HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Railsplitters (15-14, 6-3 SAC) resume South Atlantic Conference play as league-leading Catawba (20-7, 10-2 SAC) pays a visit to Lamar Hennon Field for a three-game series Friday and Saturday. Lincoln Memorial has gone 3-2 to start its eight-game home stand against nonconference opponents Bloomsburg and Saginaw Valley, while Catawba has won six straight and seven of its past eight.
 
Schedule/Game Day Links:

Friday, March 24 (4 p.m.) - Live Stats
Saturday, March 25 (1 p.m.) - Live Stats
Saturday, March 25 (4 p.m.) - Live Stats
 
Quick Hits:

- Lincoln Memorial opened New Lamar Hennon Field earlier than anticipated, as the team played Saturday's doubleheader against Saginaw Valley State at the new field due to weather. Russell Clark (Wexford, Pa.) and Nate Stinson (Jonesboro, Ga.) homered and drove in four runs apiece, and Muta Crusoe (Bellwood, Ill.) went 4-for-4 with three doubles as the Railsplitters crushed Saginaw Valley State 16-6 Saturday afternoon in the first official game played at the new Field. Mason Ewers (Kingsport, Tenn.) homered twice and drove in all three of the team's runs in the second game of the doubleheader, but the Railsplitters only mustered four hits in falling to the Cardinals 6-3.

- Lincoln Memorial achieved all the notable firsts at the new field. Brandon Jean (Franklin, Tenn.) recorded the first strikeout as he got Jason Clark swinging to lead off the game. Logan Augustine (Urbandale, Iowa) notched the first hit with a double to left in the bottom of the first. Timmy Wages (Molin, Ill.) scored the first run, as Crusoe's first double drove him in for the first RBI. Clark connected on the first home run with a two-run shot in the fourth.

- Crusoe's three doubles tied a program record, and he became the only player to accomplish the feat twice—he also hit three doubles February 21 against Kentucky State. Railsplitter hitters combined for nine doubles in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, which is the second-best total in program history.

- Seth Hunt (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Ewers (Kingsport, Tenn.) combined to go 7-for-10 as the Railsplitters cruised to a 12-1 victory in Sunday's series finale against Saginaw Valley State. Hunt stayed scorching hot with four hits, while Ewers concluded a 7-for-11 weekend with his third home run in two games- a three-run shot to left-center. He drove in four runs on the afternoon and eight over the three-game series.

- Since beginning the year batting just .118 through his first eight games with a plate appearance, Hunt has hit .500 (26-for-52), including a 6-for-6 performance March 11 at Lenoir-Rhyne to set a new program record for hits in a game, to more than triple that average to a team-best .406. He owns a .538 (16-for-26) mark in South Atlantic Conference play.

- Ewers has gotten back on track at the plate by going 15-for-28 over his past seven games with four home runs and 17 RBI. He began the season with a scorching .423 start through the team's first 14 games but cooled down considerably, going just 3-for-27 over the next eight. The recent hot streak has moved him into the SAC lead in RBI with 35. He also leads the Railsplitters in hits (40) and triples (4).

- Augustine's 37 runs scored lead the team by a wide margin and are the second-best total in the SAC. His six home runs and 10 stolen bases also lead the team and are already career highs.

- Wages was hit by a pitch for the 17^th time Sunday, which leads the entire NCAA across all levels. His .521 on-base percentage is best amongst the Railsplitters and is third in the SAC.

- Lincoln Memorial scored in the first inning Sunday for the 16^th time in 29 games. Despite outscoring opponents 33-19 in the first inning thus far, the Railsplitters are just 6-10 in games they have scored in the first. The team has an 8-10 record when scoring the game's first run.

- Ethan Elliott (Knoxville, Tenn.) bounced back from one of the worst starts of his career to toss seven shutout innings Sunday against Saginaw Valley State. In seven starts the lefty is 3-2 with a 3.92 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 41.1 innings.

- Jean was outstanding Saturday for the Railsplitters, holding the Cardinals to one run in eight innings with eight strikeouts. He allowed five hits and three walks as he evened his record to 3-3. He has won three of his past four starts. The senior has a 4.28 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 40 innings over seven starts.
 
Notes on the Indians:

- Catawba last played Tuesday at Barton. The Indians won 7-3 as six players recorded two hits. Chance Bowden and Malachi Hanes connected on solo home runs.

- Catawba's last SAC action was a three-game sweep at home against Wingate Saturday and Sunday. The team connected on three home runs in each game. Nick Coble launched three, while Kyle Smith and Zach Almond hit two apiece. Luke Setzer also hit his SAC-leading 11^th of the season.

- Three Indians are amongst the top five home run leaders in the SAC. Setzer's 11 lead the conference, while Coble is tied for second with eight. Almond is tied for third with seven.

- Besides leading the conference in home runs, Setzer is first in the SAC in runs scored (39) and second in batting average (.435) and hits (50).

- Almond is second in the SAC with 12 doubles and third with 33 RBI.

- Jeremy Simpson's .384 average and 38 hits are second on the team behind Setzer. He is batting .476 (20-for-42) in 12 SAC games.

- Catawba's 49 home runs as a team lead the SAC by a wide margin. Carson-Newman has the next highest total with 30.

- The Indians are batting .339 as a team. Every player that has started at least five games is hitting at least .300. Coble's .301 average is the lowest among regular starters.

- Catawba's pitching staff has not been anywhere near as dominant, as the team has pitched to a 5.64 ERA. However, the team averages more than one strikeout per inning with 237 in 225 innings pitched. That ERA has improved to 4.18 in SAC matchups, while strikeouts have also improved with 112 in 99 innings.

- Closer Bryan Blanton has not allowed an earned run in 14.1 innings across 13 appearances. He has five saves and has struck out 26.

-The Indians' .969 fielding percentage on the season is best amongst SAC squads. That mark has improved to an even better .982 in 12 conference games.
 
Series History:

- Catawba has dominated the series, going 34-6 against the Railsplitters. Lincoln Memorial is 3-11 at home, 3-18 on the road and 0-5 in neutral site matchups.

- The Indians have won nine of the last 10 meetings dating back to 2014. Lincoln Memorial's only win came March 18, 2016 at Catawba and snapped a 10-game losing streak in Salisbury, N.C. dating back to 2009.

- Catawba has had winning streaks of 12 and 11 throughout the series. The Railsplitters have only won back-to-back games once (March 7-8, 2014).