisiana Tech is set to open up postseason play against No. 7 seed Charlotte in the 2022 C-USA Baseball Championship, presented by The First at Pete Taylor Park.
The two schools met just last week in the final conference series of the regular season with the Bulldogs taking two out of three games over the 49ers in Charlotte.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Dates and Times: May 25 at 12:30 p.m. | May 26 at 9 a.m. or 12:30 p.m.
Location: Pete Taylor Park (Hattiesburg, Miss.)
TV: ESPN+
Radio:
Dave Nitz on KNBB 97.7 FM
Audio: LA Tech Athletics App
Live Stats: LATechSports.com
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (38-18, 20-10 C-USA)
LA Tech heads into the conference tournament having won five out of their last six games and taking the final conference series from Charlotte.
You could argue that LA Tech catcher
Jorge Corona is the hottest hitter in all of college baseball at the moment. The Miami native sports a seven-game hitting streak while hitting an impressive .600 over that span with three home runs, five doubles and 11 RBI. On Tuesday, Corona was named as a second-team All-Conference USA selection.
Taylor Young has been the spark to the Bulldog lineup in the leadoff all year. The senior shortstop leads the club in batting average (.351) and doubles (20). Young also leads the nation with 81 runs scored and ranks first with 51 walks in the conference. The West Monroe native went 5-for-11 over the weekend at Charlotte hitting his ninth and 10
th home runs of the year while scoring six more times and driving in four runs. Young has surpassed the all-time games played mark at 241 played and surpassed
Hunter Wells' all-time hits record last weekend.
Sophomore center fielder
Cole McConnell inches closer to the single season RBI record in program history after recording three more over the weekend. McConnell sits at 71 RBI on the season which puts him at second in the conference and 10
th in the nation. The Beaumont, Texas native earned first-team All-Conference honors on Tuesday afternoon.
Bulldog closer
Kyle Crigger has now appeared in a team-leading 30 games while sporting a 1.43 ERA in 56.2 innings pitched out of the bullpen. The right-hander is tied for first in the conference in saves and sits just two saves behind the program record at 12 held by Caleb Dudley back in 2011. The senior is second in the conference in ERA and fourth in the nation.
ABOUT CHARLOTTE (35-20, 17-13 C-USA)
Charlotte rolls into play having lost two out of three games to LA Tech over the weekend at Hayes Stadium. Before the final conference series, the 49ers had won 11 out of their last 12 conference games.
Charlotte outfielder Jake Cunningham earned C-USA Hitter of the Week honors two weeks ago hitting .533 in three games versus Florida Atlantic with eight hits and six RBI. Cunningham was just a single shy of the cycle in the 14-4 win over FAU mashing two long balls in the series finale.
Designated hitter David McCabe leads the conference with a .383 batting average and blasted two home runs in the loss to LA Tech on Saturday.
Left-hander Spencer Giesting earned the win in relief on Thursday night tossing seven innings allowing just one earned run and striking out eight Bulldogs.
THE SERIES
The Bulldogs and 49ers will meet for the 21
st time on Wednesday afternoon with Charlotte leading the all-time series 13-7. The Bulldogs and 49ers met just last weekend with Charlotte taking the first game 11-3 and LA Tech winning on Friday 8-3 and Saturday 14-5 in seven innings.
LA Tech is 8-10 all-time in the C-USA Baseball Championship having put together their best performance a year ago at J.C. Love Field. The Bulldogs finished second falling on championship Sunday to Old Dominion in extra innings 7-5 and finished the tournament with a 4-2 record.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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