ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop baseball team will kick off its 2011 campaign this weekend as it travels to San Diego, CA for contests against the San Diego State Aztecs and San Diego Toreros.
The Eagles will take on the Aztecs on Friday, Feb. 18 at 4 p.m. EST and Sunday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. EST. The contest with the Toreros is slated for a 2 p.m. EST first pitch.
Winthrop is entering its first season under head coach Tom Riginos, and is coming off a 27-30 overall record in 2010 and 13-14 Big South Conference record.
Senior catcher Eddie Rohan is coming off a 2010 season in which he hit a career-high 15 home runs and earned Second Team All-Big South honors as a designated hitter. Senior second baseman Tyler Cook returns as the team's top hitter from last season as he posted a .361 batting average in 51 games played with 50 starts. Junior third baseman Chas Crane led the Eagles in RBI with 45 last season, and also recorded career-bests in home runs (14) and batting average (.337). Winthrop returns its entire weekend rotation for the second straight season as redshirt-senior Wade Newman, and seniors Robert Lake and Matteo D'Angelo all enter their third year in the rotation. D'Angelo had a team-leading 8-5 record in 2010 with a 4.01 ERA in 94.1 innings pitched en route to being named Second Team All-Big South. He walked only 18 batters and struck out 76. Lake recorded two complete games as a junior, one at VMI on May 15, 2010 and one against Liberty in the Big South Tournament on May 26, 2010.
San Diego State will be entering its ninth season under Hall of Famer and former San Diego Padre Tony Gwynn. The Aztecs went 28-28 overall in 2010 and 13-11 in the Mountain West Conference. Junior outfielder Brandon Meredith is the team's top returning hitter after posting a .383 average at the plate last season with seven home runs and 54 RBI. He is entering this season as a Preseason All-Mountain West Conference Team member. Sophomore Bryan Crabb went 4-5 with a 3.89 ERA in 71.2 innings pitched, which was good enough for second on the team. He allowed a .271 opponent batting average, struck out 58 batters and walked only 35.
San Diego is coming off an NCAA Regional appearance in 2010 and a West Coast Conference Championship. It appeared as the No. 2 seed in the Tempe, AZ Regional and was eliminated by Hawaii. The Toreros are entering the 13th year of the Rich Hill era, where he has compiled a 419-283-3 mark. Hill has also compiled a 715-481-3 career record. Junior catcher Zach Kometani returns as the team's leading hitting after posting a .351 average at the plate with six homers and 25 RBI last season. His six long balls were tied for third-best on the team. Junior pitcher Chris Jensen enters the season as the squad's top returning pitcher after the Toreros lost all three of its weekend starters from last season. Jensen went 2-0 with a 3.23 ERA in 23 appearances with four starts. He threw 47.1 innings on the mound and allowed 20 runs (17 earned) on 40 hits, 16 walks and 33 strikeouts.
The Eagles will open up the home portion of their schedule next weekend (Feb. 25-27) as they host the 2011 Johnny Gill Memorial at The Winthrop Ballpark. The three-day tournament will see Winthrop face Wagner and Kent State. The Eagles host the Seahawks on Feb. 25 and 26 at 4 p.m., while facing the Golden Flashes on Feb. 26 at 12:30 p.m. and Feb. 27 at 2:30 p.m.
