The Georgia State Panthers will hit the road this weekend, riding a five-game win streak into Conway for a matchup with the No. 7 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
In light of the recent success, Coastal Carolina returns home to Springs Brooks Stadium with an opportunity to impress in the national spotlight. Game 2 of this three game slate will take place on ESPNU, Coastal Carolina athletic director Chance Miller announced on social media this week. This primetime matchup, set to begin at 7 p.m., will be the second of just three appearances for the Chanticleers national television—the first of which being against Clemson on March 24 and the final scheduled televised game being against North Carolina in late April.
The Panthers are looking to continue rising in the conference ranks after a sweep of James Madison last weekend, outscoring the Dukes 25-9 and tacking on a run-rule victory that clinched the series.
Georgia State has won their last two series, taking three of five conference series so far this season and sit at 7-8 in Sun Belt play. Since the calendar flipped to April, the Panthers are 6-2 and have strong-armed their way back into the conference race.
John Beverley continues to show out in his sophomore season, leading the Panthers and sitting second in the Sun Belt with a .383 batting average. Beverley has also racked up nine hits and eight RBIs over his last five games with four stolen bases, continuing to lead the team with 21 on the season.
Georgia State’s pitching staff has allowed only 11 runs over the last five games and added a shutout victory along the way. Leading the charge for the Panthers is redshirt sophomore Jake Hembree and senior Will Bartowski. Hembree sits atop the rotation with a 3.32 ERA and leads the Sun Belt in opponent batting average, allowing just a .145 to opposing hitters.
Bartowski has been lights out since the turn of the month, tossing 9.2 IP over two appearances and has only allowed one run off two hits with 12 strikeouts. Bartowski also earned Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week honors in Week 8 after his six-inning, 10-strikeout relief appearance against ULM.
Coastal Carolina sits among the top teams in college baseball, ranked seventh in the nation and sitting atop the Sun Belt Conference with a 13-2 record. The Chanticleers are coming into this matchup having lost back-to-back games for the first time since the Bruce Bolt Classic earlier in the season in Houston.
The Chanticleers are 5-3 since April began, dropping a game in each of their last two conference series and their series finale against Wake Forest. Despite this, Coastal Carolina remains in the driver’s seat in the Sun Belt and among the favorites to host a regional for the second consecutive season.
Senior Blake Barthol has risen back to one of the top offensive contributors for the Chanticleers after a sluggish start to the season, his .290 batting average is the fourth highest on the team. Barthol will put an eight-game hitting streak on the line this weekend, notching a home run with three RBIs and two runs over his last five games.
Sophomore Jaxon Appelman has wiggled his way into a banged-up Chanticleer rotation, providing some stability in the absence of an injured Cameron Flukey. The right-hander has tossed 13 innings over his last three starts, allowing five runs off four hits and striking out 18 opposing batters.
Georgia State has a tall task ahead of them this weekend, sitting at 1-9 over their last 10 games against Coastal Carolina. Despite having their 32-game conference win streak broken against South Alabama earlier in the season, the Chanticleers have not lost a conference series since their March 21-23 series against Troy last season.
Georgia State at #7 Coastal Carolina
First Pitch: Friday, April. 17 at 6:00 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN+ (ESPNU on Saturday)
Click here for information on tickets. Georgia State fans can also contact the ticket office at (404)-413-4020 or email the ticket office at tickets@gsu.edu
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