CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Villanova University baseball team returns to the road this weekend for a three-game series against Charleston Southern. The series begins on Friday, March 12, with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
THIS WEEK
• Charleston Southern – Friday, March 12 | 6:00 p.m.
• Charleston Southern – Saturday, March 13 | 2:00 p.m.
• Charleston Southern – Sunday, March 14 | 1:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Villanova earned a 14-10 victory over La Salle in its home opener on Tuesday, March 10, in a high-scoring contest.
• The Wildcats fell behind early, trailing 6-1 after the Explorers hit two home runs in the first three innings.
• Villanova battled back behind strong performances from senior
Michael Whooley and redshirt sophomore
Mark Gialluisi, who each drove in three runs in the comeback win.
• The game was tied heading into the eighth inning when sophomore
John Freitag delivered the go-ahead RBI with a single to center field that scored
Brayden Leonard.
• Villanova added four runs in the eighth inning before the game was called due to darkness, securing the home-opening victory.
'CATS BATS
Villanova's offense broke out in the home opener, scoring a season-high 14 runs on 13 hits.
•
Mark Gialluisi drove in three runs against La Salle and now has six RBI over his last four games.
•
Michael Whooley has been a key contributor early in the season. After a three-RBI performance Tuesday, he leads the team with 10 RBI and has added three home runs.
• Sophomore
Brayden Leonard leads Villanova with a .313 batting average and is tied with Whooley for the team lead with 15 hits.
SERIES HISTORY
• This weekend's series will mark the fifth, sixth, and seventh meetings between Villanova and Charleston Southern.
• All previous matchups between the two programs have taken place away from Villanova.
SCOUTING CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
Charleston Southern enters the weekend with a 12-4 record after falling to UNCW in its most recent game.
• The Buccaneers are 9-1 at home this season, with their only loss coming in extra innings against UNCW.
• CSU owns wins over Bucknell, North Florida, Brown, Elon, and Georgia State, including series sweeps of Bucknell, Brown, and Elon.
•
Chandler Tuupo leads the Buccaneers offensively with three home runs and 20 RBI while batting .357.
UP NEXT
Following the weekend series, Villanova returns home for a four-game homestand. The Wildcats will host Coppin State on Tuesday, March 17, before welcoming UNC Asheville for a three-game series beginning Friday, March 20
