Baseball in Atlanta Tonight

Perno's boys visit Russ Chandler tonight to play Tech.  The fortunes of the two teams involved are divergent.  Tech is 12-1 and No. 3 in the country while we're 8-8 after last weekend's series win.  Sunday's game saw Siena hold on for a 10-9 win.

The Dawgs will have freshman Blake Dieterich on the hill in his first career start.  Blake's had a few relief appearances with some mixed success (7.1 IP, 8H, 4BB, 8Ks).  Tech will counter with sophomore Mark Pope who has some impressive stats in six innings pitched (0.00 ERA, 4H, 7Ks).  The pitching match up looks to favor the insects.  

The baseball team hasn't looked good so far this season and those performances make sense in light of our youth and injuries.  But, the pitching, long thought to be a great asset in the preseason, hasn't shown up.  The offense, long thought to be a liability in the preseason, has lived up to its billing.  There are a few signs of hope at the plate, the biggest of which is fresh faced freshman Robert Shipman who has been filling in for injured Chase Davidson at first.  In four games last week, Shipman went 7-for-13 with 3HRs and six RBIs. 

A big game against a highly ranked rival might reveal the latent talent on this team.  If we can somehow find a way to pull it out, it could be the spark to better play this season.  If you're in Atlanta tonight, get out and cheer on the team.

Quinton