WILLIAMSBURG - The William and Mary Tribe baseball team will hit the road this weekend as they travel to Wilmington, North Carolina to take on CAA-rival UNC-Wilmington in a crucial three-game series. The first game is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m., with the second game on Saturday at 4 p.m. The finale of the three-game set will be on Sunday at 2 p.m.

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The Match-Ups
Friday, April 10 - 7 p.m.
LHP Cole Shain (W&M) ? 1-1, 8.44 ERA, 26.2 IP, 20 K
RHP Daniel Cropper (UNCW) ? 3-2, 5.61 ERA, 33.2 IP, 32 K

Saturday, April 11 - 4 p.m.
RHP Kevin Landry (W&M) ? 0-4, 5.66 ERA, 35.0 IP, 43 K
RHP Seth Frankoff (UNCW) ? 1-2, 4.54 ERA, 37.2 IP, 33 K

Sunday, April 12 - 2 p.m.
RHP Jeremy Neustifter (W&M) ? 1-1, 5.97 ERA, 34.2 IP, 39 K
RHP Jesse Haney (UNCW) ? 2-2, 5.45 ERA, 34.2 IP, 11 K

Scouting the Tribe
William and Mary enters this weekend's series with UNCW on a hot streak, having won five of its past seven games. The Tribe is 12-17 on the season overall and 3-6 in conference play. On the season, senior Jeff Jones continues to pace the College, hitting .371 with 17 RBI and a conference-leading 18 stolen bases. Senior Tyler Stampone has picked up his offense of late, upping his batting average to .347, while boasting a team-leading .474 on-base percentage. Stampone, along with fellow senior Rob Nickle, lead the team in RBIs with 25 apiece.

On the mound, freshman Garrison Sarrett leads the team with a 2.81 ERA, while fellow freshman Matt Davenport sports a team-high four wins. Junior Kevin Landry and senior Jeremy Newustifter continue to lead the staff in strikeouts, with 43 and 39, respectively.

Scouting the Seahawks
UNC-Wilmington enters this weekend's three-game set with an 18-11 record overall and a 5-4 record in CAA play. The Seahawks just snapped an eight-game losing streak on Wednesday, beating #14 East Carolina, 8-3. In CAA play, UNCW swept Hofstra to begin conference play before taking two of three from VCU to move to 5-1. But in the midst of their eight-game losing streak, the Seahawks were swept by George Mason in Fairfax, Va.

UNCW, as a team, has a batting average of .288 and is led by Grayson Evans, who is hitting .330 with two homeruns and 26 RBI. Both Cody Stanley and Robbie Monday each have seven homers so far this year. On the mound, Steven Davis is one of two three-game winners for the Seahawks and also sports a 1.78 ERA with three saves.

The Series
William and Mary and UNC-Wilmington will renew their 10-year old rivalry this weekend, with UNCW holding the series edge, 19-7. In their last meeting, however, the Tribe snapped a five-game losing streak to the Seahawks in last year's CAA Tournament, beating UNCW, 11-8.

Notes
- Sophomore Tim Norton has been the best pitcher for William and Mary over the past 10 games. The Ramsey, New Jersey native is 3-0 with a 0.64 ERA in 14.0 IP over his last three appearances. In his last start on Tuesday against Liberty, Norton earned the victory, going 7.0 innings, allowing only one run while striking out two Flames.

- Senior Tyler Stampone has been almost unstoppable in CAA play so far this year. The Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania native is hitting a team-high .469, while also leading the team in doubles (7), RBIs (12), walks (7), and on-base percentage (.556). Stampone isn't the only one excelling in conference play. Jeff Jones, Chris Forsten, Derrick Osteen, Kevin Alas, and Rob Nickle are all hitting above .300 so far in CAA action.

- With his stellar performance against Northeastern on April 5, Jeremy Neustifter became the first Tribe pitcher to strike out 11 or more hitters in one game since 2004 when Chris Shaver '04 struck out 13 in a complete-game shutout win over James Madison on May 8.

- Not only does senior Jeff Jones lead the conference with his 18 stolen bases so far this season, but he also already ranks sixth all-time on the single-season stolen base list at the College. Chris Rahl set the mark in 2004 with 42 swipes.

- Both junior Kevin Landry and senior Jeremy Neustifter are ranked in the top-five in the CAA in strikeouts so far this season. Landry ranks third in the conference with 43, while Neustifter is ranked fifth with 39 Ks.

- The Tribe have played seven extra-inning contests in 28 games this season, over double the total from coach Frank Leoni's first three years (6 - three in 2006, one in 2007, two in 2008). The 2004 team played five extra-inning games, but didn't play the fifth until the 46th game of the season.

- In the 105 years of Tribe baseball before Plumeri Park opened in 1999, W&M had precisely one 30-win season (1997), and only ten seasons of 20+ victories. Since moving to Plumeri Park, the Tribe has won 30 or more games six times, including 37 in 2004, 36 in 2008, and 35 in 2001, and never won fewer than 23 contests.

- Major League clubs have come to depend on W&M for producing top draft talent ? since 1999, MLB teams have drafted 20 times out of Williamsburg. Seven picks came in the first ten rounds, including Bill Bray with the 13th overall pick in 2004. Chris Shaver '04 is the only Tribe player in the span to be drafted twice ? in the 24th round in 2003 to Tampa Bay, and again in 2004, this time to the Chicago Cubs in the fourth round.

- Chris Jensen tied the Virginia Division I record on March 11, after he was hit three times by Liberty's pitchers. The three plunkings ranks tied for 16th all-time in NCAA Division I history.