Harrogate, TN -- The Lincoln Memorial baseball team is set to begin its postseason campaign this Friday as the South Atlantic Conference baseball championships get underway. The Railsplitters enter the tournament as the 5-seed and will travel to face off against the 4-seeded Mars Hill University Lions in the opening round at Catawba. First pitch for the high-stakes match up is scheduled for 6 PM as both programs look to advance in the double-elimination bracket.
Lincoln Memorial brings a potent offensive attack into the postseason, led by the duo of Gabe Gray and Caleb Jordan. Gray, a Third Team All-SAC selection, has been a focal point for the Railsplitters all season, leading the team with a .369 batting average and recording seventy-three hits, including eleven doubles and forty runs batted in. Jordan has been equally impressive at the plate, maintaining a .368 average while scoring forty-three runs and collecting thirty-seven runs batted in. The lineup also features significant power from Brady Morse, who posted a .332 average with seventeen doubles and three long bombs, and Alex Kowalski, who contributed seven home runs and forty-two runs batted in. On the basepaths, the Railsplitters have shown consistent aggression, led by Peyton Mullannix and Gray, who have combined for thirty-one stolen bases on the year.
On the mound, the Railsplitters will rely on a pitching staff that has shown the ability to navigate tough conference lineups. Payton Armour has served as a primary anchor for the rotation, logging seventy-one innings and striking out fifty batters over thirteen starts. Adrian Smith has also provided significant stability for the staff, recording forty-one strikeouts across sixty innings of work while earning four victories. Out of the bullpen, Lucas Smith has been a reliable late-game option, leading the team with eight wins and recording thirty-six strikeouts in twenty-one appearances. The pitching unit combined for 333 strikeouts during the regular season and will look to keep the Mars Hill hitters off balance to secure an opening-round victory.
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