TOWSON,
Md. – Due to anticipated weather problems, the Tigers and Georgia State University have adjusted the schedule for their
three-game Colonial Athletic Association series this weekend at John B.
Schuerholz Park.
Instead of playing three single games on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday, the Tigers and the Panthers will play a doubleheader (two
nine-inning games) on Friday, April 20 starting at 1:30 p.m. Towson and Georgia
State will try to complete the three-game series on Saturday, April 21 at 2:00
p.m. If the teams can't play on Saturday, they will try again on Sunday, April
22 at 1:00 p.m.
Georgia State comes into the series
with a 16-21 record and a 7-8 mark in the CAA. The Panthers, who won the 2009
CAA championship, are coming off a solid weekend against William and Mary,
winning two of three games from the Tribe. Georgia State is seventh in the CAA
with a 7-8 record, two games behind Towson in the CAA standings.
Junior Drew Shields leads the Panthers with a .331
batting average and 28 runs scored. Veteran Brandon Williams is batting
.286 with 7 homers and 29 RBI's. Senior righthander Ben Marshall leads
the Panthers' pitching staff with a 4-3 record and a 2.83 E.R.A. He was named
as the CAA Pitcher of the Week last week after throwing a one-hit shutout in a
1-0 victory over William and Mary.
The Tigers, who have a 19-18 overall record, enter the
weekend with a 9-6 record in CAA play. Towson is fifth in the CAA standings,
one-half game behind George Mason (25-13, 11-7) and Delaware (19-18, 11-7). The
Tigers, who are 11-3 at Schuerholz Park this season, have won five of six CAA
games at home. Towson swept a three-game series from George Mason and took two
out of three from Old Dominion two weeks ago.
Junior righthander Michael Trionfo and sophomore righthander Brandon Gonnella lead the Tiger
pitching staff. They are both ranked among the CAA leaders in E.R.A. Trionfo has a 6-1 record and is tied for the
CAA lead in victories. His 2.72 E.R.A. ranks him sixth in the CAA. Gonnella is
3-2 with a 2.66 E.R.A. He is fifth in the CAA in E.R.A.
Freshman Peter Bowles is
the Tigers' top hitter with a .356 batting mark. Last week's CAA Rookie of the
Week, he has been hot over the last six games. During that stretch, he is
batting .600 with eight runs scored and 11 RBI's.
Sophomore Dominic Fratantuono is batting .330 with three home runs and 20 runs batted in.
Junior catcher Andrew Parker leads Towson
with four homers and 24 RBI's after hitting a grand slam against Mount St.
Mary's earlier this week.
Towson and Georgia State have
been staging a very competitive series the last six years. The teams have played
18 times and Georgia State owns a 10-8 series lead. Six of the 18 games have
been decided by one run. In 2010, Towson swept a three-game series from the
Panthers here at Schuerholz Park, winning each game in the final at bat. Last
year, Georgia State returned the favor, sweeping three in Atlanta, including a
pair of one-run victories.