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GSC Tournament Preview: UWG Baseball

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Carrollton, GA
- The postseason is here, as Thursday the West Georgia Wolves will play in the 1:00 p.m. game of the 2013 Taziki's Gulf South Conference Baseball Tournament. This year proves to be an exciting one, as the tournament moves to AT&T Field in Chattanooga, TN.

The Wolves enter this year's tournament as the seventh seed after a 24-22 overall record in the regular season and a 12-12 record in Gulf South Conference play. West Georgia's opponent will be Alabama-Huntsville, the second seeded team in the tourney, as the Chargers finished the year at 33-13-1 overall and 16-6-1 against GSC competition.

The tournament is a double-elimination format, with five days of competition to complete the tournament. West Georgia will play UAH at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday and will then face either 6th-seed West Alabama or 3rd-seed West Florida, depending on the result of the Wolves' game with UAH.  

Series History
Thursday's game between the Wolves and Chargers will be the 57th-meeting in the history of the series, with Alabama-Huntsville holding a 31-25 advantage in the overall record. In the last 10 meetings between the two programs, the series is tied 5-5. UAH swept four games in the 2012 season and UWG picked up a regular season sweep this year.

Last Meeting
The series between the Wolves and Chargers in Carrollton on April 13 was one of the true highlights of the year for West Georgia. UAH came in with a highly potent offensive attack and solid all-around play throughout the year. But the Wolves rose to the level of their competition, dispatching UAH 3-0 and 3-2 in a rain-shortened series. Game 1 was a battle of All-Conference arms, as First Team All-GSC performers #Jamie Sexton# of UWG and Andrew Busby of UAH took to the hill. Even the relievers were All-GSC caliber, as First Team honoree Luke Mould and Second Team performer #Max Aeschilmann# came in for relief in the game. The Wolves scored a run early and two in the seventh and Sexton tossed a four-hit shutout to take the victory. Game two was equally dramatic, as UWG starer #Cody Skinner# worked his way out of a jam in the sixth and seventh innings to preserve the win.

GSC History - UWG vs. UAH
The Wolves and Chargers locked horns at last year's tournament, with UAH coming out on top 11-3. Alabama-Huntsville starter Drew Eiland and reliever Dana Wright scattered 12 UWG hits and allowed just three runs while the UAH bats heated up for 11 runs on 14 hits. The first meeting between the two teams at the annual postseason tournament came in 1998 during the UWG run to the Division II World Series. That year, West Georgia and UAH played for the conference title, as each came into the final day undefeated. UWG prevailed, 17-8 in the first game and 8-7 in a thrilling eight-inning game to win the GSC title. The two teams met again in 2001, this time in a year where UAH won the title, as the Chargers beat UWG 7-6 to hand West Georgia it's second-straight loss and end the 2001 season for UWG.

Last 15 Games for UWG
West Georgia definitely had a run through the gauntlet in the final 15 games of the season, going 6-9 against a schedule that including 10 of the 15 games against the top four seeds in the GSC tournament. Leading the way in that span is junior #TJ Eifert#, who split time at third base and shortstop and batted .370. That also included the Huntsville series, where senior #Blake McLemore# and freshman #Jake Shirley# each went 2-for-5. In the pitching department, the Wolves have had a team ERA of 4.57 in the last 15 games, a small amount over the season ERA of 4.21.

UWG Leaders at the Plate
The Wolves have three players hitting above .300 on the year, led by McLemore, who has a .335 batting average this season. The senior has played five different positions this season, including every spot in the infield and pitcher. He is the hardest player to strike out for the Wolves this year, as he has 23 walks and 10 strikeouts in 161 at-bats. The second-leading hitter has seen time at three different spots this year, as Eifert is hitting .324 on the year with 14 doubles and has played third base, shortstop and first base in addition to starting as designated hitter on multiple occasions. The third hitter is leadoff man Shaquille Jackson, who is hitting .314 at the close of the regular season.

UWG Leaders on the Mound
The game one starter for the Wolves against Alabama-Huntsville is likely to be Jamie Sexton, First Team All-GSC honoree and one of the top pitchers in the GSC this season. Sexton tossed shutouts against UAH (4-hitter) and Paine (3-hitter) and struck out at least nine batters in three different starts this year. His top strikeout game came against Augusta State, when he fanned 11 batters. In game two, it will likely be Skinner, who has been stellar in conference play this season. He has six starts against GSC competition and allowed more than two earned runs only once in those six outings. His best game was against UAH, when he allowed no earned runs in a 3-2 victory. Skinner has been the seven-inning pitcher this season. #Seth McClure# would likely be the third game starter for UWG, as he has been solid in recent games.

UWG Bullpen
Coming in from the bullpen will be the Wolves' hero from the 2012 GSC tournament and Second Team All-GSC performer #Max Aeschilmann#. The all-time leader in saves for a season with seven, Aeschilmann was lights out earlier this season until an injury sidelined him. He has since returned to full strength and has five of his seven saves against GSC competition. #Clint Beland# is pitching well of late, as he has given up one earned run or less in four of his last five outings. Senior #Randall Wright# is on the cusp of a UWG record, as he has 65 career appearances and needs three to tie Chuck Robinson for the all-time lead. #Alex Allen# has also been solid in late-inning situations and has two saves to his credit this season.
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Players Mentioned

Alex Allen

#13 Alex Allen

P
5' 9"
Sophomore
R/R
Clint Beland

#26 Clint Beland

P
5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
TJ Eifert

#10 TJ Eifert

3B
6' 1"
Junior
R/R
Shaquille Jackson

#1 Shaquille Jackson

OF
5' 10"
Junior
R/R
Seth McClure

#29 Seth McClure

P
6' 6"
Senior
R/R
Blake McLemore

#24 Blake McLemore

P/1B
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
Jamie Sexton

#25 Jamie Sexton

P
6' 1"
Sophomore
R/R
Jake Shirley

#15 Jake Shirley

OF
5' 7"
Freshman
L/L
Cody Skinner

#14 Cody Skinner

P
6' 3"
Junior
R/R
Randall Wright

#16 Randall Wright

P
5' 11"
Senior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Alex Allen

#13 Alex Allen

5' 9"
Sophomore
R/R
P
Clint Beland

#26 Clint Beland

5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
P
TJ Eifert

#10 TJ Eifert

6' 1"
Junior
R/R
3B
Shaquille Jackson

#1 Shaquille Jackson

5' 10"
Junior
R/R
OF
Seth McClure

#29 Seth McClure

6' 6"
Senior
R/R
P
Blake McLemore

#24 Blake McLemore

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
P/1B
Jamie Sexton

#25 Jamie Sexton

6' 1"
Sophomore
R/R
P
Jake Shirley

#15 Jake Shirley

5' 7"
Freshman
L/L
OF
Cody Skinner

#14 Cody Skinner

6' 3"
Junior
R/R
P
Randall Wright

#16 Randall Wright

5' 11"
Senior
R/R
P
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