WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary baseball team looks to snap a three-game skid as it plays a pair of mid-week road games this week. The Tribe travels to Maryland on Tuesday, April 9 , before heading to George Washington for a Wednesday, April 10 matinee. First pitches are set for 4 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.
W&M News and Notes
- W&M and Maryland meet for the 33rd time in series history in the second time in the last six days. The Terps lead the all-time series 18-13-1. However, the Tribe won the last three meetings, including an 8-1 triumph at Plumeri Park last Wednesday. Sophomore
Jacob Haney recorded a career-nine strikeouts, while senior
Hunter Smith had three RBI, and classmate
Owen Socher went 2-for-2 with three runs scored.
- The Tribe then travels to George Washington on Wednesday for the 54th time in series history, and the first of two meetings this season. The Colonials lead the all-time series by a 31-22 mark, including picking up a 9-5 victory at Plumeri Park a season ago.
- W&M boasts one of the top pitching staff's in the entire nation. Its 3.45 ERA leads the CAA and ranks 32nd in the NCAA. Individually, freshman lefty
Zach Tsakounis 2.82 ERA is fourth in the conference.
- Senior
Bodie Sheehan has been one of the Tribe's all-time most consistent pitchers during his career. He took a perfect game bid into the sixth inning at Delaware Saturday, after coming off his best start of the year against UNCW. He has record five quality starts of his eight starts this season. The Virginia Beach, Va. native has now made 52 starts and needs only three more to become the program's all-time leader. Sheehan also became the seventh W&M pitcher to surpass 300 career innings and the 13th to eclipse 200 career strikeouts.
- Redshirt junior
Chris Farrell has been established as one of the top closers in the CAA. The right-handed pitcher ranks fourth in the league after locking down his fourth save on March 31. Farrell has 25 strikeouts in just 15.1 innings and holds a .182 opposing batting average.
- Freshman
Zach Tsakounis was honored with his second CAA Rookie of the Week Award for the week of April 1. He scattered six hit through six scoreless innings and fanned four batters in a win at UNCW. The Tribe has claimed four CAA awards with three of them going to a pitcher. Freshman righty
Tristan Snyder also claimed Rookie of the Week accolades on Feb. 19, while sophomore
Matt McDermott was named Player of the Week for March 5.
- On the offensive end, the Tribe ranks third in the CAA with 191 runs scored. The team has put at least eight runs on the scoreboard in 11 games, going 10-1. W&M ranks among the nation's best in doubles (67) and triples (12). The Green and Gold's 67 two-baggers rank 17th in the NCAA, while its 12 triples are 13th in the nation.
- Senior
Hunter Smith has been the Tribe's best offensive threat. The catcher sits first in the conference in both slugging percentage (.640) and home runs (8). Smith has already homered twice in a game on three occasions. The Caldwell, N.J., product stands 12th in W&M history with 24 career homers. With 191 career hits, Smith needs nine more to join the 200-career hits club.
- Classmate
Zach Pearson enjoyed the best game of his career after finishing 4-for-5 with four RBI and a double at UNCW (3/30). Pearson established a new career-high in hits and tied his personal-best in RBI.
• Senior
Owen Socher started the last eight games in left field and took full advantage of the opportunity. During the stretch, Socher leads the team on a .393 batting average (11-for-28), adding three doubles, two triples, and three RBI. He is also reached base in a team-high 18 straight games.
- The Tribe claimed its third Power Five win of the season after topping Maryland 8-1 on Wednesday at Plumeri Park. Previously, the Tribe has topped the Big 12's West Virginia 6-4 on March 16 and topped the ACC's Virginia 9-3 on Feb. 26.
- Plumeri Park, the home of the Tribe Baseball, turns 20 this spring. The anniversary will be celebrated and recognized over the course of the season. The facility was constructed in large part due to the generous donation by Mr. Joseph J. Plumeri II in the autumn of 1996. It is now considered one of the finest baseball facilities in the region, consistently receiving upgrades over the course of time. W&M has enjoyed a lot of success at Plumeri Park with a 389-202 (.658) since its completion.
