CCU Baseball Notebook: Chants host Radford in pivotal Big South series

Coastal Carolina baseball coach Gary Gilmore has never been one to build up one game or one series bigger than any other, and he said he’s not going to start this week.

But nonetheless, the players know they’re entering a pivotal three-game series as Radford comes to town Friday, tied atop the Big South standings with the No. 18-ranked Chanticleers.

“I just know they’re winning ballgames and that’s what matters. I know they’re hot,” sophomore shortstop Michael Paez said. “... In the Big South every series is one of the biggest games we’re going to play.”

Added junior centerfielder Anthony Marks: “They’re going to come in here and they’re going to us their best shot and we’re going to give them our best shot and we’re looking for an exciting weekend. ... You’ve got two very good teams going at it and anything can happen. It’s going to be the person who throws the last punch on Sunday.”

The Chants (26-10, 10-2 Big South) dropped an 8-3 loss to No. 22 College of Charleston on Tuesday, but they swept their last conference series with three wins at High Point last weekend and will look to build on that momentum.

Radford (23-12, 10-2) had won 12 straight games before a 9-3 loss to Winthrop last Sunday.

Gilmore sees this as just the start of a thoroughly challenging final stretch of the season, though, so to him, it’s just the next set of games.

“Flat out, we’re going to have to play the best three games we’ve played all year to win,” he said. “They’re talented on the mound, have a formidable lineup and we’re going to have to play great. We tend to at times be our own worst enemy, so we’ve got to play a complete game – pitch, defense, base run, hit, the whole nine yards.

“This is a huge series, but so is midweek next week and the next weekend and the next midweek and [so on]. We have by far probably the most consistent and difficult schedule the last 20 games that we’ve probably ever had. Radford’s better, Campbell’s good, Liberty’s very good, Florida State’s very good, PC’s good especially at their place. So we’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ve just got to at this point go one pitch at a time.”

Table setters

Coastal Carolina and Radford happen to boast the Big South’s best leadoff hitters, statistically speaking at least.

Marks has been exceptional for the Chants while leading the conference with a .400 batting average, 58 hits and 42 runs scored and ranking second with a .470 on-base percentage.

For the Highlanders, senior second baseman Josh Gardiner has been almost just as good, ranking second behind Marks with a .396 average, 53 hits, 38 runs and leading the league with a .479 on-base percentage.

Marks comes into the game on a 14-game hitting streak.

Pitching matchups

Sophomore right-hander Alex Cunningham (6-0, 2.60 ERA) will look to continue his breakout season while taking the mound Friday night for the Chants, opposing Radford ace left-hander Michale Boyle (6-2, 2.21 ERA).

On Saturday, senior lefty Austin Kerr (7-0, 2.16) will look to keep his own perfect record going while the Highlanders throw righty Dylan Nelson (5-2, 3.91 ERA).

Sunday’s pitchers haven’t been formally announced, though the Chants are likely to go with freshman lefty Shane Sawczak (1-2, 5.56).

Injury Updates

Freshman outfielder Billy Cooke is almost all the way back from a broken hamate bone in his left hand that has sidelined him since the opening week of the season.

Cooke was the Chants’ starting centerfielder to open the season, but he got only three at-bats before going down with the injury. He has been cleared to return to action and could be eased back in this weekend.

Meanwhile, the Chants’ other injured rookie outfielder is a little further away from returning.

Freshman Dalton Ewing, who opened the season as the starter in right field, is recovering from a broken metatarsal in his left hand and is not yet cleared to return to full action. Gilmore said he is probably a couple weeks away even though he was used as a pinch-runner Tuesday against College of Charleston.

“I’ve been teasing him saying, ‘You could have had a heart transplant faster than you can have a pinky heal,’” Gilmore said. “This is eight weeks and we’re looking at 10 before they’re even going to release him to really do something. He’s the offensive piece that is hugely missing at times for us, in my mind.”

Gilmore said he sees Ewing having the potential to be a middle-of-the-order power threat and 25-stolen-base threat over the course of a full season as well as someone who could possibly make a significant impact down the stretch if healthy.

“If we could ever get this team back to the lineup personnel-wise we started the season with, I still think that was a very versatile team that had some ability to do a wide range of things,” Gilmore said. “... I don’t know if we can get them healthy and in shape between now and the end of the year, but if we do, we’re a multifaceted team when we have all those pieces to the puzzle.

“We’ve showed flashes of this or that at times, but having the whole complete machine working, it’s not been there a whole lot because of health.”

The bullpen, meanwhile, will be without junior lefty Brock Hunter (1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in 14 appearances), who is in a protective walking boot and expected to be unavailable this weekend.

This story was originally published April 16, 2015 at 8:34 PM with the headline "CCU Baseball Notebook: Chants host Radford in pivotal Big South series."