HARROGATE, Tenn. -- A perennial power awaits the fourth-seeded Railsplitters (24-20, 15-12 SAC) in the opening round of the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Championship, as Lincoln Memorial takes on the third-seeded Tusculum Pioneers (27-16, 18-11 SAC) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at McNair Field in Forest City, N.C.
 
The Railsplitters took two from Mars Hill in the first weekend of April and followed that up with a three-game sweep at Coker to solidify their second consecutive top-four SAC finish and the program's third top-four placement in four seasons.  
 
As always, Lincoln Memorial brings one of the most efficient and productive offensive attacks into the South Atlantic Conference Championship, ranking third in the league in batting average (.317), on-base percentage (.485), slugging percentage (.485) and home runs (45). When factoring in only SAC contests, the Railsplitters are second in the batting average and on-base percentage, while ranking third in total runs scored with 188.
 
While those figures are impressive in their own right, they fall short in describing the capabilities of the Railsplitters' offense. LMU is 29th in the nation in total hits, 23rd in home runs and 33rd in runs scored, as the SAC is sixth among 25 Division II conferences in terms of total runs scored and hits.
 
The Railsplitters' offense is led by a pair of All-SAC selections in senior infielder Nick Morabito (Vienna, Va.) and senior catcher Kyle Floyd (Windsor, Ill.). Morabito, an All-SAC first team pick, finished the regular season with a .380 batting average, 38 hits, seven doubles, 23 RBI and a team-high seven home runs, while Floyd, an All-SAC second team honoree, hit a team-best .381 with 13 doubles, three homers and 27 runs batted in. Floyd and Morabito ranked eighth and ninth in the SAC, respectively, in batting average.
 
The three-headed attack of Ryan Burlison (Romeoville, Ill.), Logan Augustine (Urbandale, Iowa) and Wes Neiderland (Thompson Station, Tenn.) help bolster the Railsplitters' potent lineup. Burlison batted .324 with 13 doubles, four home runs and 28 RBI, while freshman outfielder Augustine hit .319 with three triples, 27 RBI, seven stolen bases and 31 walks. Neiderland accounted for 31 RBI, a 310 batting average and six triples. Jonathan Lowe (Sidney, Ohio) paced Lincoln Memorial with 33 RBI.
 
Sophomore right-hander Brandon Jean (Franklin, Tenn.) is likely to get the nod on the mound in LMU's opening-round matchup with the Pioneers, as Jean compiled a 4-3 overall record and a 4.81 earned run average while serving as the team's No. 1 weekend starter from start to finish. Jean finished seventh in the SAC with 72 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings pitched, spinning a quality start in five of his 11 total appearances and three of his last four.
 
Winners of five SAC regular season championships and three tournament titles since the 2005 campaign, most recently capturing the 2012 tournament crown, Tusculum was carried to an 18-11 SAC record by a pitching staff that ranks third in ERA (3.82) and batting average against (.272) versus league opponents only. The Railsplitters are likely to see the best of the bunch in the form of All-SAC first team pick Placido Torres, who enters play with a 6-3 record, 2.93 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings. Alongside Torres, the Pioneers also boast the SAC's first team reliever in sophomore Devan Watts. Watts has nailed down seven saves with 58 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings.
 
While the pitching staff is electric, the offensive numbers are anything but flashy, as the Pioneers are 10th in the SAC in batting average (.286), on-base percentage (.373) and slugging percentage (.389). Tusculum finished tied with Coker for last in the league with 14 home runs.
 
Still yet, there's danger throughout a Pioneers' lineup that boasts three All-SAC honorable mention selections in Jeovanny Tolentino, Chris Waylock and Andrew Bowerman. Waylock is batting .361 with a team-leading 52 hits and six doubles, while Bowerman has a .360 average, 10 doubles and 22 RBI. Tolentino is carrying a .316 average, six doubles and a pair of homers. Jim Tolle paces the Pioneers with 28 RBI to go alongside an efficient .325 batting average.
 
The Pioneers took both ends of a doubleheader from the Railsplitters back on March 30, winning game one 14-4 and eeking out a 7-6 win in game two. That twinbill was not completely indicative of how the two teams balance against one another, as Lincoln Memorial entered that unusual Monday matchup fresh off of a grueling three-game set at Brevard. Tusculum collected 14 hits and piled up seven runs in the third frame against the Railsplitters' worn-down pitching staff to pace the game one victory. LMU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game two, but the Pioneers scored in each of the first five innings to complete the sweep.
 
The Railsplitters and Pioneers are nearly dead even in the all-time series, with Tusculum holding a narrow 27-29 edge. LMU and Tusculum have met three previous times in the SAC tournament and the Railsplitters have won all three of those encounters, winning 8-7 in 2013, 8-6 in 2011 and 5-1 in 2010. LMU's victory over the Pioneers in the 2013 tournament was the second win of what would prove to be a magical run to winning the program's first conference championship of any kind.
 
First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m. on Friday at McNair Field in Forest City, N.C. Fans can follow the action via live stat links available at www.LMURailsplitters.com or through live updates on Twitter (@LMURailsplitter). 

SAC Championship Central