Feb. 21, 2013

Xavier Game Notes - Week 2

CINCINNATI - The Xavier University baseball team will travel to Birmingham, Ala., for a three-game weekend series with UAB. The Musketeers enter the contest with a 1-2 record and will face a Blazer squad that sits at 2-3 after losing both games of a home-and-home series with Jacksonville State.

Friday's contest is slated for a 3 p.m. start at Young Memorial Field. Start times for the Saturday and Sunday games are 2 p.m. and 12 noon, respectively.

No. 200 On the Horizon
Xavier head coach Scott Googins is one win away from his 200th-career victory, all as skipper for the Musketeers. Googins assumed the helm of Xavier baseball in 2006 and has led XU to unprecendented success. He coached Xavier to its first A-10 Tournament Championship and NCAA berth in 2009. Googins also led the Musketeers to a program-best 39 wins that season. Elwell Nearly Perfect in the Field
Senior centerfielder Mark Elwell has played in 130 games and registered 297 putouts with six assists. Amazingly, Elwell has only committed one fielding error in his career for a .997 fielding percent. Not only is Elwell a maestro in the field, he led Xavier in hitting with a .329 batting average (10th in A-10) in 2012 and drove in a team-high 29 RBIs. Elwell ranked eighth in the conference in on-base percentage (.431) as well. He opened this season with two hits and three RBIs in XU's first game against CofC.

Bruening Goes Streaking
First baseman/outfielder Brian Bruening closed out the 2012 season on a 12-game hitting streak, the longest of the season for Xavier, and has hit safely in all three of XU's games this season to extend his hitting streak to 15-straight games. He has opened the season hitting .385 with a triple and two runs scored.

Charleston Series
Xavier opened the 2012 season at the College of Charleston, posting a 1-2 record. The Musketeers dropped Friday night's decision, 6-3, despite out-hitting the Cougars, 6-4. XU rebounded with a 6-5 victory after Vinny Nittoli drove in the game-winning run in the top of the ninth. The series closed with a 4-1 defeat to the Cougars despite a masterful pitching performance by Tyler Koors.

Richard A Workhorse
Senior pitcher Jon Richard ranks eighth all-time in career innings pitched at Xavier with 269.0 IP. The lefty sits directly behind Matt Raih's 272.0 IP from 1998-01. Richard led the Musketeers with 87.1 IP last season and threw 6.0 innings in his debut this season against Charleston. Richard, who allowed only two earned runs, fanned five batters and only allowed one walk against the Cougars.

Last Meeting - UAB
XU and UAB last played a series in 2011, with the Blazers sweeping all three games. Tyler Koors and Jon Richard, expected Saturday and Sunday starters this weekend, picked up losses in the 2011 series.

Xavier Musketeers Baseball

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