Panthers hosting USA South series

Published 11:21 am Friday, March 22, 2019

By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The high-flying LaGrange College Panthers will look to keep the good times rolling.

After taking four of six games against a pair of nationally-ranked teams in Huntingdon and Piedmont, LaGrange College’s baseball team will host USA South foe Covenant for a three-game series beginning today.

They’ll play one game today at 7 p.m., and a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m.

LaGrange College (15-6 overall) brings an 8-3 conference record into the series, and it is tied with Piedmont and Huntingdon for second place.

Methodist leads the way in the conference with an 8-1 record.

LaGrange College, which has won back-to-back USA South tournament championships under head coach David Kelton, is coming off impressive series wins over Huntingdon and Piedmont.

The Panthers lost the opening game of both series before surging back to win the next two games.

Making those series victories even more impressive, they came on the road against teams ranked in the D3baseball.com poll.

LaGrange College will go for another series win against a Covenant team that is 4-4 in conference play.

The Panthers are a complete team.

Offensively, the Panthers have a team batting average of .296, and they’re scoring seven runs per game.

Freshman Joe Ruth is having a terrific season with a .365 batting average, and he leads the team with 23 RBIs.

Senior shortstop Rhett Hollon is hitting .373, and McKinley Erves has a .367 batting average with an impressive .487 on-base percentage.

Liam Moreno boasts a .343 batting average, and Trey Pearce is hitting .318 with two home runs 14 RBIs.

Cael Chatham, another of the Panthers’ talented freshmen, is hitting .284 with 15 RBIs.

EJ Churchich has two home runs and 18 RBIs.

The Panthers have been effective on the mound as well with a team earned run average of 3.53.

Relief pitcher Tanner Chafin has done his part to keep the team ERA low.

Chafin has appeared in a team-leading 12 games, and he is 1-0 with two saves, and he hasn’t allowed an earned run in 20.2 innings.

Another one of the Panthers’ top pitching weapons has been reliever Spencer Douches, who is 2-0 with a 0.78 ERA while making 10 mound appearances.

Michael Menheart is 4-2 and leads the team in victories, and he has a 2.25 ERA mostly out of the bullpen, although he has started two games.

Austin Fain, JR Robinson and Richie Post have started 17 of the Panthers’ 21 games. Post and Fain are both 3-0 and Robinson is 2-2, and Fain’s 2.84 ERA is the best among the starters.