Saint Augustine's University opens the 2015 baseball season with four games this week, starting today against highly-regarded University of Mount Olive.
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The Falcons visit the Trojans in a nine-inning baseball contest on Scarborough Field in Mount Olive, N.C., at 2 p.m. The Trojans are ranked 13th in the Collegiate Baseball rankings.
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Fans can follow the contest via live video and live stats.
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The Falcons are back on the diamond Wednesday, February 4, against UNC Pembroke in a nine-inning game on Sammy Cox Field in Pembroke, N.C., at 3 p.m. Â Their home opener is Thursday, February 5, against Benedict College in a doubleheader at Buffaloe Road Park in Raleigh, N.C. Game times are 1 p.m. and approximately 3 p.m.
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Standout Bryan Rivera (Sr./Cidra, Puerto Rico) heads a strong pitching staff. Rivera won All-CIAA and All Region honors last season after leading the conference in earned run average (2.49) and tying for the league lead in strikeouts (76). The left-handed pitcher is a preseason Atlantic Region first-team selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Â
The talented pitching staff includes Jeremy Sandifer (Sr./Virginia Beach, VA), who was named to the All-CIAA Tournament team last season. He ranked third in the CIAA in strikeouts (64) last season. Pitcher Desmond Cheek (So./Franklinton, NC) returns to the team after posting a 5-2 record in 2013.Â
The Falcons also return All-CIAA first-team infielder William Thomas (Jr./Yorktown, VA), who batted .307 and posted a .950 fielding percentage as a first baseman last year. Outfielder Jason Baytop (Jr./Manchester, MD) was an All-CIAA second-team pick last season after batting .306. Baytop ranked third in the CIAA in triples (4) and fifth in stolen bases (15) in 2014.Â
Infielder Carey Cheek (Jr./Baltimore, MD) and outfielder Sterling James (Sr./New Castle, DE) return in addition to catcher/outfielder Darryl Washington-Hardy (Sr./River Grove, IL) and the Brassington brothers – Sean (Sr./Raleigh, NC) and Corey (So./Raleigh, NC). Sean is a pitcher and Corey is a utility player. Outfielder K'shjuan Davis (Jr./Baltimore, MD) and pitcher Dyllon Sanchez (So./Randallstown, MD) are also back.
