Feb. 17, 2012

Game Notes - UMES @ Gardner-Webb

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BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - The Hawks begin the 2012 campaign with a three-game series against the Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. Due to predicted inclement weather, a doubleheader is set for Friday beginning at 3 p.m., with each contest going to be nine innings. Game three is currently scheduled for Saturday with first pitch to be determined.

UMES will play its first seven games of the year away from Hawks Stadium, finishing with three games in the Bulldog Classic in Huntsville, Alabama.

JOHNSON NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MEAC
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has announced that Hawks outfielder Tre-Von Johnson has been named to the 2012 Preseason All-MEAC Team. Last season as a sophomore, Johnson earned Second Team All-MEAC after finishing with a .359 average as the UMES leadoff hitter, including 11 doubles and three triples. He led the Hawks with 15 stolen bases in 18 attempts plus contributed a .985 fielding percentage in 49 starts, primarily in center field.

HAWKS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN MEAC NORTH
UMES is selected to finish third in the newly-formed MEAC Northern Division, receiving 143 points. Delaware State is picked to take first with 192 points, just ahead of Norfolk State in second at 184 points. The Hawks are predicted to finish ahead of Coppin State, chosen to get fourth with 129 points.

Bethune-Cookman, the reigning conference champion, is predicted to win the MEAC and the MEAC Southern Division.

The divisions were formed this season after the addition of North Carolina Central and Savannah State to the MEAC. Teams will only play conference games against division opponents.

2011 IN REVIEW
Despite a 9-41 record last year, the Hawks more than doubled their conference victories from 2009, finishing with a 7-11 MEAC season and 5-seed in the conference tournament. UMES earned series victories over Florida A&M, sweeping the Rattlers, and Coppin State at home. After a first round loss to Delaware State, UMES earned its first conference tournament victory since 2007 with an 11-7 win over Florida A&M before falling to North Carolina A&T. Senior Bryan Chaikowsky became the first Hawk in over 20 years to earn First Team All-MEAC, while Tre-Von Johnson was named Second Team All-MEAC.

UMES BASEBALL ANNOUNCES NEW COACHING STAFF
John O'Neil joins UMES as an assistant coach plus Luis Mena returns to serve as a student assistant for the Hawks. O'Neil comes to Princess Anne after serving as an assistant coach at the University of the Sciences. Mena hit .283 last season, playing in all 50 games as the primary third baseman and reserve catcher.

CHAIKOWSKY, JOHNSON EARN ALL-MEAC
In 2011, Bryan Chaikowsky and Tre-Von Johnson earned First and Second Team All-MEAC respectively. Chaikowsky, earning all-conference honors for the third straight season, led UMES in batting average (.360), triples (9), home runs (6), runs batted in (35), slugging percentage (.634) and on-base percentage (.446). Johnson was just behind Chaikowsky in batting average at .359, leading the team with 15 stolen bases, 38 runs, 70 hits and 11 doubles.

JOHNSON, MENA NAMED MEAC ALL-TOUR. TEAM
After the 2011 conference championship, Tre-Von Johnson and Luis Mena were named to the MEAC All-Tournament Team. In the three games that UMES played in, Johnson went 9-for-13 (.692) with three runs scored, a stolen base and an RBI from the leadoff spot. Mena was 5-for-11 (.455), including going 4-for-4 in the victory over FAMU including a three-run home run and four total RBI.

CHAIKOWSKY FINISHES #1 IN TRIPLES PER GAME
Last season, Hawk senior Bryan Chaikowsky hit nine triples in 2011 in 45 games played, finishing with 0.20 triples per contest. He was the only player in Division I to average a triple every five games. Chaikowsky's nine total triples tied for second in the NCAA with Trevor Willis of Iowa, who got nine triples in 52 games. Chaikowsky ranked high in other NCAA categories as well. He finished 43rd in slugging percentage with .634, 114th in batting average at .360 and 141st in on-base percentage with .446.

CHAIKOWSKY NAMED TO ABCA ALL-EAST 2ND TEAM
Adding to his already extensive trophy case, Bryan Chaikowsky was named to the 2011 American Baseball Coaches Association Second Team. The senior designated hitter was one of just two MEAC players represented on the ABCA All-East Teams, with Delaware State second baseman Scott Davis also being placed on the Second Team.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
Gardner-Webb went 34-23-1 last season, going to the Big South championship game after finishing fifth in the conference standings. The Bulldogs, like the Hawks and the rest of Division I, begin their season on Friday. The team is looking to replace its two leaders in batting average and two of its four primary starting pitchers.

Redshirt-senior infielder, Dusty Quattlebaum, a transfer from North Carolina State and local player from Boiling Springs, led Gardner-Webb last year with six home runs and 25 doubles, hitting .320 in 54 games. Fellow Boiling Springs native Adam McFarland, the team's primary right fielder, leads all returners with a .327 average, hitting five home runs and 15 doubles last year.

The Bulldogs return two relievers that combined for 13 saves last season. Right-handed junior Jeff Howell led the team with a 1.89 ERA in 30 appearances, going 4-1 with seven saves and 52 strikeouts. Senior right-hander Adam Izokovic with 3-1 with a 4.74 ERA, getting six saves. Their leading returning starter is junior righty Connor Scarborough, who went 7-2 in 16 appearances, including 10 starts, with a 6.34 ERA.

UMES BASEBALL RETURNS TO WGOP 540 AM
WGOP, a 500-watt station based out of Pocomoke City, is the exclusive home for UMES baseball, women's basketball and volleyball and will air all home and select away games this season. Dave Vatz returns for his second season as the voice of Hawks baseball.

UMES BASEBALL SCHEDULE PREVIEW
The Hawks are set to play 53 games this season, including 23 at Hawks Stadium. In addition to the change in the conference members, the number of MEAC games this year increases from 18 to 24.

The home slate begins on Wednesday, February 29th with a doubleheader against Lehigh. The homestand continues with a pair of twinbills against Cornell.

The remainder of UMES's non-conference slate includes a three-day road weekend against Philadelphia schools Villanova, Temple and Saint Joseph's, three home games against Mount St. Mary's, a mid-week trip to the Tar Heel State to face Elizabeth City State and North Carolina Central, a home-and-away matchup with George Washington, a weekend series at Longwood, a second game with Navy and a road contest against Towson.

Conference play begins with a road series against Norfolk State, starting with a doubleheader on March 17th and a single game the next day. It will be the first of three series against NSU. UMES will also play three series with Delaware State and two with Coppin State.

The MEAC Tournament will be held in Norfolk, Virginia from May 17-20.