May 8, 2008

Richmond Spiders (19-25-2, 9-11-1)
at Charlotte 49ers (34-13, 14-7)

Hayes Stadium • Charlotte, N.C.
May 8 (6 p.m.) • May 9 (6 p.m.) • May 10 (2 p.m.)

Short Hops:
• Winners of four of their last seven games, the Richmond baseball team heads to Charlotte this weekend for a critical conference series versus the 49ers. The Spiders find themselves 1.5 games back of the sixth-and-final playoff spot, while the 49ers are in a three-way tie for first. The Thursday and Friday match-ups start at 6 p.m., with Saturday's finale set for 2 p.m. The final two games of the series can be heard live on ESPN Radio 950 in Richmond.

• Richmond kept its postseason hopes alive last Sunday, rallying with six runs in the sixth inning to defeat Saint Louis, 7-5, and take the series from the visitors. Sophomore LHP Matt Zielinski got the Spiders off on the right foot Friday with his 7.1-inning, four-hit, one-run effort leading the Spiders to a 2-1 win over the Billikens. SLU won the middle game 12-3.

• Senior Hank Coogan, who leads the team with his .366 average, brings a career-long 18-game hitting streak into the Charlotte series. A career .324 hitter, the left fielder is batting .362 over this, his second hitting streak of the season 15 games or longer. Mike Mergenthaler's 19-game hitting streak earlier this season stands as the longest in the A-10 in 2008.

• Including freshman SS Derek Boliek, who is second on the team with 15 RBI in conference play, the Spider underclassmen have played big roles this season after the team lost six of its top seven hitters to graduation or the draft last season. More than half (159) the team's 282 RBI have been driven in by freshman DH Billy Barber (45), sophomore C Evan Stehle (40), freshman 1B Mike Mergenthaler (29), freshman CF Andrew Lowry (22) and Boliek (23). In addition, sophomore 2B Chris Cuppia owns a .977 fielding percentage, while sophomore LHP Matt Zielinski is 5-1 and has allowed just one earned runs over his last 16.1 innings pitched.

• With three saves from Alex Hale and one each from Josh Horn, Anthony Cafagna and Stephen Owens, the Spiders are a near-perfect 15-1-1 this year when leading after the seventh inning, a season removed from going 27-0 in that category in 2007 thanks to one of nation's best closers (Brian Alas). In fact, Richmond is 161-10-1 (.939) since 2001 when leading after the seventh, with five of the setbacks (13-5) coming in the 2006 season.

• At 9-11-1 in the A-10, the Spiders find themselves clinging to life in a log-jammed playoff race. With six conference games remaining, the Spiders enter the weekend 4.5 games back of first place and 1.5 games out of sixth.The top six teams get a berth in the 2008 A-10 Championship.