BUIES CREEK, N.C.- In the midst of a tight A-Sun race for a spot in
the league's tournament, Campbell will take a break when it hits
the road to face in-state foes No. 18 NC State and Elon in
non-conference action this weekend. On Friday (May 2), Campbell will
square off with the Wolfpack at 6:30 p.m. at Doak Field and travel
to Elon on Saturday (May 3) for a 7 p.m. first pitch at Latham
Park.
After taking two-of-three games at Gardner-Webb two weeks ago,
Campbell went on a slide last week dropping four straight
contests. The Camels fell
9-3 in a mid-week game to East Carolina and was swept by Kennesaw
State in a three game A-Sun series in which they were outscored
28-14. Heading into last
week, Campbell held an 11-11 home record, but the loses at Taylor
Field put the Camels below .500 for the first time in 2008.
Despite its recent woes, Campbell (17-28, 10-17 A-Sun) has had
several bright spots – most notably Brandon Scott. Scott, Campbell's only senior who has
been on campus for four years, not only leads the A-Sun in stolen
bases (28), but became the Camels' most prolific thief in history
as he broke the all-time record last Saturday with 73 career
swipes. Although Scott
surpassed Nic Carter in the all-time ranks, Carter still holds the
top two spots on Campbell's single season list. Scott – who ranks third on the
single season list – needs five stolen bases to be crowned
with the title.
In
addition to being a pest on the base paths, Scott has been swinging
a hot stick lately as he boasts a .415 batting average in the last
ten games. In that stretch
Scott has grabbed six doubles, a home run, 11 RBI and hasn't been
thrown out going a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen bases.
Aiding Scott in his effort is Ryan Hamme, who has been on base as a
leadoff nearly half the time. Hamme – Campbell's most
consistent threat at the plate this season – carries a
team-leading .364 average into the weekend and owns an on base
percentage of .475. Both
Hamme and Scott lead the team in doubles (12), home runs (4) and
RBI (39).
Winners of its last four Atlantic Coast Conference series and 16 of
its last 20 games, Campbell has its hands full with No. 18 NC State
(30-13, 15-8 ACC). The
Wolfpack, who owns a 23-7 record at home, boasts a 26-7-1 all-time
record against Campbell and hasn't lost a game to the Camels since
2005.
Leading the way for the Wolfpack is Matt Payne and Ryan Pond. Payne is batting .353 with five
homers and 34 RBI, while Pond is hitting at a .322 clip with a
team-leading 35 RBI. Pond
went 4-for-8 with three runs scored and three RBI in last year's
12-4 and 7-3 wins over the Camels.
Campbell looks to reverse roles with Elon (34-14, 16-6 SoCon) as
the Phoenix topped the Camels 5-1 at Taylor Field on Mar. 12. Josh Fish threw five strong
innings in the institutions last meeting, but the Camels stranded
nine runners in scoring position.
Elon's Neal Pritchard and Chris Dove
were the only hitters of the game to finish with multiple hits as
they each tallied three.
Cory Harrilchak has had a banner
year for Elon posting a .394 average with eight doubles, four
triples, six homers and 24 RBI. Harrilchak, who has also swiped 12
bags this season, is one of five Phoenix players with double digit
stolen bases. Elon
currently ranks 3rd in the country with 114.
Elon hosts a doubleheader against
Appalachian State today (May 1) before Saturday's
meeting.
After the weekend, Campbell
entertains NC State at Taylor Field on Tuesday, May 6 in a 7 p.m.
tilt.
